“The answers are in the room”…or are they?

Earlier in my career, I had a boss who would frequently say “the answers are in the room”. This expression was used to encourage us to form teams to discuss and find solutions for significant business problems. Inherent in the statement was the belief that the answers to

complex business challenges could be sourced internally if only we could get the right people in the room and hash things out.

I think about that statement today and realize that, quite often, the answers are not in the room (assuming they ever were). For that matter, are the answers anywhere within the company? What’s driving this revelation is the pace of change and level of disruption in the media/technology space demanding the need for new ideas and outside perspectives.

Listed below are three examples of business circumstances where the answers may not be in the room and external viewpoints might prove invaluable.

• Your business has enjoyed a successful past but is now facing significant disruption. This is true for most traditional media companies today and can be particularly challenging if you have a long-tenured leadership team who are vested in the current operating model.

• You’re considering significant technology investment to better compete. In most cases, your firm isn’t the first to implement the new tech. Seeking the counsel of those who’ve already walked down this path will help avoid costly mistakes and setbacks.

• Competing interests – either internally or across business partnerships – are hampering your ability to move ahead with precision and speed. Oftentimes, the most efficient path to a solution is through an outside firm offering an objective viewpoint and approach to offset competing agendas.

Additionally, there’s a fourth circumstance where external POV and experience is immensely helpful… organizing and stewarding the team when the answers may be in the room, but team bandwidth is tapped out. In this case, an objective 3^rd party provides the arms and legs to assist in the process of adapting to new products, services, or workflows, while leadership stays focused on current priorities.

Getting the answers in the room via external viewpoints can be accomplished a few ways. This can include intentional staffing strategies to recruit new members to the team with expertise in alternate operating models or technologies. It can also mean hiring the services of advisors and consultants like NMP who can take an outside-in view of the business and help solve the complex business challenges of today.