Many company leaders are so caught up in the day-to-day demands of running their organization that they often fail to carve out time to think long-term about their business goals and how to reach them.

Emerging competition may have shifted the landscape or the market by anticipating new customer needs and offering new solutions. Once customers change their expectations, a once-solid brand is in danger of becoming irrelevant.

Companies must be intentional about deeply and thoroughly understanding their customer: their daily life, their immediate needs, even their hopes and dreams. It’s just not enough to just ship a decent product.