Hey business guys ever tried explaining something to an engineer and they just didn’t get it? Or the other way around, you engineers just can’t get something across to a thick headed business guy?
You people who are trying to accomplish something creative, why do artists, musicians, and designers tell you that your not doing it right but when they explain their creative philosophies or rigid structures in which creativity must take place, why does it never make sense?
The other day the marketing team with eagle-trade and I were working on the music for an upcoming video promotion. Our marketing director, Chelsea Weiss, wanted the music to be faster at the end than in the beginning. I have a little music background, but not much. So I just made the lyrics double the speed and it worked perfectly. Now later I was telling the story to a friend of mine who is very musically talented. As soon as I told her that Chelsea wanted the music sped up, she said, “you can’t do that!”
Musically she is correct, you can’t speed up the music to a different tempo, it doesn’t sound good. I told her to hold on and I finished the story. She said, “ohh, well you didn’t speed it up, you changed the bars” (or some musical term I have since forgotten).
Now if my friend was in my shoes, when Chelsea asked the question, she would have said that’s not possible and maybe she would have proceeded to the proper solution and maybe not. But the point is, people of different specialized groups have different terms, have different views on how things go, have different skill sets, have different ideas, and are generally different from other groups. Yet they are pretty standard within their group so they communicate well.
But once groups try and communicate with one another, things get very difficult. Often times the groups interests are aligned, and a solution that satisfies both is fairly straightforward, but different perspectives get in the way. Causing each group to look down on the other. Interactions like these build up stereotypes over time of the other groups which make it even more difficult to get things done due to the general lack of trust.
There are a lot of things you could do. One: Southwest has a program where everyone in the company spends a day or two working with people in other areas of the company. The program is completely voluntary but it allows people to understand and respect what other people do for the company. When they go back to a tense situation between groups, they can now better understand where the other group is coming from and know where to go for the best solution.
If you are dealing with individuals or people outside your company, how do you do this. The most important thing is to be open to learning. Try and learn the basics of what they are doing so you can communicate better from their point of view.
Third option, bring in an impartial mediator. Ideally someone who knows both sides of the equation and can bring the different levels of communication together.
Finally, the most important thing is, next time your in disagreement with another group. Take a step back, try and think from their end. Ask them questions before you make accusations and demands. Everyone will be a lot better off.
Related posts:
This makes me think of something Jim Albaugh (President of Boeing Commercial Airplanes), “I can teach an engineer to be a businessman, but I don’t think I can teach a businessman to be an engineer.” Would you agree with that?
I absolutely agree, good luck to anyone who tries to teach me to engineer. But many great business leaders began as engineers.