The Law of Buy-In is similar to the Law of the Picture.
As a leader, we need to lead by example. If the company has a direction, their people will look to the leader to see if they should believe in, or buy-in to that direction.
I have seen company policies or direction come down from the executives, then a department head does not buy-in to the program. The next thing you know no one in the department is adhering to the direction. The people did not buy-in because the leader did not buy-in.
I have seen this happen with ideas, promotions, sales incentives and training programs. The leader influences whether their people buy-in or not. Being in the training field, I have spent many hours promoting and explaining why a training program would be good for people to the leader. When the leader is all-in, the people embrace the training. When the leader is on the line, or does not find it as a priority, the people do not do the training, and therefore loose the benefits of the learning. Possibly falling behind or losing out on that particular skill development.
There have been a few times I did not fully agree on a direction or initiative from a company, but I was expected to support it. I had to have a conversation with my supervisor about it to share my concerns and try to get better clarification. He was open enough to have the conversation and appreciated my viewpoint. Inevitably, my view did not change the initiative, and though I may not have been fully on board, my position dictated I support the company initiative, which I did.
As a supervisor, when someone does not fully buy-in, we should have a conversation and try to understand their viewpoint and explain the company viewpoint in more detail. In the end, of course we are paid to do what the company wants.
It has been said “what is important to the leader should be important to the people”. I liked how Maxwell said “People don’t follow at first worthy causes. They follow worthy leaders who promote causes they believe in”. A true leader has the following of his people, even if the people do not fully understand the initiative. They are doing it because the leader is leading it.
We need to be that kind of leader.
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