How to get started if you're an executive at a big brand

The biggest brands are often the most constrained even if they stand the most to benefit, especially when it comes to dropping a completely new system for product creation into a legacy machine.

If you are an executive at a large brand that sees where the puck is moving but struggles to move the company there with you, below are a few tips I’ve found helpful when HILOS is working with large and complex organizations.

• Small victories build into big ones
  Don’t start by taking on half the business. A single product launch or collection is enough to build a larger program around. Nothing speaks like product already in market, so focusing on a project with a good pathway to market is most important initially.

• Think about the right channel partner from the start
  If the champion is from product or innovation, make sure there is someone in merchandising or marketing who can pull it through. Get design on board and excited as early as possible. It’s important to find that small victory that has a path to market - plan that path in advance when choosing your starting point.

• Treat it like a separate business unit with its own P&L
  Compare results not at each step but at the business level, the only apt comparable to a completely new product paradigm. Ring fence the project, otherwise you will struggle with translation at every step.

• A big vision can be scary and confusing - stick to the immediate and practical
  Sometimes saying that we’re going to build a generative product creation pipeline that will automate manufacturing and deliver near on-demand capabilities feels like foreseeing the moon landing in 1930. Breaking it down into the practical can be a lot more reassuring: by adopting some of the latest tools and approaches for product creation we can cut development timelines by over 60% and increase the accuracy of our line planning and inventory management. Everyone smile!

Most importantly, don’t be daunted. Take risks, be bold. The best corporate leaders I’ve met, like Eric Lietdke or Eric Sprunk, knew that leadership is about decisiveness and not compromise, about taking risks and moving a company to action. That comes with failure, but also growth.