Welcome to this BONUS session number seven of
the university social pro podcast. In this session we’re going to
deviate a little from the usual protocol - I won’t be having the
typical conversation with someone doing great work in higher ed -
In this session we’re going to talk about how to pitch a new
idea or a new project to a key decision maker, whether it be your
director, your dean, a colleague or even your whole team, and the
strategies you can take to overcome the most common types of
objections. I’m going to draw from a book called “Buy-In: Saving
Your Good Idea from Getting Shot Down” written by John Kotter,
Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership, Emeritus, at Harvard
Business School. I’m going to extract a few lessons outlined in the
book, deconstruct 5 common objections that are frequently used to
kill new ideas (whether it's swiftly or over time) and formulate
strategic responses to hopefully, with tact and respect, move a
project forward to its next step.
Objection 1. "Nice idea, but we just don’t have the money"
Objection 2. "Everything’s doing fine as is, we
Objection 3. "But what about this scenario, or
that scenario? And this? And that?"
Objection 4. "Now just isn’t the right time,
let’s table this and look at it again at the end of the
Objection 5. "The idea is sound, but to be
frank, I don’t think you have the experience required to do
I hope that you find at least one or two of these
strategies and responses, and the next time you have an idea for a
project that really believe in, you’ll have the confidence to drive
it forward and make it a reality. Because at the end of the day,
remember why you show up to work, and who it is you serve. It’s the
students. It’s the alumni. It’s the faculty. And it’s the staff. If
you know how to make your university a better place, then do it -
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