How many Therapists does it take to change a light bulb? One, but the light bulb has to want to change!

Oh, this is so true in any organization. It doesn't matter how brilliant your idea may be. If the organization is not ready for change, it won't. If your vision doesn't pay for itself by 10 times, you are the one that needs to change. Implementing technology for the sake of technology dims the very light bulb needed to pay your salary. (Read the article: Your Share of the Profit).

There could be another reason. The organization may just not be able to see your vision. You can't assume they can see your vision. No two people think alike. You must find out where their head is and walk them to where you are. You can NOT achieve that without an understanding of how other people think and what is of value to them. You will never truly understand that without a working relationship with them. If you have a relationship with a person, you will be allowed the opportunity to walk him/her towards your vision.

Explaining your vision or approach the same way over and over again is like continually hitting your head against a wall. It hurts and it will continue to hurt until you stop. When you stop, you will discover that the hurt does fade unless you did permanent damage. Pushing your way with the business could temporarily or permanently ruin your relationship with the business community.

Apply this to a working relationship with a business partner. If you continually state your vision but they don't care or can't see it, restating it over and over again hurts you! You may think it's lack of intelligence by the business community but you would be wrong. It shows your lack of intelligence because you can not adjust your approach to convey the vision in their language and style.

This does not always mean that you are wrong. It means you do not understand or refuse to understand their perspective of the business and their role in it. Not all light bulbs want to change. Your idea may be too far fetched for the business return (your cost versus increased business revenue).

It is now your decision. You have to decide. You have to be able to work within their dimmed environment or move to find another brighter future or wait for the light bulb to need to change.

Before you accept any of these paths, look and see if your vision is too much. Are you offering a 120 watt solution for a balance sheet that can only support 60 watt? Find a vision where you can help increase revenue (reset the 60 to 120). If you can't, then your vision is a waste of time, money and resources at this time to the business and you.

If you truly believe that what you need to explain will provide real VALUE to the business community, then you must learn how to sell (yes, sell) the idea to each business contact. You must learn to adjust what you need to convey to each of their mindsets. You must accept the fact that each business contact may be thinking differently.

Make a list of all the things that are of value by following your vision. Cross off anything that provides value to you. Add the remaining items on your list (and you need to have at least 5, preferably a dozen) to a spreadsheet. Add a column to represent each business person that needs to approve and help you act on your vision. Notice that I did not list your IT management. You will provide them significant value by providing value to the business community. That will help their, and your, careers much more.

With each "value" under a specific business contact's name, prioritize what each would find most valuable in your vision with a number from 1 to 5 (1 being the highest). Add a comment as to why each would find the top 3 most valuable. Think in terms of building revenue first, saving time second, saving costs third.

Why revenue first? A business remains in business due to profit. Without profit, they will never stay in business. All the cost-cutting? in the world won't add more to a company without generating revenue.

Individual time saving should be second. If your vision will make life easier for the business person, you are identifying a personal source of relief. A business person that you help individually will help you find ways that your vision will help the entire business. They will tell you how best to sell to other business contacts. They will be vested in your vision.

None of this will help you if you do not already have a relationship with the business contacts you must sell. Walking into an executive's office with whom you do not have a relationship will be told to deaf ears. You must already understand what value their role performs for the company. You must know what pain they feel performing their jobs. You must have already been identified as a person that provides value to them first. That only comes after having built a working relationship.

If you have a relationship with the business contact, you will understand how he/she likes to hear information. You will know if high-level overview or detail is preferred. You will know when it is best to discuss your vision (morning/afternoon, over coffee or lunch, Monday/Friday). You will if the executive is (or each contact is) too busy to listen to new ideas (tax deadline is not a good time to talk to any accountant). You will be able to adjust your timing to know if you should send them an email about it first or drop it on his/her lap at the end of a meeting. It all depends on the relationship you have with all that need to be sold.

Despite whether you have the relationships and your idea is the greatest thing as well as cost effective, you still may not be able to sell your vision. The company may have a different direction in mind. The company may not want to make any changes because it sees it as too risky at this time. Be prepared to stop and store your idea. You do not know all of what is happening in the business, nor will each of your business contacts. After you test the waters with your idea, accept that some light bulbs do not want to be changed. Pushing too hard will jeopardize your career faster than being mediocre at your job.

This doesn't mean that you should not try! It's about timing. The light bulb, as it stands, may still have some life of brightness and doesn't see a real need to be changed. However, if you're building your business relationships, you know the priorities of the business and the business contacts, organizational changes that put them in more powerful positions and you'll be able to test the waters with the right people at the right time conveying it in their language. With that, the opportunity will present itself. You will have the ability to change the light bulb and be the bright new light.

Be prepared to change the light bulb when it is ready to be changed.

SBDi speaks both Business and IT languages. Bring SBDi in to help communication between both organizations. Let us help you find the right flexible solution that will help business increase revenue.

Pat Ferdinandi, Chief Thought Translator