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God love ‘em, senior leaders can come up with some of the most ridiculous, unrealistic project ideas. The cruel irony of being in the senior ranks is that executives are further removed from the day-to-day work and therefore oftentimes less knowledgeable about the inner workings of a particular process, product or service. When I worked as a business strategy consultant with a major Fortune 200 company, we’d often talk to very senior executives who espoused lofty, leading-edge ideas only to learn after consulting with line managers and staff much closer to the day-to-day work that those ideas were not just ambitious but sometimes impractical or even downright infeasible.
While there’s no simple way to tell a senior leader that their amazing idea may not be so amazing, here’s one recommended approach. Instead of focusing on shooting down the idea, suggest conducting some risk analysis to help kick start the planning process. Here’s what it might sound like….
VP Jeff: “While I was on vacation last week, I noticed the popularity of caffeinated drinks and it made me wonder why we haven’t considered developing caffeinated kids gummy vitamins? I’m thinking that you’d be a great pick to head up that project, Danielle.”
Direct Report Danielle: “That’s a really interesting idea. I’m sure that since this would be a radical departure from our traditional product line, there might be some push back. I’d love to start by pulling together some subject matter experts in the area to help me conduct some risk analysis. I’d be happy to share those results with you if you think that would be helpful?”
VP Jeff: “Actually, that would be great. I feel like this could really be a game-changer for us, and I’d love start digging into the idea. Thanks for your help.”
The beauty of the approach is that the risk analysis can do much of the hard work for you. Instead of you feeling the pressure to tell your boss that their great idea isn’t so great, you can allow the risk analysis to help layout a compelling case.
There are many ways to conduct risk analysis, but the output should typically include the following basic elements:
- A listing of potential risk events (prioritized in order of severity)
- Estimates of the anticipated probability and impact of each potential risk
- Identification of the highest severity risk events
- Suggested mitigation strategies and/or back up plans for highest severity risk events
Conducting risk analysis with input from key subject matter experts positions you to talk about the potential project from a position of expertise. Using this approach, you’re not making an emotional appeal because you “don’t like the idea.” Instead, you’re pointing out some very real risks that the senior leader may want to consider as part of the planning process. Certainly, the risk analysis may point out the elephant in the room—the idea is a non-starter and should be shelved, but that’s ultimately their decision to make. You’re just providing valuable data to help them make the best decision.
It's also important to acknowledge another real benefit of conducting risk analysis. Perhaps through this process your own initial perceptions are challenged or changed. Maybe the proposed project isn’t such a bad idea after all, and the risk analysis discussion process uncovers new potential opportunities or innovative ideas that may not have been considered previously. Maybe the idea that initially seemed ridiculous is really a unique, out-of-the-box innovation that you’d never thoughtfully considered.
Obviously, this advice isn’t meant to suggest that as a rule senior leaders are inherently out of touch (many are just the opposite), but it’s important to acknowledge that horrible ideas often make their way into the organizational ecosystem simply because a senior level person suggested it—and no one around them had the language (or the courage) to push back and propose a different approach.
Whether your risk analysis process is formal and extensive or quick and dirty, it can invariably serve as a powerful tool to help center a potentially uncomfortable conversation around a new potential project that may be ill-advised. Equipped with this supporting data, you’re now positioned to provide the senior leader with helpful analysis that can be both illuminating and convincing. Faced with data suggesting unsustainable levels of risk, most senior leaders will be grateful to have dodged a bullet. For those inclined to ignore the evidence so to speak, you’ve at least documented the concerns and explored potential mitigation strategies. Either way, risk analysis can be a powerful technique for speaking truth to power.
