You’ve explained the initiative three times. You’ve shared the data. You’ve laid out the benefits. You’ve answered their questions.
And still, your team isn’t on board.
Here’s what most leaders miss: persuasion isn’t about having the right arguments. It’s about understanding what your audience needs to hear.
You think you’re being clear. You think you’re being logical. You think if people just understood the facts, they’d agree with you.
That’s not how persuasion works.
People don’t make decisions based purely on logic. They make them based on emotion, trust, and whether your idea addresses what they actually care about. If you’re not connecting at that level, it doesn’t matter how compelling your PowerPoint is. Communicating WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) always applies.
Stop Leading With What You Think Is Important
You’re excited about efficiency gains. Your team cares about whether this means more work for them.
You’re focused on strategic alignment. They’re worried about whether their role still matters.
You’re talking about long-term vision. They’re concerned about next quarter’s workload.
The disconnect isn’t that they don’t understand. It’s that you’re answering questions they’re not asking.
Before you try to persuade anyone of anything, figure out what they actually care about. Not what you think they should care about. What they do care about.
Then address that. Directly.
Acknowledge the Downside Before They Bring It Up
Every change, every initiative, every new direction has a cost. You know it. Your team knows it. Pretending it doesn’t exist destroys your credibility.
“This is going to mean more meetings initially.” “The first month will be bumpy while we adjust.” “Yes, this changes how you’ve been doing things for years.”
Saying the hard part out loud doesn’t make people more resistant. It makes them trust you. Because now they know you’re being honest with them, not selling them.
When you acknowledge the downside yourself, you take away their ammunition. They can’t surprise you with objections you’ve already named. And you show them you’re thinking about their reality, not just your agenda.
Make It About Them, Not You
“I need this done by Friday” is a demand.
“If we can wrap this up by Friday, you’ll have a clear weekend without this hanging over you” is persuasive.
“We’re implementing this new system” is an announcement.
“This new system will eliminate about 90% of the manual work you’ve been doing” is compelling.
People are motivated by what’s in it for them. Always. That’s not selfish. That’s human.
If you want buy-in, show them how this makes their life better, easier, or more meaningful. If you can’t, you either haven’t thought it through or you’re asking them to sacrifice for something they don’t value.
Use Stories, Not Just Data
Data tells you what. Stories tell you why it matters.
“Our customer satisfaction scores dropped 12%” is information.
“Last week, a client told me they’re considering switching to a competitor because our response time has doubled” is a story. It’s specific. It’s real. It creates urgency.
Numbers are important. But stories stick. Stories create emotion. Stories make people care.
I worked with a CFO who was trying to get his team to adopt better forecasting practices. He’d been showing spreadsheets demonstrating the cost of inaccurate projections for months. Nobody changed their behavior.
Then he told them about a project that nearly got canceled because of bad forecasting. How it affected real people’s jobs. How close they came to a significant layoff. How it shook the executive team’s confidence in the department.
That story changed behavior in a week. Not because it was more accurate than the data. Because it was more real.
Ask Questions Instead of Making Statements
“We need to change our approach” creates resistance.
“What’s not working about our current approach?” creates reflection.
“This is the right direction” invites debate.
“What would need to be true for this to work?” invites collaboration.
Questions engage people. Statements shut them down. When you ask questions, people think with you instead of against you. They start problem-solving instead of defending.
And often, when people talk themselves into something, they commit to it more deeply than they would if you’d just told them to do it.
Build Trust Before You Need It
If your team doesn’t trust you, nothing you say will be persuasive. Ever.
Trust isn’t built through grand gestures. It’s built through consistency. Following through on commitments. Being honest when things go wrong. Admitting when you don’t know something. Giving credit where it’s due.
Leaders who try to be persuasive only when they need something fail. Because by then, it’s too late.
If you want your team to buy what you’re selling, take the extra time to build credibility. So when you do need them to take a leap, they trust you enough to jump.
Show Them You Understand Their Concerns
I coached a director who couldn’t understand why her team resisted a reorganization she proposed. “It’s clearly better,” she kept saying. “I don’t know why they can’t see it.”
I asked her what concerns her team had raised. She rattled off a list: loss of established relationships, unclear reporting structures, worry about workload during transition.
“And what did you say when they brought those up?” I asked.
“I told them the new structure is better for the organization.”
There it was. She heard their concerns and dismissed them. She didn’t address a single worry they’d voiced. She just repeated her argument louder.
We shifted her approach. She went back to her team and said, “You raised concerns about relationships, reporting, and workload. Here’s how we’re going to address each of those.” Then she actually addressed them. With specifics.
The resistance melted. Not because they suddenly loved the idea. Because they felt heard. And because she demonstrated she was thinking about their reality, not just pushing her agenda.
Persuasion Is Respect
At its core, persuasion is about respecting your audience enough to meet them where they are.
It’s acknowledging what matters to them. It’s addressing their concerns honestly. It’s showing them how your idea connects to what they care about. It’s earning their trust through consistency and transparency.
It’s not manipulation. It’s not selling. It’s not convincing someone to do something against their interest.
It’s leadership.
And when you get it right, people don’t just comply. They commit. Because they believe in what you’re doing and trust that you have their best interest in mind.
What conversation do you need to approach differently this week to actually persuade instead of just explain?
If you want to strengthen your ability to influence and lead through persuasion, schedule a call with me.
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