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Managing people often becomes a stumbling block in organizational change management. We created this guide for HR professionals who want to inspire positive changes in their companies.
The idea of the guide appeared after solving real-life cases where managers had to prove the potential benefits of changes. The guide highlights the top challenges that HR managers face in companies. You will learn how to pitch ideas to company leaders through compelling presentations. And as a bonus, we show some rhetorical techniques that can make your pitches more convincing.
If you are an HR professional and you want to implement new processes, the first step is to get a “YES” from the higher-ups. Even if you are on the board of directors, you very often need approval from other board members.
For 48% of HR specialists, #1 challenge is managing change, which ranks as the primary concern in HR.
The real issue of change management, as we found out after talking to dozens of HR people, is that THERE IS NO CHANGE.
HRs are not sales and marketing experts, so they often lose a battle of promotion against people who are trained to do so. That’s how the idea of the guide came up.
I’ve been working in Sales and Marketing all my life. I have some tactics that help get the greenlight to your ideas and drive positive change. Now, I suggest taking the Sales and Marketing strategy and flip it to fit the HR department.
Knowing how to make executives say “YES” is the key skill in any company. Because when you learn it, you can truly start implementing changes in your company. Although, it doesn’t happen magically. A vital step is to make sure that executives understand that your solution is worthwhile for them.
By the end of this guide, you will learn how to:
Let’s dive in!
Changes for the changes’ sake is just a waste of money and resources. And that’s exactly how executives see HR initiatives most of the time.
So, I decided to look at more tangible things and categorize issues that HR managers are trying to solve. They all boil down to the following diagram:
Let’s explore the top challengers for HR professionals more in depth.
According to the 2023 US Workforce Trends Report Series by Gallagher, retaining talent surpasses other operational and HR priorities. And 70% of HR leaders prioritize talent management, emphasizing the shift from mere attraction to retention and development.
Everyone wants to tap into global talent. You can get more people, you can get cheaper workforce, or you can simply get better suited talents.
But immediately you risk biting off more than you can chew. A global HR entails
Each country has its own rules for how employers and employees should work. Any misclassification of workers, depending on the jurisdiction, might be a violation of tax regulations. With access to diverse talents, you need enough flexibility to fit different countries and cultures.
Two billion individuals are involved in contractual work. Additionally, the trend of nearshoring is gaining momentum, reshaping the dynamics of the workforce.
This is a bit different since technically contractors are not always under your HR policy. Although, most of the time they must be in your corporate infrastructure. Think about your Slacks, T&A systems, task management, HRIS, and more.
Somehow you need to onboard them, get into the system, ensure accurate worker classification, and synchronize tax compliance and invoices.
Different times required different approaches and skills to tackle issues. If you are thinking in terms of what worked 5 years ago – you are a dying breed. If you are thinking in terms of what worked last year – you are at risk of being replaced.
Since 2020, so many things have changed for HR management. We checked some studies and spoke to dozens of HRs in different industries to build a roadmap of HR skills. And this is the profile of an average HR that we got.
Before 2020, we had an architect, someone who was incredibly structured. Gandalf is a good example: incredibly wise, always knows who is who, and where we should go. Their goal on the market was to minimize costs.
During and right after Covid, we needed an open-hearted companion. People were stressed. The goal was to support people and give hope in the time of uncertainty. Hope is hella of a drug, never underestimate it. But as COVID ran its course, we saw massive layoffs. And suddenly the new paradigm shifted in.
In 2024, we need a trailblazer. It’s literally the time of dramatic changes, when nothing works the old way, and we need to adapt to something new, not tested yet.
So, the role that is expected from HRs is to be the catalyst.
These are HR middle managers telling top executives that the approach they’ve been following for 40 years no longer works.
But next, the question follows – why do people resist changes?
And the answer is – it is the knowing-doing gap that holds us back. Humans often don’t use their knowledge because of the fear of failure.
In pitching ideas, 90% of the time you try to convince another person to do your thing vs doing nothing. Somehow in our brain, doing nothing just equals that nothing bad will happen.
And this is your focal point. You need to convince executives that doing nothing will actively hurt them. The simple thing, unless you are completely incompetent at your job, doing something will on average produce better results.
