Great organisations focus on having the right team. They make sure to have the right people on the bus, in the right seats before asking where they should drive the bus.
You can never be sure what is around the next corner, so it’s crucial to have a team that is ready to work together and adapt as needed to keep moving forward.
First Who, Then What is a concept introduced by Jim Collins in his book “Good to Great.” Organisations that were identified as moving from good to great all focused first on their employees: Who should be on the bus? Who should be off the bus? Making sure that the right people were in the key seats.
As a creative, surrounding yourself with (and being part of) a great team can have a remarkable impact on your career. No doubt about it.
But instead of employees, collaborators or team members - what if you apply ‘First Who, Then What’ to thinking about your audience?
What changes when you begin by thinking about the people who already identify as your audience, and those who you would like your work to reach in the future?
First Who are they?
Then What do they need?
How useful is it to assemble the right team in the right seats of a bus, when what the people you care about really need is a lifeboat?
If we as artists want to move from good to great, our approach might be:
First Audience.
Then The Team.
Then The Work.