My Success is your SuccessFive steps to getting your colleagues into advocacy

May 11, 2015

Why internal buy-in mattersOr, how to make your job easier, your program better, and your career soar

1. More is more

Who should care about advocacy?

• Anyone with a company goal• Look at org chart

– Who is the right “level” to target?• From a functional perspective?• From a higher-level supporter perspective?

• Where can you show value quickly

– What makes these stakeholders tick?

Figuring out your internal advocacy landscape

2. Educate. Repeat. Try Again.

Workshops or simple one-offs

– Educate on function of advocacy in org– Demonstrate your program– Ask folks to come prepared with one goal– Activity to connect advocacy to that goal– Test out your input process– Leave with a stockpile of new challenge ideas!

Empower your colleagues

3. Make it easy

Advocacy must be easily accessible

• Design an internal pathway to advocacy • Utilize tools your colleagues already use• Gather 5 Ws• Show don’t tell

– Advocacy can be immediate– Advocacy can be agile– “Advocacy can help you reach your goals”

People like process (even if they say they don’t)

Example: The online pathway I developed

4. Share Your

Success And see interest in your program grow

• Newsletters• Town halls• All-hands• Off-sites• Intranets• Social• Department meetings• Career fairs

Get on your soapbox

Be Bold! Make advocacy a happening…

“During our Q&A session with Warren Barkley… he emphasized the importance of showing parents and the school board how students benefit by using this technology. Right then, my colleague and I reached out to our school board president via Twitter. Within a few minutes and three tweets, we had a commitment from the school board president to schedule a visit to my classroom.”

Why sharing matters – for you and your advocates

5. Grow Your Career And your program and your budget….

Get recognized as an innovator

Grow your budget and advocate love