Stakeholder buy-in

- Every CEO is acutely aware of the danger that skills gaps present to the future of their organization. Yet, few really understand the time, costs, and effort required to gain even one single skill. That's why when you're building your upskilling strategy, you need to put on your sales hat and ensure that you have stakeholder buy-in. Without it, you ability to execute will be impossible. So, how do you get this buy-in? The first way is to connect your upskilling strategy with business outcomes. This means being very specific about how upskilling will help the company do one of three things. Make money, save money, or mitigate risks. A good way to do this is look at your organization's key performance indicators and commitments to shareholders to make sure your strategy can be directly linked to each one. Next step, set expectations. In a previous module, we learned about the importance of building a hypothesis. This single exercise gives you the relevant data to demonstrate the time, costs, and effort required to develop a single skill. Present these metrics as a business case to stakeholders so they could ensure these are factored into the price of innovation. Here's the hard one. Get commitments. In order for any upskilling strategy to be a success, stakeholders need to commit to providing the investment and infrastructure. For example, pushing upskilling as an after work activity is simply not a feasible plan. That's why stakeholders need to promise, at the onset of your strategy, that employees will have the time to learn. Resources might need to be allocated for coaching or perhaps an investment in technology, as required. Whatever it is, make a list and get the commitment in writing so you have all the tools in place. Find an executive sponsor. This is a person who holds a very senior position in the company. Therefore, they have the ability to remove any road blocks and advocate on your behalf. Trust me, you'll need them. So, choose wisely. Lastly, don't do it alone and communicate. If your company is moving towards becoming a skills-based organization, this involves everyone from L and D to HR to finance. Make sure all parties are clear about the language of skills. Even if you are not making the leap into a full skills-based organization, targeted upskilling can still be a shift. Communicate what this means for everyone. Stakeholder buy-in can be challenging to start with, but it is a worthwhile investment. After all, upskilling is a long-term strategy and you will need all the allies you can get.