We’ve all seen it plastered on walls, websites, and corporate handbooks:
“We put customers first.”
Sounds noble. Feels right.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: It’s a trap.
Putting customers first often means putting employees second.
And when you do that, you lose both.
The Innovation Equation Most Companies Get Backwards
Let’s zoom in on innovation teams for a second.
These are the folks in your org tasked with inventing the future—while still managing the political and process baggage of the present. When a company preaches “customer obsession” without balancing it with employee empowerment, what actually happens?
And here’s the kicker: Customers feel it.
When employees are under-resourced, unclear, or untrusted, it leaks into the product. Into the service. Into the experience.
You can’t build something bold for customers if your team is stuck surviving your internal chaos.
What “Customers First” Really Means in Practice
Let me translate a few popular customer-first phrases for you:
“We’re 100% focused on customer needs.”
→ “Our employees have zero room to push back on bad ideas.”
“We always say yes to the customer.”
→ “We constantly overpromise and underdeliver.”
“We’ll escalate this immediately.”
→ “Someone on our team is about to get thrown under the bus.”
Sound familiar?
It’s not that customer focus is bad. It’s that unbalanced customer focus is toxic.
It creates cultures of fear, burnout, and performative innovation.
The Better Model: People First, Not Just Customers
Simon Sinek said it well:
“Customers are people. Employees are people. Put people first.”
Here’s what that looks like in innovation orgs:
✅ Teams trusted to make decisions—not just execute directives
✅ Psychological safety to challenge assumptions and test bold ideas
✅ Time and space for learning—not just delivery
✅ Leadership that shields teams from chaos, not causes it
When employees feel respected, supported, and part of something bigger, they go above and beyond for customers—not out of obligation, but out of ownership.
And here’s the secret most execs miss:
Your customers don’t get great experiences despite your people.
They get them because of your people.
Want Customer Obsession? Start with Team Obsession.
We’ve seen it firsthand in our Breakthrough Labs:
When cross-functional teams feel safe to explore, align quickly, and test ideas with real users—they move fast. They build smart. They win.
But the companies that treat their teams like order-takers?
They end up with bloated backlogs, demoralized designers, and product launches that feel like committee-built compromises. (You know the ones.)
So no—don’t put your customers first.
Put your people at the center.
Because when your teams thrive, your customers won’t just feel prioritized.
They’ll feel delighted.
P.S. Want to create the kind of innovation culture that balances speed, trust, and team sanity? Check out how we run Design Sprints that actually ship.
Because putting people first is the most scalable strategy you’ve got.