Shoulder to Shoulder

Scott Belsky on building empathy with customers: "The most humbling moments for me as a product leader have always been shoulder to shoulder with customers. Watching them actually go about their day, not just use my product but go about their day because what you end up getting is context."

This is why "quality time" often feels forced and weird. You're observing your kid using your relationship, not living their actual life.

The real insights come when you're just... there. Not performing togetherness. Just present while they're doing their homework, scrolling their phone, arguing with their sibling about something stupid. That's when you see the context.

"When customers are using your product, they're using it amidst everything else around them," Scott explains. Same with your kid. When they're being difficult, they're being difficult amidst exhaustion, social stress, hunger, and a hundred other things you can't see from the outside.

Shoulder to shoulder. Not face to face with an agenda. Just alongside them in their mess.