How to create champions for innovative ideas

1. Naysayers to Yaysayers
how to create champions for innovative ideas

2. Show me a
successful
innovator
and I will
show you
someone
who has
lived
through
rejection…

3. …emotional
ups and downs…

4. …and the
disappointment of
being ignored.

5. © iStockphoto.com / Florea Marius Catalin
Glowing images
associated with
innovation
iStockphoto.com / © starfotograf
convey the
impression that
the process
unfolds
iStockphoto.com / © Trista Weibell
painlessly...
iStockphoto.com / © Izabela Habur

6. © iStockphoto.com / © Rob Friedman
…but the reality of implementation can be
quite different.

7. On the road to
implementation
there will likely
be resisters.

8. 5
Here are tips
for transforming
these
NAYSAYERS
into
YAYSAYERS.

9. 1.
Recognize that resistance is natural.
Throughout history, even the best ideas
have encountered opposition. Proposed
changes to the status quo will likely be
dismissed or ridiculed by someone; such
reactions probably say more about the
naysayer than the value of your idea.

10. 2.
Resisters can be part of the solution.
Naysayers can contribute to a better solution
if they have an opportunity to understand
your challenges and develop a personal stake
in the outcome. Support for an idea will take
on a “life of its own” if these new champions
extend their influence to help your cause.

11. 3.
Frame your pitch in their terms.
Lesson from Negotiation 101: always find
a way to express your idea as something
that is in their interest. Also, research
indicates that decision makers typically seek
to avoid loss, so highlight the consequences
of saying no in their terms.

12. 4.
Work though the resistance;
don’t try to fight it.
It’s important to see the transformation
of naysayers as a digestive process,
rather a force-feeding event. This means
developing trust and understanding over
a period of time, instead of relying on
one airtight case to gain support.

13.  You may be here.
5.
Expect ups and downs.
Instead of being surprised and daunted
by this naturally bumpy process, it’s
helpful to remember that non-linear
progress is normal. A mental “You are
here” image is a realistic way to deal with
temporary setbacks on this journey.

14. A Final Note:
In daily practice, we often
observe staunch naysayers
begin to champion ideas that
they initially rejected.
What seems to shift their
opinion is a spirit of shared
learning and co-evolution.
This approach to building
mutual trust is more effective
than pushing unilateral
arguments aimed at buy-in.
Sharon VanderKaay
Farrow Partnership Architects
www.farrowpartnership.com