Have you ever wondered why some companies say “yes” when everyone else says “no”?
Your design is strong, your concept viable. But manufacturer after manufacturer turns you down and you’re worried you may be headed back to the drawing board. Then, you find your ‘ace in the hole’ that not only says yes, but confidently yes. What gives them the ability to get something over the finish line when others can’t or elect not to?
Structure Builds the Team. Culture Sparks the Breakthroughs
My opinion: It’s not about smarts. I would put the minds that are employed in MedTech CMOs up against anyone. This industry boasts brilliance at every level that often drives transformational change in the world’s healthcare. No, it is rarely that these ‘go-to’ companies have smarter people.
The difference at the center of the ‘yes’ comes down to two things: structure and culture. Starting with highly varied cross-functional teams made up of experienced subject matter experts (SMEs). Equally important is a company culture that allows these teams the freedom, time, and resources to unlock a solution.
The Power of the Right Team (In the Right Room)
Cross-functional teams are people with deep, specialized knowledge who sit under the same roof, hear the same machine noises, touch the same parts. At the high-end of manufacturing there are often clues – hidden to most but evident to those who have the experience – that raise a flag to danger, or potentially illuminate the pathway to success.
That last part matters more than most people realize.
Recognizing the reflection of nuances in the surface finish of a feature that has been machined or ground. Understanding the message sent by the whine of a spindle when a tool is in a cut, or the calming consistency of the white noise created by a diamond as it skims across a grinding wheel in a truing pass. All of these things mean something critical to the SME, but it is nearly impossible to understand and diagnose if it cannot be experienced in person.
It’s like trying to diagnose a weird car engine noise over the phone. You need to be in the garage.
A Team of Experts Is Not the Same as an Expert Team
A single SME is most often working with a base of experience that is ‘an inch wide and a mile deep’. They have true expertise and depth in their wheelhouse, but often only a functional understanding of the disciplines that exist around it. Brilliant, but in a silo. The magic happens when you assemble a group of these experts that have depth of knowledge in adjacent disciplines of the manufacturing spectrum into cross-functional teams. Putting them under the same roof can lead to extraordinary things.
But collaboration doesn’t just “happen”. Unfortunately, experts can often develop a blind spot to alternative methods of manufacturing. They get so wrapped up in overcoming an issue that appears to be in their discipline that they don’t realize that the key to the solution can sometimes be found in one of those adjacent processes. Not just encouraging, but actually requiring, these SMEs to tackle problem solving through a team-based approach can often save days or even weeks in development.
Culture: The Real Difference-Maker
Maybe the most important factor of all is culture. You can have all the experts in the world, but if your culture punishes risk, innovation dies.
I love to solve problems. My wife and kids give me a Tavern Puzzle (you know, the bunch of tangled rings that you have to try to figure out how to pull apart) every year for the Holidays. It’s not enough that I solve problems all day at work, but I wanted to do it at home too. Using my mind to solve problems is a passion, and it shines through in our company culture.
Problem Solvers at Heart, Not Just by Trade
We have dedicated equipment for R&D and problem solving. We communicate details about the project to get the team excited, and we ensure that the team has the time, tools, and trust to experiment.
That’s the difference. That’s why we say yes when others say no. Some of the most challenging projects we’ve solved didn’t even lead to a large order – they ended up being about learning and pushing limits. That juice is worth the squeeze.
One Big Swing Can Change Everything
However, every once in a while, we hit that homerun that pays off. These projects have become important foundational pillars on which we are building our boutique CMO business and defining our niche in the market.
Every leader, and every company, is different. You will know what works best in your company. The most important thing is to commit to getting to ‘yes’ and then shout it from the rooftops, to your people, and to the world.
