“We struggle to get things done, even within our own company.”

“We struggle to get things done, even within our own company.”

Darrell Velegol, PhD

2023nov02

Another in this series of “Innovation Opportunities”.

SITUATION: One client was working to get a certain recommendation about a chemical analysis from another unit in the company, but week after week it seemed like something was getting in the way, some emergency.

PROBLEM: How can we get things done, when we depend on others?

ROOT CAUSE: Others probably don’t share our goals, even within the same company. They might have no “skin in the game” for our project.

IMPACT: If a product is anticipated to have $50 MM/y revenue, two weeks delay is $2 MM loss!

COACHING TIP: People respond to INCENTIVES, like time off, more fun assignments, higher pay, or gain in reputation. So as much as you want to raise hell, avoid it. Find a path to incentivize the person, and make sure to follow through.

STRUGGLES BEFORE: Before we started, nobody on the team really knew the person in analytical chemistry, and she had no direct connection to our project. So she wasn’t responsive to our requests.

VICTORY AFTER: We found a higher ranked person in analytical, who was not only able to talk the same language, but also to give thanks publicly (and to leadership) for “the great work this person did for us”. Now the harder she worked, the more visibly her reputation grew. The work got done.

Even in the same company, incentivize and appreciate others as much as you can.