---
id: "concept-executive-buy-in-tactics"
type: "concept"
source_timestamps: ["§ Three Guiding Principles"]
tags: ["leadership", "board-management", "change-management"]
related: ["action-executive-demonstration"]
definition: "The use of visceral, highly tailored demonstrations (such as deepfakes) to rapidly overcome skepticism and secure strategic alignment from corporate boards."
sources: ["execution"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-execution"
originDay: 8
articleStem: "hbr-cl-93-legacy-financial-all-in-genai"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2025/03/how-a-legacy-financial-institution-went-all-in-on-gen-ai"
sourceTitle: "How a Legacy Financial Institution Went All In on Gen AI"
---
# High-Impact Executive Buy-In Tactics

## High-Impact Executive Buy-In Tactics

Securing board and executive alignment for a massive, ambiguous technological shift requires **visceral demonstration rather than standard slide decks**.

To convince the corporate board of Gen AI's radical implications, CEO [[entity-rob-fauber|Rob Fauber]] opened the **Q2 2023 board meeting** with a **deepfake video of himself delivering a fictitious earnings call**. This stark, undeniable demonstration of the technology's capabilities *and its potential risks* instantly bypassed theoretical skepticism, quickly convincing the board to double down on the AI initiative.

The lesson: **'show, don't tell'** when dealing with paradigm-shifting technologies.

**Definition:** The use of visceral, highly tailored demonstrations (such as deepfakes) to rapidly overcome skepticism and secure strategic alignment from corporate boards.

### Connections
- The corresponding playbook move: [[action-executive-demonstration]].
- Serves the broader [[concept-inaction-risk-calculation]] by making the downside of *both* inaction and naive trust tangible in one demo.

### Enrichment note
The CEO deepfake board demo is a **central change-management anecdote but is directly supported only by the HBR account** in the provided sources — treat it as a reported anecdote rather than a widely corroborated fact.


## Related across articles
- [[action-secure-executive-sponsorship]]
- [[claim-c-level-sponsorship-necessity]]