Yeah, We Can Do That (But There’s a Twist)

Yeah, We Can Do That (But There’s a Twist)

One of my favorite parts of traveling with @Kevin Pattison, our Head of Engineering, was watching him in action with customers. Anytime they pitched a use case—no matter how specific or off-the-wall—he’d say:
“Yeah, we can do that.”
(Brief pause…)
“…It’ll just take some time and money.”

That line always got a smile—and it landed because Kevin knew his craft. He understood the use case, had written much of the code, and had a solid handle on the product management roadmap. Customers respected that. So did I.

Curious, I recently asked Kevin about his approach. Turns out, he had said no plenty of times. What frustrated him wasn’t tough requests—it was finding out months later that Sales had told a customer something couldn’t be done… when it was actually easy.

His take:

“Sales usually said no to the easy things and yes to the hard things.”
And what he really wished? That they’d just asked.

It reminded me of a moment early in my career, managing import/export businesses. A supplier asked us to hold some inventory to help smooth out seasonal demand. I said no—too complex. Our customer escalated. Turned out… it was simple. Lesson learned.

Moral of the story: What I think is easy or hard doesn’t really matter.
Ask the experts. Whether it’s engineering, product, or sales—collaboration and open communication leads to better teamwork and better results for customers and the business.

 

As always, sharing personal reflections—opinions are my own, not my employer’s.

#Innovation #Management #Leadership #Collaboration #Communication

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