Checklist for Promoting a Feedback or Whistleblowing Service to Senior Management

Checklist for Promoting a Feedback or Whistleblowing Service to Senior Management

When gaining buy-in for new feedback or whistleblowing systems from senior management, remember:

• Senior executives are more likely to be concentrating on generating sales and fulfilling orders than looking at internal processes.
• When evaluating a proposal, senior leaders will be considering how it is going to help them increase revenue, grow market share or improve share value.

When you’re trying to gain buy-in for the introduction of a feedback and whistleblowing service, the proposal should be framed in terms of how it will help your organisation’s leaders achieve their goals.

Here is our checklist for proposing a feedback and whistleblowing service to senior management:

1) Know what the senior management goals are.

It’s essential that you frame your proposal in terms that will help drive management goals. You are far more likely to gain buy-in if the benefits of your proposal, and organisational and managerial goals, are aligned.

2) Gain buy-in separately beforehand if possible.

Senior managers are busy people. So, any buy-in you can gain prior to the decision-making meeting is essential. This helps minimise debate, or ideally, your proposal could be passed without challenge.

3) Be clear and to the point.

Senior management are more strategically focused. They don’t need to know all the details in a decision-making meeting. Outline the benefits of your proposal in the most efficient way possible.

4) Leverage existing relationships

Wherever possible, have a sponsor from among the senior managers for your proposal. A strong sponsor will advocate on your behalf throughout the persuasion process, making your job easier.

5) Talk to leaders in their own language

Share key insights. Show them how implementing a feedback or whistleblowing system will benefit them.

6) You will be tested…so be prepared!

Senior executives will test your proposal to see what value it will bring to the organisation.

Be prepared for this. You must be able to demonstrate the positives of your proposal to optimise the chance of the leadership team saying yes.

7) Be confident… senior management is already partially sold on the idea

The latest research by Safecall shows that 73.4% of leaderships teams would be interested in reports of potential wrongdoing in their organisation. 63.7% of respondents believed action would be taken on the back of any such reports.

Senior Management are highly receptive to proposals that help them prevent serious damage to their revenue or reputation.