How to guarantee sign-off on any positive change at work
Friday, January 10, 2025
How to guarantee sign-off on any positive change at work
Remember a few weeks ago I shared that both performance and development potential are 2 of the keys to salary growth? Well, one thing you absolutely have to do in order to perform (and to display potential) as you progress is to make positive changes at work, and to get other people onboard with those changes. I call that process making an internal recommendation. And that's where we're focussed this week.
‘Recommendations are impossible’
That’s what I used to think. When I first joined my current employer I’d sit, scratching my head, for hours - as I tried to write a recommendation for a new positive change. I knew the change was going to be beneficial, but how to convince everyone else? Fast forward 5 years and I’ve successfully made hundreds of recommendations. Many of which required investments of £100k+. So why was I head scratching to begin with? It was because I didn’t have a framework, I had no idea how to structure and push through a new recommendation successfully.
As I started to make recommendations, see them fail, and watch others succeed. I started to notice what I was doing wrong. Those who succeeded would breeze through the process with very few questions, whereas I would get a grilling, every time! Why? Because they took the time to identify the key decision makers first, they spoke to them 1-on-1, took onboard their feedback and addressed any concerns.
That is the key secret to successful recommendations. Have your key stakeholders aligned before you run the final sign-off call. When I started doing this, it was like flicking a switch, the floodgates opened and my recommendations were suddenly a success. Now I’ve refined the process into a 4 step framework that anyone can use…
The Bulletproof Recommendation
My 4-step system to guarantee sign-off on any positive, change at work
1 | Use a Recommendation Document
- There are a few key things that make up a bulletproof recommendation, and they're necessary before you can be confident convincing other stakeholders to sign it off.
- You need to know what you're recommending, why you're recommending it, the evidence backing it up, the key risks, and how you'll mitigate those risks. And it's key to document all this in a recommendation document.
2 | Identify the Most Important Stakeholders, Take Onboard Their Feedback 1-on-1
- If there is a strong Bulletproof Recommendation document backing it, this stage should be fairly simple. Who are the key decision makers? Usually there are 1-3 key people to get onboard.
- Send them the recommendation doc before the call, then listen to their feedback and take it onboard. Show you listened by adjusting course, or add new risks / mitigations, based on what they say.
- To save time, you can collect feedback via email, comments on your document, or message but I'd recommend putting a call in if there are significant points of feedback.
3 | Run a Punchy Alignment Call to Make it Official
- Once the key stakeholders are onboard, this step should be a doddle. Identify the wider group of people impacted by the recommendation then schedule a 30 minute meeting.
- Share the recommendation doc before the meeting, then address their comments and feedback in the session. If you've done the first two steps well, you won't be blocked by anyone. Instead, most questions will be low level (and helpful) from people who have been less involved so far.
4 | Share the Outcome and Next Steps Publically
- This final step puts the final seal on the recommendation. Posting publicly shows the backing you've gained for your recommendation, that it's signed off, and that there's strong evidence for it. It prevents anyone coming to you 1-week in and saying: Hey I haven't seen this you'll need to stop.
So that’s it. My four step process to create a bulletproof recommendation for anything. Next time you see something that could be improved at work, try making a recommendation with these 4 steps, I’d love to hear how it goes!
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David Bennett
Founder
The Salary Boost Newsletter
Friday, January 10, 2025
Hi, I'm David Bennett
Founder of Salary Boost
I help ambitious people to master the steps to quick, sustainable, and consistent salary growth. Read my blog for free insights from my journey from £30k to £80k and what I'm learning on the road to £100k.
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