Navel-gazing

Navel-gazing is a wonderful verb which literally means to look at your own belly button. Metaphorically it means that you’re looking inward in an ineffectual manner; you’re not reflecting on yourself critically or constructively, you’re just very busy with your own, possibly inconsequential issues. Meanwhile the world is going on all around you.
In business, navel-gazing is a common problem that generally arises at a point of maturity, or after early success. The passionate, customer-driven startup can easily become a slow organization primarily focused on its own internal atmosphere, with lot of time spent on creating comfort, diversions and perks for the staff.
This phenomenon would seem to stem from a misunderstanding of the workplaces of famous high tech companies like Google, Apple and Facebook. In each case, an uneducated outsider is likely to see an oasis for workers, while missing the long hours and productivity which create real value. But high tech aside, we’ve probably all been to a shop, bar, doctor’s office or restaurant which appears to be set up more for the staff’s comfort and entertainment than to actually serve customers or patients effectively.
The bottom line is that if you’re not the only provider of your product or service, there’s probably someone out there would like to capture some of your customers while your employees are enjoying their massages or taking that long coffee break. Are all your perks and comforts really adding value and productivity? Or are they helping your people to forget that there are customers our there?