Following a rebrand to Genio earlier this month, I’ve been reflecting on how teams are set up to navigate uncertainty and tight deadlines while preserving culture.
We often talk about times of pressure using loaded language. Let’s jump into the war room to pull apart a problem or get something back into working order. I think we’re often unaware of the impact that language has on the teams actually doing the work.
The approach to putting together a response to an issue during a project can be as important as the solution itself. If you’re someone who has influence over this aspect of a project or product, you need to carefully consider how you rally people round a problem and the language you use to do that.
Framing a problem around a the concept of a war room can make the team feel like they’ve failed to foresee something that would cause a project to go off-track. It also suggests leaving the “room” would be against the team spirit and leave others in the thick of it. It does not breed a safe space for teams to thrive. Not to mention, you probably shouldn’t use war as a general concept for delivering technical work.
I know in previous workplaces there has been a badge of honour at being one of the selected few invited into the room to “collaborate” over pizza and solutions.
That’s not to say I take an unrealistic view on the need for gathering around a problem, sometimes you do need to hatch a plan to resolve an issue, but there are ways to do that without inciting panic and anxiety.
The team at Genio hit publish on huge amount of work this month as we became Genio. Ensuring every trace of the previous brand were replaced with Genio and the shiny new look that comes with it, all without compromising the quality and stability learners know and love about our products. A monumental effort in renaming applications, code references, domains, redirects, emails and brochures, onboarding materials and support literature, to name a few. There were times of pressure and deep work, collaboration and problem solving happened regardless of individual roles and remits, but it happened with a sense of humbling calm. I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything quite like it.
A mature team that has invested time in culture and infrastructure demonstrates that value when they navigate huge challenges like a rebrand with a calm and organised approach. Any issues that did surface were dealt with swiftly, without the need for a war room, and respectful to the body of work that led up to the release.
I finished rebrand week with a huge sense of pride in the team that calmly delivers, that shows that cultural investment and trust is worth it. That’s not to say there wasn’t stress or hard work involved, I’m not downplaying that at all, it was the result of hard work that meant things went so smoothly. I’m grateful for this team and that I get to witness this work first hand. Oh, and we’re hiring.