I’m over here slapping my forehead. Because even though we talk about it almost daily, when you witness it coming to life it’s a thing of beauty.
There was this hole in the organization's capabilities, this tremendous gap, letting all kinds of problems go unanswered. They had heard the steady stream of complaints and frustrations. They knew it should be better. They knew how many efforts had been constrained by silly, unpredictable limitations. But there was always too much to do, too much to fix, too much research to be done to navigate to a better tomorrow. So instead, a few people got buried in a never-ending stream of ad hoc requests and demands, along with scattered staff across the organization noticing problems and trying valiantly to solve problems off the sides of their desks.
And now, suddenly, there is a kick-ass team in place to focus on this piece that is so essential to their success. A legitimate product team of experts, owning the organization's technology products and dedicated to supporting the heck out of everyone who uses them.
Part of what’s so amazing about it is how obvious it seems once you see this new team diving into the tasks at hand. When you see these conversations happening, you say of course this kind of team is needed, focused on these complicated technology challenges in a thoughtful, strategic, coordinated way.
And there’s so much to do, so much to understand. But just a few months ago, there was no such team at 350 to tackle it. There was a “Digital” team that was focused on running campaigns and if they had time to think strategically about the tools, they could try to squeeze it in. But the weedy technology problems wrapped around their legs and were growing faster than they could be cut down.
And now, a new boat comes into the harbor, recruiting would-be heroes to sail into the uncharted waters and tame the dragons. Several current staff jump on board, let’s do this. Others are found from around the world, bringing skills, scars, and wisdom from previous battles, 100% in for the cause and for this fight. And they’re having fun while they're at it.
Now the mission is underway. Solve the pain. Superpower the work. Make it better everyday. Multiply the power of the organization. Go, team, go.
