Summary4 min read

Podcast Summary: Becker Business

Episode: The Importance of Buy-In During Change with Liz Hutson of EGH, LLC

Date: October 23, 2025
Host: Chanel Bunger (standing in for Scott Becker)
Guest: Liz Hutson, Principal Consultant & Owner, EGH LLC

Episode Overview

In this episode, Chanel Bunger interviews change specialist Liz Hutson about the crucial role of obtaining organizational buy-in during periods of transition. Liz shares her professional insights on why buy-in is often overlooked, the significant advantages it offers for smooth change implementation, and actionable steps for leaders to engage teams throughout this process. The discussion is practical and candid, rooted in Liz’s hands-on consulting experience.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Common Mistake: Skipping Team Buy-In

Leaders often analyze and decide on changes (mergers, sales, consolidations, etc.) from the top without adequately bringing the team along.
- “A lot of times...leadership...runs the analysis for change...and we could see that it's perhaps a good financial or strategic idea. But now it's time to get the team on board.”
  — Liz Hutson [00:29]
Teams left out of the process can feel confused or resistant, as they haven’t seen the “why” behind the change.
When the team isn’t engaged early, there’s a risk of disconnection and resistance, even if the change makes sense strategically.

2. Three Essential Steps to Building Buy-In During Change

Step 1: Meet the Organization Where They Are

Leaders must take time to understand team members’ initial reactions—whether anger, sadness, or confusion.
Validating feelings creates space for honest conversation and makes people more receptive:
- “If we bulldoze past it, they're not going to feel heard... They'll probably dig their heels in, in fact. But I find that when people feel heard, they're much more likely to share what's going on.”
  — Liz Hutson [01:34]
Explaining the “why” behind the change can help team members envision and get excited about the future state.

Step 2: Gather Insights from Key Stakeholders

Tap into the perspectives of subject matter experts, stakeholders, and front-line team members.
Collecting feedback ensures that unique strengths (“bright spots”) are preserved and potential pitfalls are identified.
- “We don't want to lose sight of what has made the organization uniquely good at what they do because of this change... Those people will also be able to give you some insights on what are some of the watch outs.”
  — Liz Hutson [03:18]
Insights from the ground level make the path forward more robust and tailored to real challenges and opportunities.

Step 3: Co-Create the Future State Pathway

Involve the team in constructing the roadmap for change implementation.
When teams help create the plan, they:
- Identify real obstacles and feasible solutions.
- Feel a sense of ownership and accountability.
- Are “much more bought in than if it's being forced upon them.”
  — Liz Hutson [04:48]
The destination doesn’t change (“We’re not changing where we’re going”) but the how and the process benefits from collective wisdom and builds enthusiasm.
The result: faster, stronger, and more confident execution.

3. The Business Case for Buy-In (and Addressing Objections)

Leaders often rush past the engagement step because it “feels like it takes time” and comes off as “fluffy,” but this initial investment pays off by reducing resistance later.
- “It actually saves time through the overall process...it actually helps with project number 2 and 3 and 10. They're much more excited about the organization and the culture and the feeling of belonging.”
  — Liz Hutson [06:36]
Early and authentic engagement sets a positive tone for future initiatives and boosts overall morale and culture.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On validating emotions:
“If we don't, if we bulldoze past it, they're not going to feel heard, they're not going to feel very interested. They'll probably dig their heels in.”
— Liz Hutson [01:33]
On maintaining organizational strengths:
“We don't want to lose sight of what has made the organization uniquely good... How do we keep those bright spots, highlight those bright spots, keep them going, but then navigate through and move forward?”
— Liz Hutson [03:22]
On the logic of inclusion:
“When their fingerprints are on the plan, they feel accountable for it... There’s definitely going to be much more certainty and will be more confident about it.”
— Liz Hutson [04:42]
On the business case for buy-in:
“It feels like, do we really want to make time for what feels a little, I don’t know, like fluffy. And it’s true, it does take a little bit longer at the start. But net net when you look at it over time, it actually saves time through the overall process.”
— Liz Hutson [06:14]

Key Segment Timestamps

00:21-03:05 — The importance of buy-in and meeting people where they are
03:12-04:20 — Gathering stakeholder insights and preserving strengths
04:28-06:00 — Co-creating the future and fostering ownership
06:06-07:29 — Why early investment in buy-in pays dividends for overall organizational health and change success

Conclusion

Liz Hutson’s approach emphasizes that effective change is not simply a matter of strategy or numbers but deeply rooted in human engagement. Involving teams, validating their concerns, and co-creating solutions leads to lasting buy-in, less resistance, and a resilient organizational culture. Leaders who take the time up front see returns not only in the success of the current change but in the enduring enthusiasm of their people.

