How to Present a Proposal to Leadership

Published: Invalid Date

It seemed like a slam dunk.

The L&D lead and the HR manager at a multinational company saw a skill gap: their managers' communication wasn't landing with their teams. So they found a training program.

Next, they needed to present it to leadership for approval.

It died a swift, 27-minute death…long before they actually proposed it.

The training program in this story was mine.

My corporate programs start as internal proposals, with a manager or L&D lead meeting with me to put together the plan. Then it goes up for approval, usually to someone I've never met. The successful proposals have the same ingredients, but if anything is missing, it's a long shot at best. If you’re about to present to higher-ups, the L&D lead in this story is you.

When They Sail Through

At the Canadian International School of Thailand, the teachers spoke to parents and prospective families all the time. Still, they lacked confidence, and their message was not landing consistently. These were experts who had every right to speak as effectively as they taught.

The principal noticed the gap and brought me in to address it. We built out the plan together: a full development day, ending with each teacher delivering a real presentation they could then give to parents. By the end, she had a detailed proposal she could present to her boss without me in the room.

It was approved with no edits and no feedback.

Then there was a group of energy and economics analysts from an American organization. They present their research and recommendations to the media, the general public, and other leaders in their field. A completely different world from the team of educators, but somehow, they too lacked confidence, and their message was not landing consistently.

HR saw the problem – once again, we planned a full program around real-life presentations that would help them in their next speeches, media appearances, and meetings.

The proposal was an easy yes, and the training itself got rave reviews.

What They Had In Common

Two wildly different industries. One formula to get internal approval:

• The gap. A proposal addresses a problem. Someone has observed it, named it, and ideally measured it. Teachers struggling in front of parents. Analysts not landing their ideas with the media. A team losing hours every week to a manual process.
• The solution. It comes in two parts:
  • Outcome: what changes and when. At the international school, every teacher would walk out with a presentation they could give to parents the following week. For a process fix, it might be a four-hour weekly report cut to one hour by Q2.
  • Implementation: how we get there. With the analysts, we laid out a full-day agenda covering structure, body language, and vocal delivery. For a new tool, it might be a two-week pilot with one team before rollout.
• The logistics. Don’t leave the details to chance: location, time, personnel, and follow up. Just a few last boxes to check.

By the time each proposal moved upward without me, the person presenting it could answer any question about the gap, outcome, implementation, and logistics.

When They Flame Out

The L&D deal that died had the skill gap, but it didn't make it to the solution.

We should have focused on the outcome and implementation – what their managers would be able to do and how the program would get them there. They would have been ready to champion that plan.

Instead, we got stuck on winning their managers' buy-in by making sure my background was suitable for their industry.

Fit is a fair question. But a résumé can't answer it. A plan can: how similar programs played out, and how this one would work for their team. The best vetting includes planning, which would have addressed their main concern. Before we got to that, our 27 minutes were up, and they were off to present it.

The international school principal and the analysts' HR team were able to speak to every part of their proposals. The L&D deal was light on the outcome and the implementation. They couldn’t answer all the questions, and it was not approved.

Before You Make Your Proposal

Maybe you're about to buy a development program for your team, propose a change to how things run in the office or on the factory floor, or ask for a budget for a new tool, a new hire, or a project. Whatever you're taking upward, check it for the three ingredients.

Identify the gap. Know the solution: the outcome and the implementation. Let the logistics follow naturally and clearly.

If you're sourcing the solution from someone else, get clear on the plan as well as the provider. The most effective vetting, even across several calls, includes a detailed discussion of the implementation: what past programs looked like, and how this one would work for your organization. This is the meat of your proposal.

Then run one last check on yourself: do I fully believe in this, and could I answer any question about it? If the answer is no, it's a long shot at best.