Edward Land, the inventor of the Polaroid camera, said that execution is where the science and the humanities collide. And indeed this is a key to getting things done.
If we want to succeed we must align the soft (people) and the hard (process, technical) aspects of the project we are working on.
Who hasn’t worked on a great project where it went really well, amazingly well and you and your team achieved what you wanted and more with what seems relative ease? Felt great didn’t it?
Well we can make this happen more often with some key components put in place.
OK, well we need to understand the hard side, the process, what must and must not be done, what the client needs and wants, what good service looks like etc. But this is pretty much the easy bit. The hard bit is getting everyone pulling in the same direction to come up with the innovations needed and the will to make the changes we know are needed to really make the truly great outcomes we want happen.
So imagine this; the whole team and those outside the team needed to generate success become aligned towards success, they get engaged, become enthused and have their contribution acknowledged during the process and also when we reach the end game.
Is that really that hard to achieve. Not if we are committed to the goal, committed to a collaborative approach and ready to work in a positive framework where there is just one thing on all our minds. Not failing.
So don’t forget the humanities, if you don’t get them to collide with the science the chances of a great outcome start to fall away very quickly.
PS Sorry for the long time between posts, we have been very busy helping some great clients to think, plan and act strategically!
This article also appears on the Waterfield website.
Derek Lark 