Loading summary

Transcript10 lines

[00:00]
A
Hello and welcome to the Becker Private Equity and the Becker Business Podcast. My name is Chanel Bunger and today I'm excited to speak with regular guest Liz Hudson, principal consultant and owner at EGH llc, who joins us today to discuss the topic of the importance of buy in during change. Liz, thank you as always for joining me. Can you get us started out by giving us an overview of this topic?
[00:21]
B
Absolutely. Chanel, great to talk with you. So, as you mentioned, we both our organization, EGH focuses on change, helping organizations work through, navigate change. And as a change specialist, one of the things that I find to bring the greatest value is what we're going to talk about today, and that is buy in during change. I think a lot of times as a leadership organization or whoever's sort of up at the top of things runs the analysis for change, whether that is an acquisition, a sale, consolidation of two facilities, a consolidation of two teams, whatever it might be. And we could see that it's perhaps a good financial or strategic idea. But now it's time to get the team on board to make that change happen. And one of the things that I find to be the biggest mistakes or obstacles when organizations try to do this is when they try to push their agenda through without consideration for where the team is at. On the team may not understand they weren't part of the diligence process, so they don't understand why the change is happening. And because of that, because their mindset isn't there, they're not inclined to move full steam ahead. Meanwhile, leadership is like, chop, chop, let's go. We've got a thing to do and we've got time that we cannot waste, so let's get going. And so what I would say is it's so important to build that buy in and, and I have a few ideas on how to do that. So to combat losing the team right from the start, there's three areas to focus on. The first one is we want to meet the organization where they are. Seems so simple, but it's a profound thing. We want to take time and understand what they're thinking, how they're feeling about this proposed change, and if they're sad or angry, it's important to really acknowledge and validate that state of mind that they're in. Because if we don't, if we bulldoze past it, they're not going to feel heard, they're not going to feel very interested. They'll probably dig their heels in, in fact. But I find that when people feel heard, they're Much more likely to share what's going on. Why are they sad, why are they angry about this? And they're much more likely to be open to having a conversation, considering a different perspective. And I think when we can paint that picture of the future state and get them excited about where we' going, if we can help them understand the why behind that, they're much more interested, they're much more likely to rally around the cause. So that's point number one. Meet the organization where they are.
[03:06]
A
Got it, Got it. Thank you for walking us through where to begin. And now that we have the starting point all figured out, where do we go from here?
[03:13]
B
Yeah. Second point on this is you want to gather insights from those stakeholders. So from all the different team members that are part of this, that have been doing things the way they've been doing it before. We want to gather the subject matter experts, the stakeholders, the team members, all of them, get their perspective on what they feel like is going well right now. We don't want to in the process of change, we don't want to lose sight of what has made the organization uniquely good at what they do because of this change. Right. How do we keep those bright spots, how do we highlight those bright spots, keep them going, but then navigate through and move forward? Those people will also be able to give you some insights on what are some of the watch outs. Right. Perhaps some of the reasons they're feeling a little bit anxious about the change. But they're on the ground. Right. They're the ones that are doing the work and they know the business really well. So getting those insights from them are actually going to help inform the best way to proceed. So that's number two, we gather the insights on the key stakeholders.
[04:20]
A
Okay. So we've met the organization where they are and gathered insights from key stakeholders. What's that last step that we're missing?
[04:28]
B
The last point is bringing that team together to build the future state path together. Because when the team helps with creating the future state, a few things happen. One, it's going to be built, that plan is going to be built knowing the pitfalls and knowing how to work around them. So it's a much more solid plan because the ones on the ground are the ones that can see it very clearly. They're going to help with creating a plan. The other thing is when the team helps with building that plan for the future state, they're much more excited about where they're going. And when their fingerprints are on the plan, they feel accountable for it. Right. There's definitely going to be much more certainty and will be more confident about it. They're gonna be much more bought in than if it's being forced upon them. The thing is, it doesn't change where you're going. Right. We still have that future state that has the financial analysis of the strategic value. We're not changing where we're going, we're not changing why we're going there. But when we bring the people in to the process of building that plan, it really helps inform the how we go there. And when you have that how nailed down with that team, you're going to be much more efficient. You're going to be, it's going to be a stronger path to get there, et cetera. So that point number three is building the future state together with the team.
[06:00]
A
Perfect. And now that we have all those points, why don't you bring it home and tell listeners anything else that they should know?
[06:07]
B
Absolutely. I think one of the things, the reason that organizations run to just get going and don't make the time at the front end of this is because it feels like it takes time. Right. Like there's value to be had about the integration or the sale or the consolidation or whatever it might be. And it feels like, do we really want to make time for what feels a little, I don't know, like fluffy. And it's true, it does take a little bit longer at the start. But net net when you look at it over time, it actually saves time through the overall process. Not only does going this route help reduce the resistance of the organization to moving forward, it actually builds much stronger morale. And the team is much more convicted. They feel much more enthusiastic for the long haul. So not only does it help with the project that we're actively working, but it actually helps with project number 2 and 3 and 10. They're much more excited about the organization and the culture and the feeling of belonging. So to me, that time that we spend at the front end is well worth the investment up front. And the dosing that we have throughout is well worth it because it really makes for a much more strong not only project, but organization overall.
[07:30]
A
Absolutely. Well, Liz, I want to thank you as always for joining me today and for sharing your insights on the Becker business and Becker private equity podcast. Thank you so much.
[07:38]
B
Thank you so much. Great to talk with you.