Hi,

For months, we had been looking forward to the total solar eclipse in Spain.

Our observation spot had been carefully selected. We knew where the sun would be, had checked the horizon, thought about accessibility and planned the timing.

There was only one problem.

The clouds had apparently not read our plan.

As the day progressed, it became increasingly clear that staying where we were might mean missing the eclipse altogether. So we started looking for alternatives.

And that turned out to be a surprisingly good innovation exercise.

Finding another location was not simply a matter of driving towards blue sky. We needed the right viewing angle, an open horizon, enough elevation, some shade while waiting, a place we could actually reach in time, a route that would not leave us stuck in traffic afterwards, and, since we were in Asturias after all, preferably a scenic drive as well.

Apparently, simply finding sunshine was not ambitious enough.

What did make a difference was the group around us. The people joining us brought their own observations, ideas and perspectives. Everyone became part of solving the puzzle.

Together, we compared options, checked constraints, challenged assumptions and gradually narrowed the possibilities down.

Then we made the call, got into the cars and changed course.

By combining that collaboration with the information we had, and adapting quickly, we found a new spot.

And the result was spectacular.

Standing there a little later, watching the sun disappear, I realised how close we had come to faithfully executing a plan that no longer made sense.

What stayed with me afterwards was not only the eclipse itself, but the role our preparation and collaboration had played.

We often present planning and agility as opposites.

Plan carefully, or stay flexible.

But I think that is the wrong contrast.

Good preparation and good collaboration are what make intelligent agility possible.

Because we had already thought through the conditions, we knew what mattered when circumstances changed. And because several people were actively contributing, we could explore alternatives faster and see options that one person might easily have missed.

We were not improvising randomly. We were adapting with purpose.

The same is true in innovation.

Projects rarely unfold exactly as expected. Markets shift. Assumptions change. Partners learn. New information appears.

The strongest teams are not the ones that predict everything correctly. They are the ones that understand their goal and constraints well enough to adapt together when reality changes.

If you want your teams and partners to become better at adapting together when reality changes, that is exactly the kind of capability we build during the Summer Course on Building Collaborative Consortia.

This year again, the evaluations were excellent, and the dates for the 2027 edition are now known.

Have a look at the next edition here.

Warm regards,
Piet V.

P.S. Something else changed over summer too. The Collaboration Exchange now has its own archive, so you can browse previous editions whenever you want to revisit an idea or catch up on one you missed.