Make It Work

On Lifetime TV’s hit show “Project Runway”, Tim Gunn is co-host, consultant, and mentor for the fashion designer competitors. His grace, honesty and gentle humor make the show something special. “Make It Work” is Tim’s well-known directive to contestants when he is concerned that they have designed themselves into a corner. That phrase, “Make It Work”, can be well-applied in a corporate environment.

When faced with an important assignment on the job, conditions are never perfect. Challenges are ever-present, and come in various unwelcome packages. You may have an unreasonable deadline, insufficient funding, the wrong skill-set, changing requirements, conflicting priorities, and/or a lack of management support. In spite of everything – you are responsible to Make It Work. That requires fluid, creative thinking and guts.

First, discard any unrealistic, preconceived notions about the best way to accomplish your goal. That might have been the easiest and fastest route, but is not necessarily the best. Start back at the beginning, thinking about exactly what you are trying to accomplish and, for the moment, divorce the end from the means. There is always more than one way to get something done.

Brainstorm with others. Talk about your end goal and review the tools you have at hand. Look at the situation from all perspectives and kick around some “crazy” ideas. Keep your solution simple and straightforward. Assuming that the stakes are high, invest more of your own time and energy to make up for a lack of other resources. Use the specific strengths of individual team members to contribute an organic uniqueness to your solution (i.e. technical ability, artistic flair, writing skills, hole-poking, and humor).

Once you have an idea for your approach, float it past your target audience to test their reaction. Make adjustments. Dummy up a draft of the final product and see how you feel about it. Let the creativity of your team flow, and don’t be afraid to do something a little unorthodox or even wacky – it will be more memorable.

Overcome obstacles, trust in your instincts, your team, and feedback from your audience, and Make It Work. Tim Gunn would approve.