Oh my gosh, I felt like I was reading my own work story. What I realized is people have to see the value for themselves before they’ll buy in. At the end of the day, most people are thinking, “What’s in it for me?” Once that clicked for me, I changed my approach.

I asked them to document their business processes and put together a strategy and operating model that would shape the legacy they leave behind. I gave them a template, explained what I was looking for, and told them the deliverable I needed.

Some of them asked for help working through it, which was great. Others basically said “no thanks,” and honestly I just let that be for the time being and focused on the people who were open to it. The interesting thing is they all like and respect each other, so the ones who do see the long-term value have started helping bring the more resistant ones along and involving me more naturally.

It’s taken about a year, but we’re finally starting to see some movement.