The secrets to collaborating with others
““No man is an island.” ”
The US inventor Thomas Edison is credited with the invention of the lightbulb.
However, it’s creation was down to more than one individual.
Edison’s success was dependent on the support of a team from widely different disciplines.
Known as Edison’s ‘muckers’ they included engineers, machinists, blacksmiths and electricians - even a mathematician and a glass-blower.
These assistants toiled away in Edison’s famous ‘invention factory’ at Menlo Park, near New York.
Without them, credit for the invention of the lightbulb would undoubtedly have gone to someone else.
Similarly, for your marketing to be executed effectively, you need to convince a broad set of stakeholders internally and externally that your plan is the best possible one.
Essentially you need to become good at herding cats. 😺
It’s about proper integration between all parties and making sure that everyone explicitly understands the importance of what it is you’re ultimately trying to achieve and their specific role in it.
The challenges are numerous, particularly when you’re working with several different departments, groups, agencies, clients, partners or organisations.
Here are 7 ways to help you through it:
1. Appoint a project leader and set individual partner goals
Identify a person to lead the project (where the buck stops). Make a list of team goals and the individual goals of each partner you’re working with, and make sure these are public.
Ensure you consult with your partners early on in the strategic phase so they feel part of the journey. Try linking the discussions back to the customer as much as possible to humanise the conversations. This must be about more than each company’s or department’s control or budgets.
2. Find out who the real decision-makers are
Within large organisations, people tend to operate within their own silos. It’s often not clear who holds the decision-making power.
Spend some time thinking about, or finding out who’s really in charge, so you can ensure you get their buy-in. Once they’re on your side it will be easier to get cohesion from everyone else.
3. Communicate your progress often
Most organisations these days are driven by speed and often value action over thought. Ensure you communicate your progress often.
Breaking things down into really small goals and regularly updating everyone will buy you more time. Being silent is the most dangerous thing you can do.
4. Allow team members to bond
Find a common language, bring partners in at the right time and avoid big group meetings. Smaller ones will allow your teams to form a bond and get to know each other better.
5. Avoid design by committee
Minimise the number of key decision-makers and only bring in the specialists at each relevant stage. Design by committee rarely works and it will dilute your ideas.
6. Make use of online tools
Use online tools like Slack or Jira so you can share all the info and create transparency. This will also cut down on email traffic and “Bcc”, “cc” email ego issues.
7. Beware of brainstorms
Beware of group brainstorms or inspiration sessions. They don’t always work. Also, it may come across like you’re trying to tell the creatives how to do their job. Rather give them everything they need to solve the brief with their creative work (e.g. insights).
The more relaxed and comfortable all the relationships are, the better the collaboration will be. Ultimately, this means better work outcomes.
This is an excerpt from our upcoming Marketing Strategy course.
If you want to learn more about this topic then you can sign-up here to be the first to know when it launches. 🚀
