By using collaboration properly, you can better influence the outcome of your project or business proposal. Collaboration early in the process can shape a positive outcome by building relationships and establish alignment to what you want to accomplish. The feedback you receive can then be used to alter your proposal for controversial issues in order to pitch a more successful project later.
Waiting until presentation day to reveal the details may not always be the best way to gain acceptance. Working early with individual members involved in the approval process privately can deliver valuable information to better shape your proposal. Gaining input from across the entire spectrum can highlight problems and other opportunities. Further, collaboration throughout your business can deliver better results than projects developed and presented in a vacuum.
How collaboration can build influence?
- Early buy in from individuals. Meeting one-on-one with those who can influence the decision for your project can give you incredibly valuable information on how to focus on any pitfalls. By meeting, you can also achieve early buy in and reassure you can overcome any objections.
- Periodic reviews with key members. After early buy in, you can begin to meet with small groups of key people to build consensus and increase the probability of approval and support. These reviews continue to show that you have accounted for any problems identified earlier.
- Input from multiple sources. Those who have provided input, in fact, now have an implied incentive in the project. You have involved them to the point that they have shaped the outcome and may naturally become your advocate.
- Build trust. Through showing the in-progress work, you begin to build trust for the project. This is especially important for controversial projects where it may require significant resources and where some key people may not believe in the overall optimism for its projected return on investment.
- All opinions matter. When using collaboration to achieve success for your project, all opinions matter. Seek counsel and wisdom from all sources, but avoid groupthink and any overly optimistic support that lacks data. Additional perspective helps to see issues you may be missing.
Ultimately, you will use collaboration to get your proposal approved. It doesn’t matter if your approval audience are your partners, the board, your investors, or a loan officer at the bank. Get meetings with key people who can influence the decision to understand any objections and get early buy in with periodic reviews to address problems.
“Entrepreneurs have a natural inclination to go it alone. While this do-it-yourself spirit can help you move forward, adding an element of collaboration into the mix can make you unstoppable.” Leah Busque, founder of TaskRabbit
How can you build influence through collaboration in your own business?
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Copyright 2016 – Stephen McLain