In every successful change initiative I’ve seen, the game-changing difference wasn’t the tools or the training - it was leadership that didn’t just say “yes” to change, but showed up for it.
Digital change initiatives are messy. It disrupts habits, processes, and entire ways of working. If you don’t have visible, vocal support from the top, it’s not going to stick. Period.
Let me break it down. Because “buy-in” gets tossed around like a buzzword - but here’s what it actually looks like when it's done right:
Change is hard. It triggers resistance, especially when it feels like another top-down decision that disrupts the day-to-day.
But when people see their VP or C-suite leader actively supporting the effort - speaking about it with enthusiasm, showing up to PI Planning, kicking off training with context - it creates alignment. And accountability. And energy.
I’ve been in kickoff meetings where a senior leader just being in the room changed the tone entirely. People sat up straighter. They listened differently. They took it seriously.
On the flip side, I’ve seen what happens when leadership checks out after budget approval.
Teams flounder. Engagement drops. Pushback rises. And ultimately, the change stalls out.
The tool might technically “go live,” but adoption lags. Teams revert to old habits. And leadership ends up frustrated that they invested in something with no clear return.
The truth is, change initiatives can’t be delegated. If leaders want different results, they have to be part of the process that gets them there.
Whether you're rolling out a new tool, scaling Agile practices, or just trying to get more consistent data across teams - the question isn’t just do you have buy-in.
It’s: Can your people see it? Feel it? Believe it?
If not, it’s time to raise the bar.
In every successful change initiative I’ve seen, the game-changing difference wasn’t the tools or the training - it was leadership that didn’t just say “yes” to change, but showed up for it.
Digital change initiatives are messy. It disrupts habits, processes, and entire ways of working. If you don’t have visible, vocal support from the top, it’s not going to stick. Period.
Let me break it down. Because “buy-in” gets tossed around like a buzzword - but here’s what it actually looks like when it's done right:
Change is hard. It triggers resistance, especially when it feels like another top-down decision that disrupts the day-to-day.
But when people see their VP or C-suite leader actively supporting the effort - speaking about it with enthusiasm, showing up to PI Planning, kicking off training with context - it creates alignment. And accountability. And energy.
I’ve been in kickoff meetings where a senior leader just being in the room changed the tone entirely. People sat up straighter. They listened differently. They took it seriously.
On the flip side, I’ve seen what happens when leadership checks out after budget approval.
Teams flounder. Engagement drops. Pushback rises. And ultimately, the change stalls out.
The tool might technically “go live,” but adoption lags. Teams revert to old habits. And leadership ends up frustrated that they invested in something with no clear return.
The truth is, change initiatives can’t be delegated. If leaders want different results, they have to be part of the process that gets them there.
Whether you're rolling out a new tool, scaling Agile practices, or just trying to get more consistent data across teams - the question isn’t just do you have buy-in.
It’s: Can your people see it? Feel it? Believe it?
If not, it’s time to raise the bar.
In every successful change initiative I’ve seen, the game-changing difference wasn’t the tools or the training - it was leadership that didn’t just say “yes” to change, but showed up for it.
Digital change initiatives are messy. It disrupts habits, processes, and entire ways of working. If you don’t have visible, vocal support from the top, it’s not going to stick. Period.
Let me break it down. Because “buy-in” gets tossed around like a buzzword - but here’s what it actually looks like when it's done right:
Change is hard. It triggers resistance, especially when it feels like another top-down decision that disrupts the day-to-day.
But when people see their VP or C-suite leader actively supporting the effort - speaking about it with enthusiasm, showing up to PI Planning, kicking off training with context - it creates alignment. And accountability. And energy.
I’ve been in kickoff meetings where a senior leader just being in the room changed the tone entirely. People sat up straighter. They listened differently. They took it seriously.
On the flip side, I’ve seen what happens when leadership checks out after budget approval.
Teams flounder. Engagement drops. Pushback rises. And ultimately, the change stalls out.
The tool might technically “go live,” but adoption lags. Teams revert to old habits. And leadership ends up frustrated that they invested in something with no clear return.
The truth is, change initiatives can’t be delegated. If leaders want different results, they have to be part of the process that gets them there.
Whether you're rolling out a new tool, scaling Agile practices, or just trying to get more consistent data across teams - the question isn’t just do you have buy-in.
It’s: Can your people see it? Feel it? Believe it?
If not, it’s time to raise the bar.
In every successful change initiative I’ve seen, the game-changing difference wasn’t the tools or the training - it was leadership that didn’t just say “yes” to change, but showed up for it.
Digital change initiatives are messy. It disrupts habits, processes, and entire ways of working. If you don’t have visible, vocal support from the top, it’s not going to stick. Period.
Let me break it down. Because “buy-in” gets tossed around like a buzzword - but here’s what it actually looks like when it's done right:
Change is hard. It triggers resistance, especially when it feels like another top-down decision that disrupts the day-to-day.
But when people see their VP or C-suite leader actively supporting the effort - speaking about it with enthusiasm, showing up to PI Planning, kicking off training with context - it creates alignment. And accountability. And energy.
I’ve been in kickoff meetings where a senior leader just being in the room changed the tone entirely. People sat up straighter. They listened differently. They took it seriously.
On the flip side, I’ve seen what happens when leadership checks out after budget approval.
Teams flounder. Engagement drops. Pushback rises. And ultimately, the change stalls out.
The tool might technically “go live,” but adoption lags. Teams revert to old habits. And leadership ends up frustrated that they invested in something with no clear return.
The truth is, change initiatives can’t be delegated. If leaders want different results, they have to be part of the process that gets them there.
Whether you're rolling out a new tool, scaling Agile practices, or just trying to get more consistent data across teams - the question isn’t just do you have buy-in.
It’s: Can your people see it? Feel it? Believe it?
If not, it’s time to raise the bar.
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