You're facing pushback from non-creative team members on your creative strategy. How can you win them over?

To win over non-creative team members who are pushing back on your creative strategy, start by involving all relevant teams in the process, especially during the insight-gathering phase that shapes the creative strategy. Ensuring as many people as possible understand and participate in the design thinking journey is crucial for achieving their buy-in. For those who are not directly involved, present a compelling narrative of the undeniable truths you've discovered and explain why these insights are vital to developing an effective strategy. This approach helps to build understanding and support across the entire team.

Inquiry is a group process to engage in active questions and conversation about the uses of creative and/or technical methods in your work. Open the door to hear questions early on in your ideation process to engage wider and more constructive participation. Ask questions such as: What gaps are you currently seeing? What would success look like for this team? What would success look like for you personally as a team member? How can we help get there together?

Win over non-creative team members by clearly explaining the strategic goals and expected outcomes of your creative strategy. Use data and case studies to demonstrate past successes and ROI. Engage them in the creative process by seeking their input and addressing their concerns. Show how the strategy aligns with the overall business objectives and benefits their roles. Foster collaboration by highlighting the value of diverse perspectives in achieving innovative solutions.

Storytelling is the superpower of the creative strategist. Contextualize the big win - the outcome that people will care about - and help them see the value in that outcome ahead of time. This can help keep motivation higher in the face of challenges. Think about the future and help paint that picture with the people in your team and community so they can see some piece of that picture with you early on in the process -- this improves buy-in and participation. Video adds emotional power and connection for humans so think strategically about the use of audio, video and other media to build a success story together.

It’s your job to win hearts and minds, and this rings true for the pitch as well. You need to be SO excited, SO confident, that everyone has no choice but to believe you. If you’re not confident in your idea, how do you expect anybody else to be?! ????♀?