Weekly roundup
New habit I’m stealing: I love how James Clear (author of Atomic Habits) wrote Annual Reviews to reflect on the past year.
Current read: I’m halfway through Magic Words and safe to say I’m obsessed. Expect lots of future tips inspired by this book!
Current listen: Absolutely loving the principles behind 10x is Easier Than 2x, my current audiobook for walks around the neighborhood.
During a meeting with a Director, I was surprised she kept pushing back on my analysis. She kept insisting she just wanted a heatmap and averages, instead of the deeper, more rigorous approach I was proposing.
After some back and forth, she finally said: “Look, this is just too complicated to explain to senior leadership.”
A-ha. Lightbulb.
Her concern wasn’t with the analysis itself, it was with the social risk of being the messenger. I was spending all my energy trying to convince her the analysis was sound when that was never the issue to begin with.
That experience taught me something important: before you share a recommendation, you need to consider all the reasons a leader or stakeholder might say no.
Because it’s not always the obvious reasons like budget or headcount. The true reasons are often more nuanced, subtle, even subconscious.
By addressing the concerns directly, you make it much easier for leaders to say yes.
(Quick caveat: These tactics aren’t about forcing every idea through. Sometimes, a recommendation really isn’t worth prioritizing. Use these when you truly believe your findings matter and you just need help communicating the value so others see it too.)
Why leaders say “no”
Below are 6 common reasons leaders resist your ideas, along with tactics you can use to address each one:
1. Budget & resources
The concern: “We can’t afford this. We don’t have the money or people.”
Tactic: Reframe the investment. Don’t position it as “extra spend.” Show how it avoids bigger costs later (attrition, wasted spend, inefficiency). Or, start with a pilot that fits inside existing resources.
Example: “I know budgets are tight, which is why I scoped this as a 3-month pilot. It would cost X now, but it avoids the $Y we’re losing each quarter from turnover.”
2. Competing priorities
The concern: “This sounds fine, but it’s not the most important thing right now.”
Tactic: Tie your recommendation directly to their #1 goal. Restate their priority in their own words, then show how your solution accelerates that outcome.
Example: “You’ve said retention is the top focus this quarter. This initiative directly reduces early turnover risk, which means faster progress toward that goal.”
3. Trust in the data
The concern: “I’m not sure these numbers are reliable. I don’t want to bet my decision on shaky data.”
Tactic: Don’t just assure them the data is good — demonstrate it. Triangulate across sources, preempt limitations, and connect numbers back to leaders’ lived experiences.
Example: “We see the same pattern in exit surveys, HRIS records, and manager feedback. Even though we don’t yet have X, the consistency across these sources gives us confidence in the trend.”
4. Trust in you
The concern: “Do I trust this analyst’s judgment enough to stick my neck out?”
Tactic: Borrow credibility until you’ve built your own. Partner with respected stakeholders, cite external benchmarks, and remind them of the wins you’ve already delivered.
Example: “I worked with [trusted leader] on this analysis, and we also compared it to industry benchmarks from Gartner. Both confirm this is a strong signal worth acting on.”
The concern: “If I back this, I could upset someone else or lose credibility.”
Tactic: Reduce their exposure. Draft talking points, anticipate objections, and offer to help them sell the idea upstream or sideways. Make it safe for them to say yes.
Example: “I know Finance will want to weigh in. I’ve drafted a one-page summary with their likely concerns addressed — happy to join that conversation with you.”
6. Status quo inertia
The concern: “It feels safer to keep things the way they are.”
Tactic: Show the cost of inaction. Contrast today’s pain with tomorrow’s opportunity, and lower the barrier with a pilot or reversible step. Small wins break inertia.
Example: “Right now, managers wait three days for updated data. With this change, they’d have it Monday morning. Let’s test it with one region first. If it doesn’t deliver, we can roll back easily.”
The takeaway
Influence isn’t about pushing harder or flooding leaders with more data. It’s about anticipating the concerns (spoken or unspoken) that stand in the way, and addressing them head-on.
These six cover some of the most common situations. But there are many more.
Check out today’s LinkedIn post for a downloadable PDF with 20 reasons leaders say no plus clear tactics for each situation.
Cheers,
Morgan
Whenever you’re ready, here are 3 other ways I can help you:
Analyst’s Influence Playbook: A 40-page guide that shows you how to actually turn insights into action using behavioral science principles that consistently grab attention and drive decisions.
Story-Driven Charts: My flagship course on how to design charts that clearly communicate your insights, catch leaders’ attention, and make you stand out from the crowd.
Persuasive Presentations (30-min keynote): An engaging, high-energy talk that gives any audience the tools to move beyond “here’s the data” and deliver recommendations that stick. Perfect for team events, offsites, or conferences. Email me to learn more.