Every leader knows efficiency matters. Doing things right saves time, money, and keeps the business wheels turning.
But here’s the trap: you can become brilliant at things customers don’t care about — and that can cost you the future.
Take our simple coffee shop example (attached). Customers care about what’s in front of them — the cup of coffee, maybe the beans. They don’t care about what’s hidden — the coffee machine, water, or electricity.
Of course, you have to care about those hidden components. But your focus should be on delivering them as efficiently as possible and moving on — they’re not why customers buy.
Instead, focus above the line — on things customers actually see and value — that’s where the game is won. Even if you’re not perfect at first, you do them to get better at the things that matter.
In the next posts, I’ll show how to balance effectiveness with efficiency — so you don’t just do things right, you also do the right things and out-compete your rivals
But here’s the trap: you can become brilliant at things customers don’t care about — and that can cost you the future.
Take our simple coffee shop example (attached). Customers care about what’s in front of them — the cup of coffee, maybe the beans. They don’t care about what’s hidden — the coffee machine, water, or electricity.
Of course, you have to care about those hidden components. But your focus should be on delivering them as efficiently as possible and moving on — they’re not why customers buy.
Instead, focus above the line — on things customers actually see and value — that’s where the game is won. Even if you’re not perfect at first, you do them to get better at the things that matter.
In the next posts, I’ll show how to balance effectiveness with efficiency — so you don’t just do things right, you also do the right things and out-compete your rivals
