“We innovate by starting with the customer and working backwards.”
– Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon
Stephen Covey said, “Begin with the end in mind.”
Somewhere, probably about kindergarden, though, we were taught linear thinking. “Begin with the beginning in mind…” “What do you need to do first?…” The linear part is just fine. It’s the order that might need adjusting if we’re “stuck.”
Outcomes are our drivers, so why not begin there? Part of the reason may be because it’s difficult to stay focused on that “end in mind,” due to all the static, potholes and distractions that are laying along the route. Another factor is that the urgent has a tendency to crowd out the important. It has a tendency to obscure the one we’re trying to serve with images of ourselves, and whatever might be pressing us at the moment.
Whether we have a customer, a friend, a spouse, or team, innovation (meaningful change) requires starting with them — with the outcome — and keeping the focus — right — there.
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