Let’s sum it up: we learned that you have to be a trailblazer and catalyst for change. You are competing against “Do nothing Incorporated”, and your primary goal is to convince executives that doing nothing is hurting them already, and it will be even worse. And you are the person to change this.
And now is the time you hear the objections against changes:
This is where the TOP 10% shine. Those are not the best people at their job. Those are people who can break through all this FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt).
We’ve come up closer to the question of how to protect your idea when pitching it.
Your challenges in leading organizational change are not technical or operational. Change management is a marketing challenge. You need to craft a narrative that will make the board of directors feel stupid for not going forward with your initiative.
Aligning everyone behind a shared purpose is powerful. Luckily, you are HR. And you hold all the HR and Payroll data to gather support.
Yet, it's not just about having information; it's about using it wisely. You need to know how to protect your idea when pitching it. So, craft a compelling case with that data and build a story of success.
I’ll show you the power of numbers and stats.
The story is about how we managed to get a faster onboarding process by 67% and reduced admin costs by 23%.
There is a company, let’s call it X, with over 40 contractors from different countries. They require a swift onboarding method and a tool to streamline the entire process.
Besides handling current teams manually, additional challenges appear while integrating fresh members.
Even before we go to the executives and propose, we ask HR managers about their hiring and onboarding practices. And we quickly see an issue of disengaged hiring:
So we needed to present a solution that would
Only after presenting the issues and overall core goals we start talking about solutions that will bridge the gap. In that case, it was our product that at that time was in closed beta – the Juggl platform.
We outlined simply how our Tech & Workflows would
We would try to achieve Business goals of
We would improve employee experience by
We implemented a free trial solution with one department and three locations, and after three months we had proof for executives:
But it doesn’t sound that convincing to an executive.
Let’s break down the achieved positive effects:
Even more:
Not convinced? How about that:
I took just four numbers and presented them as something huge. And if it works for one department, imagine scaling it up!
Here are some benchmarks for you as a bonus on how to plant the ideas in executives’ head:
Just before the story and case presentation, start with the bridge to the ideal picture.
“I believe that we at our company can cut HR administration costs by 23%. I’m sure that we have a potential to decrease time spent on reviewing applications by 75%.”
And you will see the sparks in their eyes and a question “Really, how?”
Now they’ve practically already asked you for a solution. That's the power of advertising right here. You presented them with something interesting, and they felt engaged enough to want to learn more.
All you have to do is craft a narrative for the solution.
When you pitch a new idea to your company leadership, you should craft your story like a Hollywood director. But crafting a great story is an art worth mastering.
Think about a corporate presentation. How boring it is.
Now think of a good movie.
How can you think that a 5-minute presentation is mentally draining, while the Lord of the Rings directors’ cut is 4 hours long and keeps spectators glued to the screen?
It’s all about the journey itself.
You’ve got to use the good old storytelling techniques that help you make the pitch successful.
Storytelling is the driving force in marketing for many successful brands. Here is one way of doing it. I learnt the framework from StoryBrand:
Let’s go through the framework step by step and see the techniques that help you craft your narrative.
Nobody likes the person who always talks about themselves. According to multiple studies by dating sites, it is #1 turnoff on dates.
In every great story, there's a hero – and in this scenario, it's your executives. What motivates your executives to act? What are their goals, their aspirations?
They want expansion, well, that sounds like a hiring issue. Maybe, it’s the bottom line – cool, we can affect it with retention. More sales? It seems like we’ll need a good benefits package for the sales team.
Your executives aren't just looking for a product or service – they're seeking a solution to their problems. And I would specify four types of problems:
If you want to be good at selling your idea, appeal to both the mind and the feelings. For example, ask your executives:
“Hey, I know that we have this issue in our company that we’re trying to solve. I wanted to understand how important it is to you.”
Or simply: “Hey, how do you feel about [insert the external problem or the villain].”
People like to vent, so they will give you all the answers you need.
Now is the time for you to shine. To truly earn their trust as a guide, you need to demonstrate two key qualities: empathy and authority.
First, show them that you understand their challenges and genuinely care about their success.
