Amidst the COVID-19 crisis, most CEOs are fighting today’s fires whilst planning for the future. Though great visionaries in themselves, they can’t do all the innovations alone. You can become the one who contributes to your vision of the companies’ success!
When you are hit by an inspiring idea or you see how your peers have resolved a bottleneck with a practical tool, most likely you are eager to share! You so wish to present your innovation to the board, but then you cave in, lacking braveness. So, what can you do to change your mindset and prepare for the big revelation in front of the board?
1/ THINK LIKE A CEO
Innovation does not necessarily have to push an enormous growth, profitability, or achievement of the core business vision.
An upgrade in technology could however be one of the supporting factors in contributing to the way the whole company culture is perceived and developed. Whether you are in the HR driver's seat or not, try to see the bigger picture and connection with the company’s mission & vision. Think like a CEO. Do not brush new ideas off the table even if you do not have the resources you need to develop your idea. Though your suggestion may be unexpected, it can be the right time to go for it.
2/ HAVE A STORY BACKED BY DATA
CEOs want stories that bring the opportunities to life.
Don’t do a simple ppt slides presentation. Paint a realistic scenario of how it will support the company culture. Bring your idea to life and support it with relevant data. The C-level decision makers need to see that any effort in making change in the processes along with any shift of the resources to the new project will be beneficial. Demonstrate what benefits this “new thing” would have on your own job performance. One scenario could go like this: You run a payroll department that get overwhelmed each month. So, you did a little digging and found a simple, yet highly efficient HR tool. You already envision the improvements in your daily routine. How to trigger not only their business minds but also the emotions of the board? Give them evidence that a well-placed investment can solidify the future of the business. Present it with enthusiasm, with focus and list the immediate action points.
3/ BUILD YOUR SUPPORT TEAM
Get few opinions on the new proposition from your colleagues, gather ideas about their interests.
By building your support team, all of a sudden you will not be a sole fighter anymore. When you understand how you are perceived by others, you will have a confidence to bring your case in front of the C-level.
So, will you take the opportunity to provide an inspiration to your leadership team? :)