How do you build your support network?  How do you build momentum within your support network?  In The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels, Michael Watkins writes about the coalition-building cycle.

Coalition-Building Cycle
Watkins provides a visual of the coalition-building cycle:

Coalition-Building Cycle Explained
Watkins outlines the key steps in the coalition-building cycle:

• Gaining allies helps you recruit others.
• Recruiting others increases your resource base.
• Increasing your resource base, increase the likelihood of your agenda’s success.
• Increasing the likelihood of your agenda’s success, helps you further in gaining allies.

Persuade Convincibles to Become Supporters
Watkins writes:

Coalition building entails consolidating existing sources of support while developing relationships with those whose resources or connections you need to succeed.  The sequence in which you consolidate and build support is key.  You will also need to persuade convincibles to become supporters rather than opponents.

Keep Your Allies Up To Date
Watkins writes:

To consolidate existing support, call on established social and political relationships and strengthen them through regular conversations  Make sure you keep your allies up to date.  Pay attention to how they react to changing conditions.  You can even provide them with advice on how to counter opponent’s arguments.  You want to affirm the importance of existing relationships and leverage them into support for your new effort.

Key Take Aways
Here’s my key take aways:

• Build momentum by gaining allies.
• Turn convincibles into supporters before they become opponents.
• Strengthen your existing support through regular conversations.
• Provide advice on how to counter opponent’s arguments.

My Related Posts

• Sequencing to Build Momentum
• Overcoming Resistance with Entanglement Strategies
• Putting Good Ideas in Place
• Political Competence
• Counter-Coalitions