A house can’t be completed if there isn’t a front and a back.
The front of the house involves interactions with visitors. The environment is designed to make our guests feel welcomed and taken care of. We’re quick to judge, so the house’s appearance determines if our guests will return.
The back of the house is where the preparation takes place to ensure the front of the house looks clean and comfortable. The labor and logistics keep the house functioning. Its sights are hidden, but this area’s support is crucial to the house’s overall experience.
The transition from the front to the back, and the back to the front, must be easy and smooth. A good transition will have guests enjoying all the rewards without having to witness or experience the hard work.
Similar to a house, a show requires a front stage and a back stage.
The front stage is for the audience to see and experience. We want the audience to be entertained and enjoy the show.
The back stage ensures everything is running smoothly and sticking to the program. The production occurring behind the scenes— changing sets, managing props and sounds, providing food, etc.— must be necessary and go unnoticed. From the audience’s perspective, they must enjoy the performance without any concern for how the it will go.
At the end of the day, a show needs their audience to feel comfortable and be entertained.
When starting out, a pair of a front and a back is extremely beneficial. They must also mesh well, else the relationship deteriorates quickly, and the vision dissipates.
McDonalds and Apple understood this well. Steve Jobs was recognized for the same reason Ray Kroc was, while Steve Wozniak and the McDonalds brothers were indispensable. Each knew their part and played it to perfection.
Here’s my inspiration for the day.