How to Get Employees to Buy-In

I was having a lovely lunch with a strong and dedicated group of leaders the other day. They were telling me about this wonderful new app they invested in to improve team member communication. I even got a look at it and it's GREAT.

So what's the problem?

They can't get the bulk of their employees to use...or even download...the app. They don't have employee buy-in. 

We discussed a variety of ideas and then it hit me why their team members weren't invested.

They weren't involved. 

Here was my recommendation. I suggested that they pull together a group of influential employees from different departments and ask them to be part of a pilot. Ask them to download the app and try it for a few weeks. At the end of the pilot, bring the group together. Ask their thoughts. What worked? What didn't? What interested them? What didn't? 

Then ask: How could we make it more interesting and relevant? What are YOUR ideas about how this tool could be used? 

Get them invested by getting them involved. Then, when they are sufficiently excited about it, ask them to tell their friends. They will have much more success if it comes from a respected peer than if it's seen as a leadership mandate.

True - you only want a few people involved in decision-making. However, before you make decisions, it's best to involve the key stakeholders and users by getting their input. The more you include people the more invested they will be in making the app ....or whatever it is....successful!