We Don’t Have Problems that Small
We only have big problems. There’s nothing you could ever do to help.
A friend of mine was recently contacted by a major American auto manufacturer for some possible consulting work. Everything went well, their team was more than qualified. A deal was close to made, and then the question came:
“So, how big is your team?”
“Seven people.”
Dramatic pause. Silent room.
“I don’t think we have any problems that small.”
The deal was off, because the leadership within this major automobile manufacturer simply could not find any problems for a team so small. When my friend told me this story, I could not help but laugh. Of course this company was in major financial trouble, of course they couldn’t design a car anyone would want to build. They don’t understand the first thing about creativity and problem solving.
When you’re given a big problem, you break it down into chunks. Smaller and smaller chunks. The leadership within this company refused to break their problems down. They came to this team, expecting to throw their laundry list of problems at them. But then they saw smallness, and ran the other way.
Only the most horrible bureaucracy could have created and rewarded this kind of leadership. Even with billions of dollars in bailouts, they refuse to make the necessary changes to nimbleness and creativity. Instead, they see cheap loans and cheap labor as their primary competitive advantages. No wonder their cars come in last place.
With so much free money sloshing through that company, the only real solution is small, intelligent teams. But as long as management refuses to think small, we’ll all continue to pay with tax payer money, thousands of jobs, and an embarrassing history of continued failure.
