Who Comes First?

Once upon a time, a group of animals decided to cross the sea together.

Every year, a great market was held on the other shore. The Beaver could sell his furniture, the Squirrel her finest nuts, and the Fox had somehow found customers for things nobody remembered asking for.

A successful trip meant full cupboards for the winter, new opportunities for everyone — and, according to the Otter, an excellent party on the last night.

So they had good reason to go.

They were a good crew, too. They liked each other, trusted each other and wanted everyone to succeed.

The Beaver gathered the wood and hauled it together to form the frame of the boat. The Owl studied the currents. The Squirrel counted the supplies. The Fox convinced others of the goods the Otters resiliently produced.

Everyone brought something useful. And everyone genuinely wanted the journey to succeed. When the boat was finally ready, the Fox stepped back to admire their work.

“Something is missing,” he said.

“A proper boat needs a figurehead. Something at the very front to show what matters most.”

“Customer first,” he added. “Without customers, why are we producing and sailing at all?”

Quite right.

So the Fox carved a magnificent Customer and fixed it proudly to the bow.

“Technology first,” said the Beaver the next morning. “Sleeping one night on it I feel without a good boat, the customer won’t get very far.”

Also true. Down came Customer. Up went Tech.

“Hold on” said the Owl. “How will we know where we’re going without facts? “Data first!”

Down came Tech. Up went Data.

But no long wait and the Squirrel loudly cried “Revenue first! Someone has to pay for all these nuts. No nuts no party! No discussion - Revenues first!”

An excellent point. So, Data down. Revenue up.

By now, changing the figurehead had become a full-time job for everyone involved.

Then a Parrot landed on deck.

Everyone was confused. Nobody knew her or where she came from out of a sudden.

“AI-first!”

“Why?!?!” asked the others.

“Efficiency! Speed! Better decisions!”

Nobody could argue with that.

So, Revenue down, AI went up.

Each animal meant well. Each was trying to protect something the mutual journey genuinely needed. And each could clearly see what mattered most from where they stood.

Then a heavy stomp.

The Elephant had entered the room.

Or rather, the boat.

“People first!” he said. “Who exactly do you think is doing all this sailing?”

Silence.

He had a point too.

The Beaver stared at the bow, then at the growing pile of perfectly good figureheads and the damage emerging at the base from frequently exchanging the figurehead.

“Could we perhaps put them all up?”

Brilliant.

Soon Customer, Product, Data, Revenue, AI and People were all strapped to the front.

The bow sank alarmingly. However, “Excellent,” said the Beaver. “Now our priorities are clear.”

The Otter and the Fox looked at the half-submerged bow, then at each other.

“Are they?” the Fox asked.

Everyone turned.

“If everything is first, isn’t ‘first’ just another word for ‘important’?”

Silence.

“And if everything is important,” he continued, “who decides what actually comes first?”

This time, nobody reached for another figurehead.

They started a genuine conversation.

The Beaver put his phone aside and listened to the Owl. The Owl stopped interrupting the Fox. The Squirrel explained why they needed enough revenue to make the journey worthwhile. The Elephant reminded them that somebody still had to sail the boat. All together asked the Parrot if she’d like to help them along the journey.

They looked beyond their own piece of the journey: at the crew, the customers waiting at the market, the supplies, the weather, the boat and the sea with its risks and opportunities ahead.

Then they turned to the Captain.

She had listened too.

But listening wasn’t the end of her job.

After all, someone still had to decide what comes up first.

So she did.

The answer to what comes first? changes with the journey.

The responsibility for deciding does not.

Perhaps that is the difference between a group with good intentions and a real crew.

Good communication brings different perspectives together.

Foresight keeps the whole journey in view.

And good judgment turns them into a decision.

Because collaboration doesn’t mean everyone gets to be first.

It means everyone helps make the decision better.