Thomas Edison once said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

A lot of ideas might sound good in the vacuum, but once you test them in the real world, you realize you may have found just another one of the 10,000 ways something won't work.

It's often not until folks get their boots on the ground that we can bridge the gap between the 10,000 good ideas in the boardroom to what actually works when talking to those on the frontlines in the breakroom. The answers will often surprise you.

My name is Courtney Buell, and I work with our Energy and Natural Resources Practice with a focus in Operations here at Oliver Wyman.

Across my time here, I've had the pleasure of getting my boots on the ground with various clients in the industrial sector as they implement new technologies from automation robotics to net-new digital planning tools to dashboards to help with sales transparency.

Despite this diversity of experience, the focus has always been on turning great ideas into something valuable — where our strategy really matches that delivery.

So, how do we ensure there isn't a gap?

Well, in my career, I've found some of the best insights and greatest impact occur when getting out from behind my computer and understanding the realities of the frontline.

This allows companies to one, identify pain points needed to be addressed that are difficult to raise, and two, quickly and efficiently pressure test initiatives and decision-making at that leadership level.

So, what are some examples?

In the environmental services industry, there's been a strategic push towards digitalization to aid safety, operations, and sustainability.

Our clients in this space are pushing to roll out new digital tools to the frontline workers to minimize manual tasks, increase safety, and ensure data traceability.

Sitting in the boardroom, we've helped clients define their strategy to reach key outcomes.

However, in order to turn this strategy into impact, there's been a need to bridge the gap between working in facilities and getting in vehicles to ensure that planning tools, driver tablets, and many other applications are working effectively.

There are instances where folks have arrived at an environmental services facility to see how frontline employees are using a new tool only to find they weren't because it caused numerous new pain points.

This on-the-ground experience helps bridge that gap to identify solutions to meet the field's needs resulting in a win-win situation where companies are solving pain points and achieving strategic objectives.

This isn't just true for the environmental services industry.

Many of our clients in the industrial manufacturing and logistics space are also looking towards automation and digitalization as the next step in their evolution.

Whether the company has only a handful of warehouses or is a behemoth with hundreds of warehouses, the theme of seeing pain points on the ground and talking to individuals in the breakroom continues to ring true.

By walking the floor of the warehouses, folks can see where employees may be waiting around causing efficiency delays that senior leadership away from the site may not realize.

Also, through talking to individuals, companies can learn about instances where incentives on the ground may not line up with the incentives in the warehouse as a whole.

Now, having proven the benefit, how can executives in this world of remote and hybrid work ensure they're taking advantage?

There are a few potential strategies to consider:

First, set the example. Executives should be getting out of the boardroom for their own learning and also to signal the importance to their team.

Second, incentivize the behavior — the carrot. Make sure the team has the time and the budget to prioritize getting their boots on the ground.

Third, pressure for feedback from the frontlines — the stick. As teams are reporting on progress, ensure, as an executive, there is a consistent ask about how this plays out on the frontlines.

The combination of these strategies will help teams prioritize bridging this gap.

I'm Courtney Buell, and this has been my take on getting out of the boardroom and into the breakroom.

This transcript has been edited for clarity.

Thomas Edison once said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

A lot of ideas might sound good in the vacuum, but once you test them in the real world, you realize you may have found just another one of the 10,000 ways something won't work.

It's often not until folks get their boots on the ground that we can bridge the gap between the 10,000 good ideas in the boardroom to what actually works when talking to those on the frontlines in the breakroom. The answers will often surprise you.

My name is Courtney Buell, and I work with our Energy and Natural Resources Practice with a focus in Operations here at Oliver Wyman.

Across my time here, I've had the pleasure of getting my boots on the ground with various clients in the industrial sector as they implement new technologies from automation robotics to net-new digital planning tools to dashboards to help with sales transparency.

Despite this diversity of experience, the focus has always been on turning great ideas into something valuable — where our strategy really matches that delivery.

So, how do we ensure there isn't a gap?

Well, in my career, I've found some of the best insights and greatest impact occur when getting out from behind my computer and understanding the realities of the frontline.

This allows companies to one, identify pain points needed to be addressed that are difficult to raise, and two, quickly and efficiently pressure test initiatives and decision-making at that leadership level.

So, what are some examples?

In the environmental services industry, there's been a strategic push towards digitalization to aid safety, operations, and sustainability.

Our clients in this space are pushing to roll out new digital tools to the frontline workers to minimize manual tasks, increase safety, and ensure data traceability.

Sitting in the boardroom, we've helped clients define their strategy to reach key outcomes.

However, in order to turn this strategy into impact, there's been a need to bridge the gap between working in facilities and getting in vehicles to ensure that planning tools, driver tablets, and many other applications are working effectively.

There are instances where folks have arrived at an environmental services facility to see how frontline employees are using a new tool only to find they weren't because it caused numerous new pain points.

This on-the-ground experience helps bridge that gap to identify solutions to meet the field's needs resulting in a win-win situation where companies are solving pain points and achieving strategic objectives.

This isn't just true for the environmental services industry.

Many of our clients in the industrial manufacturing and logistics space are also looking towards automation and digitalization as the next step in their evolution.

Whether the company has only a handful of warehouses or is a behemoth with hundreds of warehouses, the theme of seeing pain points on the ground and talking to individuals in the breakroom continues to ring true.

By walking the floor of the warehouses, folks can see where employees may be waiting around causing efficiency delays that senior leadership away from the site may not realize.

Also, through talking to individuals, companies can learn about instances where incentives on the ground may not line up with the incentives in the warehouse as a whole.

Now, having proven the benefit, how can executives in this world of remote and hybrid work ensure they're taking advantage?

There are a few potential strategies to consider:

First, set the example. Executives should be getting out of the boardroom for their own learning and also to signal the importance to their team.

Second, incentivize the behavior — the carrot. Make sure the team has the time and the budget to prioritize getting their boots on the ground.

Third, pressure for feedback from the frontlines — the stick. As teams are reporting on progress, ensure, as an executive, there is a consistent ask about how this plays out on the frontlines.

The combination of these strategies will help teams prioritize bridging this gap.

I'm Courtney Buell, and this has been my take on getting out of the boardroom and into the breakroom.

This transcript has been edited for clarity.