190: Why It's Not As Urgent As You Think w/ Jason Fried

Just because you have a great idea, it doesn’t mean that your customers are going to love it too. They have their own projects and are working on their own schedule. Understanding that your priorities are not the same as your customers’ is key to creating long-term relationships with them.

Jason Fried, a non-serial entrepreneur, is the founder and CEO of Basecamp. He’s co-authored several books including Getting Real, Rework, Remote, and It Doesn’t Have to be Crazy at Work.

As someone who has always loved creating and designing things, Jason started making websites right out of college. Realizing that he preferred working for himself, Jason refocused his career path on creating businesses. He quickly discovered that organization is central to productivity and success, but the tools to make it happen didn’t exist. It was this realization that gave birth to Basecamp.

Today, Jason shares some of his revelations from the workplace. A big one was coming to the understanding that not everything is as urgent as we often think it is. This allows us to slow down and get perspective on where our energy should really be going. Basically, we should all be getting a good night’s sleep before acting on anything big.

Furthermore, as a leader, you need to create the space for honest and open communication with the people you work with. This means asking the right questions and being open to any answer.

How do you best listen to your customer’s concerns? Leave a comment on the episode page!

In this episode

How necessity can give birth to brilliant business ideas [5:30]
The advantages that come from listening to customers instead of making assumptions [9:30]
What it really means to treat your customers with care and respect [13:10]
The realization that few things are as urgent as we think [17:00]
Where to cultivate joy and purpose in the work that you do [23:03]
The importance of always asking questions of your team and company [25:10]
Why you should look for inspiration outside of your industry [33:30]

Quotes

“Constant iteration is the only way to make anything better.” [8:51]

“Just because we have something new to offer and we think it’s better, that doesn’t necessarily mean that for other people better is what they’re looking for. A lot of people are looking for consistency and predictability.” [9:58]

“A lot of things can wait and they can wait their turn. It’s actually better for things to have to wait their turn because sometimes when you get to them you realize it wasn't that good of an idea anyway.” [18:35]

“False urgency is a really dangerous thing. I think a lot of companies suffer from it.” [22:58]

“The fundamental thing is that if you want answers you have to ask questions. People don’t bring you answers if you don’t ask questions first.” [27:00]

Links

Find Jason Fried online

Follow Jason on Twitter

Storyblocks

Basecamp

It Doesn’t Have to be Crazy at Work

Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni

Know Your Team