How an eccentric British military figure can inspire organisations and creatives to battle through the pandemic.
By Alex Creamer, Creative Lead
From 1940 to 1944, in the four years between Dunkirk and D-Day, the Allied troops set out to rebuild their armies from the ground up, plan the mother of all invasions, and, ultimately, cross the English Channel and take control of the conflict on the beaches of France.
The highest of stakes.
The loftiest of goals.
The most uncertain of futures.
One man — driven by a knack for creative thinking and innovation — would play a small yet pivotal role in the D-Day landings and contribute to victory just over a year later.
Introducing: Major General Sir Percy Cleghorn Stanley Hobart, aka Percy.
Creativity loves a crisis
Right now, we’re all up against an imposing foe. These are tough times that affect every industry and segment of society.
During ambiguous and anxious moments, our natural inclination might understandably be to fall back and wait till the storm blows over.
But history shows that it pays to keep pushing and believing. Breaking the mould can reap big rewards in the long run.
Creative thinking is your most valuable asset in times of crisis.
Old mate Percy, the eccentric engineer in charge of the 79th Armoured Division, was such a mould-breaker. He wasn’t looking to invent the world’s greatest tank. He didn’t have the time or resources to attempt that, anyway.
His focus was on solving the problem.
In design thinking terms: How might we… Tackle the treacherous, German-occupied beaches of Northern France, so the Allied troops can eventually try to take back Europe.
He broke down that rather hefty challenge into bite-sized obstacles, then assembled tanks to overcome them. In the process, he also re-engineered and reimagined the role of armoured vehicles.
Percy showed that creative thinking is your most valuable asset in times of crisis.
During COVID-19, we’ve seen many organisations and businesses pivot their products and services to not only help communities but also curtail a drop in revenue.
McDonald’s shifting from fast food to drive-through convenience store.
Louis Vuitton switching from perfume to hand sanitiser production.
Cultural institutions making the physical experience digital.
Uber drivers becoming couriers.
Even teddy bears have made the Percy-esque pivot from bedrooms to front windows — putting a smile on the faces of bored school children (and, by extension, their parents).
Tanks: a bunch
Percy’s solution to his wartime problem statement was a menagerie of unusual machines.
Later known as “Hobart’s Funnies”, the final division consisted of such armoured vehicles as the ‘Crocodile’, a flame-throwing tank for those pesky, entrenched beach defences; ‘The Churchill Bobbin’, which laid pathways to negate the sinking sands; and ‘The Crab’, fitted with a rotating cylinder of chains that ploughed through submerged mines hidden in the dunes.
These iterative adaptions of the humble tank were revolutionary for their time. More importantly, they helped the Allied Forces gain a foothold on the beaches of France and saved thousands of lives.
How Percy’s principles apply today
Break down the big into the small
Rather than trying to tackle the biggest of problems straight away, Percy broke it into more manageable steps.
The ambition? Take back Europe. The way to do that? Fire-breathing tanks! (Bit extreme, but you get the point.)
Setting an ambition for your organisation will give you a long-term target, however far away that might feel right now. Plotting how you’ll get there will make it seem all the less daunting and more digestible. Some of these steps may be pragmatic and logical, others more…creative and innovative (see: dragon tanks). Some you can do today; others are for the future.
As you progress, having visible and measurable plot points will work to create momentum/small wins that will keep your team engaged and remind them of that end goal.
Embrace your inner eccentric
Difficult moments don’t always feel like natural hotbeds for creativity. But a unified ambition and a defined purpose will free you up to be more creative, even eccentric.
Although these times can get weird and depressing, don’t let that dampen your desire to try stuff out. The opportunities you explore now can put you ahead of the curve once we’re on the other side.
You currently have more licence to stretch your brand in new directions. With the daily lockdown monotony, people are more forgiving and more interested than ever in fresh approaches and creations.
So, start the podcast! Sketch new product ideas! Ask questions! Make those tote bag visuals a reality! Bake that business sourdough!
Just be sure you use your ambition as an anchor and your roadmap as guide rails for when you get exploratory, so your creativity leads to relevant outputs. Even Percy’s oddball military vehicles abided by these rules.
Move quickly through shifting sands
Percy’s tanks were not beautiful. In fact, they looked like Lego Technic gone wrong. They were — you might say — MVPs, concepts, wireframes. But, through rigorous testing and adjustment, he met the Allies’ needs and helped win the war.
Being creative is not all about looks, as my mirror reminds me each morning. Thinking purposefully and quickly is more important than crafting right now — refinements can come later. Rapid design iteration and prototyping will help you solve problems quicker and, better still, help visualise the solution/s.
Whether it’s an armoured vehicle or a brand identity, people like to see ideas. It doesn’t matter if they’re simplistic — sketches and quick prototypes make solutions clearer, allowing your team to understand and collaborate better. And, as opposed to just describing what’s inside your head, once your team can see what you’re thinking, it’s more likely to spark further ideas.
During panicked times, it’s reassuring to be able to look at a variety of rapid answers to problems facing us, even if some of them are quite wacky.
Rally the troops
A downbeat creative can be like Eeyore with an iMac. We are on an emotional rollercoaster at the best of times, let alone during lockdown.
Mental health support is more important than ever. Positivity (however hard to muster) is critical. And bringing the team on the journey with you will help relieve the mental burden and allow them to plough through the mine-riddled dunes of design.
Whether it’s saying “Good morning” and “Goodnight” over Slack every day or using Mural and Muro to make digital ‘studio wall’ spaces feel more tangible, everyone needs to be involved and feel connected to the team (I know I speak for all of them when I say I miss tangible studio walls).
If you’re senior, make yourself available for collaboration and feedback. Share your ambition with the team. And always celebrate the wins together. This may not be a military operation, but even when the enemy is microbial, morale goes a long way to keeping minds fresh and getting us all through.
If you need help with your brand identity, creative approach, or figuring out what to do next, please get in touch: hello@interbrand.com.au
