Mind the Gap

I work with a lot of teams who get stuck somewhere between the science and the market. It’s not because they’re doing something wrong. Usually both sides are right. The science team wants the data to be solid. The commercial team needs a story people can invest in. They’re both trying to protect the work, just in different ways.

The hard part is getting everyone to look at the same problem at the same time. When that happens, things start to move. But getting there takes a little effort.

What usually works is slowing the conversation down. Start with - as always - the customer. Define the problems you're trying to solve and make sure you're all looking at the same problem in the same way. Make sure you challenge yourself with "so what" questions.

Once you're grounded, put the science in market-facing language until everyone can explain it back the same way. Then talk about what the market actually needs to understand to make the next decision.

Once people see that the story and the evidence are pointing to the same place, the work gets easier to do together.