Change management is never easy. When you have a new idea or a different way of doing things, it is often hard to get your subordinates to the same level as you are in order to roll their sleeves and help support the implementation. Many experienced leaders have been through numerous change situations and have learned how to manage them successfully, especially by relying on proven techniques and models such as the Kubler-Ross change curve and Kotter’s eight steps of change. What they find to be much more challenging, though, is how to convince their bosses that change is needed and how to inspire them to support that change.

Alexandra (not her real name) is a middle-aged Senior Director at a medium-sized health system. She is analytical, soft-spoken and insightful. Prior to coming to healthcare, she worked for many years in the hotel industry. She reached out to me a few months ago because she was frustrated with her boss and the leaders in her division who were not buying into her ideas of transforming the way the division should work. She knew that what she was suggesting would work- she had tried it several times in previous jobs- but the executives in her health system were not “seeing the light,” as she described it. They didn’t believe that her approach would work because they had never seen something like it before. She needed a better way to “manage-up” her bosses.

After she explained the complex changes she was proposing, I asked her to describe the approach she was using to present her ideas to her boss and other leaders. “I have a very thorough slide deck that is based on data and that tells a compelling story about why they should adopt my suggestion,” she explained. “How many versions of that presentation do you have?” I asked. “I only have one,” she answered. “Do the different bosses and leaders you are trying to convince have the same leadership style?” I pressed. She paused for a few a moments, and I could tell that she immediately knew where I was going with this. She finally said: “Oh my god! You are so right! I am using only style of convincing- the style that works for me. But I haven’t given any thought to the style that they prefer. I have created a presentation for me, not for the different audiences. I need to be more intentional about how I connect with each executive.”

In an older but brilliant Harvard Business Review article, Gary Williams and Robert Miller argued that the main reason people often fail to convince others of their ideas is because they focus too much on the content of their argument and not enough on how they deliver the message. They suggested that in order to improve the chance of your proposal being accepted by those higher than you, you need to identify who will be making the final decision, and then you need to tailor your arguments to that leader’s decision-making style.

Based on their extensive research, Williams and Miller identified five main decision-making styles:

1. Charismatics (think Richard Branson) are those that get very excited about new ideas but their final decision is typically based on balanced data.
2. Thinkers (think Bill Gates) are logical and academic, and typically see different points of view. Their final decision is based on cautious evaluation of all the options.
3. Skeptics (think Larry Ellison) are highly suspicious of all new data, especially data that don’t fit with their worldviews. They are very hard to convince and typically make decisions based on intuition and gut feeling.
4. Followers (think Carly Fiorina) are risk-averse and tend to make decisions based on their past experience or how other leaders that they respect have made similar decisions.
5. Controllers (think Martha Stewart) are analytical and unemotional. Because of their fear of uncertainty, they typically make decisions based on pure facts.

In the new few weeks, Alexandra took the time to analyze and classify her boss and leaders into one of those five decision-making styles. For the individuals that she didn’t know that well, she asked others who were more familiar with them about how they have seen them make decisions in the past. Armed with that newfound knowledge, she went about customizing different versions of her presentation to the executive that she was pitching the idea to. A couple months later, she called me to tell me that her proposal was finally accepted. She will be working over the new 18 months on turning her ideas into reality with the full support of her leadership team.

Putting it All Together

Managing-up your boss and other senior executives in the organization in order to convince them to dedicate resources towards your ideas requires a careful understanding of their personalities and preferences. To improve the chance of your proposal being accepted, you need to tailor your arguments to that leader’s specific decision-making style.

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Dr. Amer Kaissi is a Professional Speaker, Executive Coach and an expert on Leadership, Humility & Ambition, Assuming Positive Intent, Psychological Safety & Accountability, Growth Mindsets & Resilience.