And second, prove beyond a doubt that you have the expertise and know-how to help them overcome these challenges:
Asking for buy-in too soon is like jumping into the dark without a flashlight. It's scary for your executives to act when they can't see the path ahead.
A 3-to-6-step guide will make it easy for them to say “YES” right away:
Obviously, it’s much more than that. But a clear plan is what you need first.
Don’t wait!
What's the ONE THING you want them to do?
Make it crystal clear and repeat it throughout your presentation.
There are two types of calls to action:
Remember your CTAs can be specific. Refer to the problem, the objections, and the feelings you’ve taken down going through the case file.
We’ve come to the ending of a blockbuster movie. We want your executives to feel inspired and ready to take action.
Now, it’s time to remind them why they need to choose your plan. Highlight 3-5 success points – those reasons why your solution makes their lives easier and more efficient. For example, imagine a world without frequent overtime where everyone has more time saved up.
And you know what world they want to achieve because they already told you when you asked them about their goals and struggles.
However, a happy ending is not enough. All good stories need to have stakes. There needs to be a risk of failure.
Show them how their life will be worse off – the missed opportunities, the lost efficiency, and the potential consequences.
At this step, show them how their life is going to be worse without your product or service, or what happens in case of inaction. For example, in our case, we highlighted the benefits vs. the growing costs of manual employee management, amplifying overtime, and more.
But still, focus more on success and less on failure. Too much talk of failure can overwhelm people.
Just follow those steps as slides – that’s simple, you don’t need fancy. All you need is data to strengthen your case, and since you are HR, are likely to have it.
And finally, let me share my favorite rhetorical techniques that help create a compelling presentation.
You know that feeling when you're throwing out all these facts, but it's like no one's even listening? We have to spice things up. Here are three actionable techniques that help you present your pitch convincingly.
The rule of three is a storytelling principle suggesting that people better perceive ideas in groups of three. It is the magical number in books, movies, and all sorts of things around – remember the Three Little Pigs, Three Musketeers, Three Men in a Boat, etc. Clustered in three, information becomes easy to understand, organized with a certain rhythm and pattern.
When you organize ideas in three, it creates a strong structure for storytelling:
This rhetorical technique has been borrowed to explanatory writing from photography. You zoom out to grasp a big picture, and you zoom in to highlight the details. The transition from a bigger perspective to specific details enlivens your presentation and makes the listeners highly engaged.
Showing micro and macro views is how you should present numbers and stats. Zoom out and name the facts, figures, and trends. Zoom in and address the specific situation, feelings, and obstacles the executives are dealing with.
You want to drive changes now. What you need to think about is what kind of leader you become at this point.
Ever notice how certain characters from ancient stories are kinda like the ones we see in movies? That’s no accident.
There are really only a handful of great archetypes that touch people's hearts. And you can embody them in your presentation. All you need to do is put an archetype and style of rhetoric according to the issue.
A simple test: think of the villain and the hero who would be in a movie fighting it.
If your problem is too much chaos in the operations, you don’t want to be a Robin Hood or a Muse. But Explorer or Sage might be the right people for the job. You as a presenter, as well as the values and solutions you present, should be consistent with the problems you are trying to solve.
These rhetorical tricks are extremely effective. They should be able to shake things up in your company if you use them right.
Now that you know all of it, you can actually walk back and see that I used literally the same approach and the same rhetorical tricks as I showed you.
They are in the Ebook, you can see the structure – it’s all there. The plan, the character, call to actions. You can download the Ebook to check on my presentation, read some inspirational ideas, and get ready with yours.
That’s been quite a journey. Remember failing is okay. Giving up is the issue.
Many managers have sat quietly since they’ve gotten stuck. After the first refusal, they close their eyes to a dysfunctional organizational culture. It feels like being crushed at the beginning of the game.
You’re given the workable method of how to make a good pitch and how to protect your idea when pitching it. You’re aware of the knowing-doing gap. Don’t be stuck there. Remember our plan?
1. Pitch your initiative like an adventure story.
2. Let them envision success beforehand: research some case studies and statistics.
3. Reinforce your speech with the rhetorical techniques of well-known leaders.
If you’ve enjoyed this and found it useful, I want you to use and share it.
