The best way to get people excited about transformation and encourage them to come along for the ride is to take a storytelling approach. 

To get internal buy-in, you need to convince people that change is worth their time, focus, attention and precious energy. And guess what: people do not like change.

So, how do you combat change fatigue and resistance? With a compelling story, repeated often. 

Why the “why” is important

If you’re asking folks to work in new ways or take on large-scale and lasting transformation, you need a powerful story that speaks to customers, board members, executive leaders, front-line employees, and everyone in between. Thus, you need a strong “why” that:

• Grounds people in a common vision, gives them a reason for being, and sets them up for success

• Creates a language toolset that others can amplify when talking about the vision 

• Is repeatable

• Is emotional (it makes people say, “yes, this is the kind of effort I want to be a part of!”)

• Helps you earn buy-in among key constituents

There’s no magic pixie dust you can sprinkle around to force people to feel happy or excited about the changes you’re trying to drive for your organization. That’s why a good story is absolutely essential for transformation. It’s not enough to say, “because I said so,” or “so we can make more money.” People need a compelling and personal reason to change their behaviors and approach to working – something that they want to be associated with and that motivates them. 

How to craft a powerful “why”

We’re going to apply some product principles to this process, so think about the story as the product. To create a compelling “why” that’s going to bring people along, you need to focus on the result you want. That means your “why” should:

1. Be outcome based

Think about what you want to happen as the result of the transformation. Maybe you want to win more customers, or strengthen the relationship with clients, or solve for an emerging need in the marketplace. Whatever the focus, it should be outcome based. And remember, it's not, “we’re going to transform and then move on.” Instead, it’s “we must transform so that…(insert desired outcome here).”

2. Focus on the customer

Hone in on the customer’s needs and how the org is uniquely positioned to make their lives better / easier / etc. Your “why” should be human centered and at the root of the vision. It might also be that one of your reasons for transformation is to make the employee experience better. That’s a “why” your team is likely to get behind. 

3. Talk about today, tomorrow, and how you get there

One of the tools I use with product teams is the Radical Vision Worksheet introduced in Radical Product. As always, I love to apply product tools to my own life and work, and this one is no different. 

To hone in on the opportunity and determine how your org needs to change in order to meet your customer’s needs, try completing these sentences (I like to think of these as Product Mad Libs!).

Today when (customer/user/employee segment)

Wants to (desirable activity/outcome)

They have to (current solution/approach)

This is unacceptable because (shortcoming of current solution)

We envision a world where (shortcomings are resolved by our org in ways no other org can replicate)

To bring this world about, we need to change (the way we operate / our products / how we do things internally / etc.)

Note: While one person may draft the “why” statement, it certainly can't be developed in a vacuum. That means your draft needs to be iterated on with other leaders and people accountable for the transformation. Make tweaks and evolve the message until it feels right, you have alignment from your leaders, and it feels compelling to those who hear it.

How will you know you got it right? Heads will nod. Eyes will light up. You’ll hear your words repeated back to you by people you haven’t met yet. It will catch fire, and you’ll be ready to help it spread!