The article on Forbes is essentially about having influence and buy-in for your ideas. Note that this article was written in 2015, almost a decade old (is it still relevant? I'd personally assume so).
At a high level, here are some of the introductory quotes that provide insight into how to get buy-in:
Most of the work in companies is done through influence rather than hierarchy due to corporate team-based structures, requiring professionals to have considerable skill at getting support for their ideas.
Buy-in is critical to making any large organizational change happen. Unless you win support from your ideas, from people at all levels of your organization, big change never seems to take hold or have the impact you want. - John Kotter, Buy-In
Real buy-in involves at least some element of co-creation. It invites discussion, debate, and allows everyone to feel even more vested in the outcome.
Hedges provides a model to get true buy-in:
Formulate a coherent idea or vision - but keep it in draft form.
- Lay out the idea clearly, but don't make it seem finalized (otherwise others won't feel a part of the solution).
- Convey the current concerns that you have (aka why haven't you solved it yourself? why are you seeking buy-in?).
Expose the idea to outside criticism - and acknowledge it.
- Hedges quotes Kotter noting that "if people have no opinions, no objections, and no emotions, it usually means they don't care."
- This involves productive advocacy. Here, you share what you've thought about but acknowledge that it's from a limited perspective and take a genuine interest in others' opinions.
- We should also practice productive inquiry. This is how we engage with and present ourselves to others via attentiveness and curiosity.
- Acknowledge others' criticism to gain a mutual understanding.
Leverage others' feedback for improvement to achieve your end goal.
- Honestly, rather than this being your end goal, it should now be our end goal
Communicate your progress.
Research shows that people who ask for advice are seen as more credible, not less
- "Most people tend to reject ideas out of fear, and particularly fear of the unknown"
