How to Get Buy-In from Direct Reports and Stakeholders: Communication Strategies for Workplace Success

Not long ago, someone in the Career Civility community reached out with a simple but loaded question:

“How do I get buy-in from my direct reports and stakeholders?”

It’s a great question because whether you’re leading a project, rolling out a new initiative, or trying to make a change in how your team works, getting buy-in is the difference between success and stalled progress.

I get it - it can be incredibly hard to create champions and advocates for your work when goals, priorities, timelines, and expectations aren’t being clearly discussed or communicated. When people feel left out of the loop, they’re less likely to support the outcome, right? 

So how do you handle that? Well, I would start with one piece of advice: treat your professional relationships like your workplace currency and use your communication skills to invest in those relationships so you have more social capital to withdraw when needing buy-in. 

Here’s how to invest in professional relationships using good communication - 

1. Start with clarity on the goal or task at hand

Before you ask anyone to support you, make sure you can clearly articulate:

• What you’re trying to accomplish

• Why it matters to the organization (link it to bigger business goals)

• What’s in it for them aka how this work will make their job easier, faster, or more successful
  

It can look like this,

 “As a part of this team meeting, I’m providing an update on [insert project/task]. The goal of this project/task is to [communicate goal here]. We are working on this because it will ultimately [communicate solution]. As we make progress towards this, I will be providing updates and potentially reaching out for support. Thanks for making sure this is a success!”

When people understand what the goal is and why the goal matters, they’re far more likely to rally behind it.

2. Communicate early and communicate often

Too many leaders wait until a project is fully formed before looping others in. That’s a missed opportunity.

• Share ideas and updates early, even if they’re rough (and provide data to guide the idea!)

• Ask for feedback in the planning stages, not just after decisions have been made, as this will create natural curiosity and buy in on the progress 

• Make communication a two-way street so others feel heard and valued. In other words, lead by example. If you want buy-in from others, be sure you are offering help and guidance yourself too.
  

Here’s what this can look like, 

“As a follow up from our team meeting last month where we discussed [insert task/goal/project], here’s where the update stands…”

Then ask for feedback, questions, ideas and perspectives. Be sure to conclude by saying, 

“Thank you all for contributing your ideas, comments, suggestions, and questions. Another update will be provided as we make progress” 

3. Be a connector

In many organizations, teams operate in silos only focused on their own work without understanding how it impacts others. As the project lead (or even as a team member), you can bridge these gaps by:

• Identify interdependencies (where people rely on someone else to get the job done)

• Call out where cross-team collaboration will make the outcome stronger

• Facilitate introductions and conversations between groups who don’t normally interact. 

Connecting people is my favorite way to increase collaboration inside an organization. Instead of, “I don’t know”, you can simply say, 

“I don’t know but I think [name] in [department] might be able to help. And if not, maybe they can point you in the right direction”

4. Acknowledge priorities and constraints

If someone’s plate is already full, asking them to commit to your initiative might be a tough sell. Don’t steam roll as that will work against you when getting buy in from the people you work with. Instead of ignoring the reality that we are all busy:

• Recognize their workload and competing priorities

• Be flexible where possible and adjust timelines or redistribute work

• Show empathy while still making the case for the project’s importance
  

Here’s what you can say, 

“Hey xx, recognizing another email in your inbox or meeting on your calendar to discuss this project is adding more to your plate. Seeing as we need to get this done by [insert timeline], when can we meet?”

5. Give people ownership

One of the fastest ways to get buy-in? Let people see themselves in the success.

• Assign roles where individuals have real influence

• Encourage team members to lead parts of the project

• Publicly recognize contributions along the way

• Offer opportunities for feedback (everyone loves to give their opinions)

Delegate and celebrate!

6. Keep the momentum going

Buy-in isn’t a one-time achievement. For better or for worse, it’s an ongoing process.

• Share wins and progress updates regularly

• Celebrate small milestones to keep morale high

• Keep reinforcing the connection between their efforts and the project’s success
  

Create a slack channel for updates, an email thread, or simply take a minute or two in each team meeting to give updates. Transparent communication = consistent communication. 

Getting buy-in from direct reports and stakeholders is about more than getting the job done. It’s about facilitating productive professional relationships, fostering open communication, and managing collaboration effectively.. 

If your team struggles with alignment, silos, or unclear communication… let’s work together!

I help organizations build collaborative, high-functioning teams through interactive workshops and communication training. Let’s talk about bringing one to your workplace.