When I was a PR person, taking clients to news outlets around the world, I remember a sign in the Bloomberg News Room, “No Numbers, No Story.”
I hated math in school, but in business, numbers are the truth, the comfort and oftentimes, when shared correctly, the path to a new future.
That’s especially true when you’re pitching a disruptive idea, leadership’s first thought is “This is risky.”
But what if the real risk is doing nothing?
Most leaders make the storytelling mistake of NOT taking on their biggest opponent: the status quo. If you want to make change, you must make the case – in dollars, data and customer feedback, that standing still will kill you.
It’s the fastest way to lay the groundwork for your suggested change – big or small.
Relatable Problem: Leadership keeps rejecting your idea because it feels too risky.
Pro Tip: Flip the script using The Myth of the Safe Bet:
- Show that the “safe option” isn’t actually safe. (What are the hidden risks of maintaining the status quo?)
- Reframe your idea as the smarter, lower-risk option. (How does acting now reduce future risk?)
- Use data to prove that waiting is the real gamble.
Example:
A manufacturing CIO pitching a fully automated supply chain systemfaced resistance:
“This is a huge investment. Can’t we wait?”
So he flipped the script:
“Right now, every delayed shipment costs us $500K. Competitors using AI-driven logistics have cut delays by 60%. Every quarter we wait, we lose money and market share. The real risk is doing nothing.”
Your job is to make the status quo more dangerous than the future.
The room shifted. Now the risk wasn’t his idea—it was sticking with the old way.
Risk is perception. Change how leadership sees it, and you’ll win.