Building Buy In: Start With Why

In his book, Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, author and leadership expert, Simon Sinek explains that “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”.

Many times, we want buy-in from management and we haven’t even identified why we want it. We’ve identified the “what”, but have neglected the why. The what is the support program. But the why is the reason for the program.

In essence, the purpose of this program is to help people feel better.
This matters because better feeling people make
harder working employees that make a better bottom line!

The American Psychological Association (APA) released a study in 2012 stating: “Employees who feel valued are more likely to report better physical and mental health, as well as higher levels of engagement, satisfaction and motivation, compared to those who do not feel valued by their employers.”

In 2015, Virgin Pulse CEO, Chris Boyce, wrote an article urging executives to care for employees by stating, “Taking care of your people is at the heart of creating a great place to work, where people are appreciated, engaged, productive and thriving.” Boyce continued, “Once employees feel great and have the support they need, they’re better able to engage, be more productive, and thrive – on and off the job. By taking care of their people, companies create a workforce with the physical energy, mental focus, and emotional drive necessary to power their businesses and impact those critical metrics.”

Peer Support is an informal, in-house program that allows compassionate “peers” to effectively help another colleague in need. With training, vetted peers are able to listen, assess and address immediate concerns. In short, peers are available to help employees feel better, feel valued and worthy of attention and care.

While other programs, such as wellness programs, focus on physical health, a peer support program focuses on the whole person. Peers are trained to address a myriad of concerns – such as work stress, relationship stress, grief/loss and more. Whether a colleague is in crisis or just having a difficult day, peers are trained to lean in, listen up and provide a compassionate presence that communicates value and worth to all involved.

Just as there are hurting people within your organization, there are also helping people. There are people all around you that are wired to care and eager to help.  Implementing a peer support program can be an organized, and easy, first step towards cultivating a culture of care.

Meeting Simon Sinek at IACP, 2016