Pitch your case
We know it can be hard to persuade your boss, or learning team to attend a course. Here are two resources to help you navigate the approval process.
Three Killer Questions helps you calculate the value at risk, the value of good change management.
The Approval Request gives you a template to make the request for funding.
If you still need help, talk to us.
Three killer questions
This tool shifts the emphasis from can you afford to invest to can you afford not to.
Use, as part of a conversation, to take your approver on the journey of how much value is at risk and how insignificant the investment in building your capability is compared to the benefit that you will bring to your project.
Question One: Does anyone need to think, act or do something differently for this [change] to be successful?
This question establishes whether behavioural change is required to get to the outcomes. If it is, then the human factor cannot be ignored. It causes the answerer to think through the implications of the change, rather than the product that is being created.Question Two: How much of your benefits depend on people thinking, acting or doing something differently?
Having established that behavioural change is required, this question shifts the focus to the benefits and connects the two. Framing the change in the context of the benefit statements makes the impact of the change feel real. The ‘how much’ requires the answerer to consider the source of the benefits and to quantify them. Once that number has been verbalised, it becomes firm in the answerers mind. 80% of £10m is £8m. The scale and importance of the behavioural change have been established.Question Three: What are the consequences, if any, if people choose not to adopt the change?
If there are no consequences, the likelihood of the change taking place is reduced significantly, especially in an environment where there are competing priorities.
Approval request
If you are working in a more traditional environment and need to write a request, here is a draft for you to copy and paste.
Dear [Insert Approver’s Name],
I would like to attend the 3-day Change Agent Bootcamp (and certification) program, offered by Irrational Change. The Bootcamp is scheduled to take place from [insert month day – day, year] and will be delivered online.
Attending this program will give me the insights, tools and tactics to improve adoption of our change projects and increase the likelihood of delivering our business case benefits.
Irrational Change are at the forefront of the change management field. Their approach focuses on changing organisational behaviours, and beliefs, the hard to-do changes. Their approach applies the latest research from neuroscience, psychology and behavioural science to enable behavioural change to happen faster and with less friction.
The Change Agent Bootcamp is an interactive, practical and experiential session. I am expected to bring an active project and apply the Irrational Change approach to it as I learn, creating a compelling and practical Change Strategy for it.
I propose using [Insert Project Name] project. As you know, [Insert Project Name] is a priority for us. We are expecting significant benefits from [Insert Project Name] including:
1. [Include project benefit, result and outcome].
2. [Include project benefit, result and outcome].
3. [Include project benefit, result and outcome].
I estimate that [insert %ge] of the benefits are dependent on our people [and our partners] choosing to do things differently. This gives significant risk to our benefit delivery. Applying the Irrational Change approach, which I will learn at the Change Agent Bootcamp will mitigate these risks, making it far more likely that we will achieve the results we are looking for with [Insert Project Name].
I am seeking approval for the £[Insert value] GBP [+ VAT] tuition, which includes over 50 digital tools and a subscription to the extensive Irrational Change content, that I can immediately use. I will make arrangements to cover my responsibilities during the days that I attend the training.
Please accept this proposal. I am confident that upon completion of the program, I will have a solid change strategy, a change risk assessment, and a plan to improve the adoption of [Insert Project Name], as well as the change management skills to help our projects succeed.
Thank you for your consideration and for investing in our future,
[Insert Your Name]
Where to Now?
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