“When we have invented, our long-term, patient approach—driven by customer need—has been fundamentally different from the more conventional “skills-forward” approach to invention, in which a company looks for new business opportunities that neatly fit with its existing skills and competencies. While this approach can be rewarding, there is a fundamental problem with it: the company will never be driven to master new skills and develop new competencies, hire new kinds of leaders, or create different types of organizations. Amazon’s Working Backwards process—starting with customer needs, not corporate needs or competencies—often demands that, in Jeff’s words, we “exercise new muscles, never mind how uncomfortable and awkward-feeling those first steps might be.”