Tradeoffs and Empathetic Perspective

Sometimes we fall into the trap of trying to find the absolute best way to do something.

Most of the time, doing great work is not about finding the "best way" but about tradeoffs. We need to see around corners, project into the future, and see the necessary tradeoffs.

In order to do this, you need what Bob Moesta calls Empathetic Perspective, which is the ability to see things—both supply-side and demand-side—from other people's perspectives without being emotionally connected.