Recently, Guy Kawasaki, the co-founder of Alltop.com and the international best selling author of the books, The Macintosh Way, The Art of the Start, and Reality Check asked me to review his new book Enchantment. It has been an enjoyable experience going on this enchantment journey which centers on “delighting people with a product, service, organization, or idea.” It is a must read for any professional–regardless of their organizational title–who wants to remain viable in these turbulent times of this new millennium. This is the first of two special posts devoted to Guy’s new book, Enchantment.
In my consulting and training and development work, I always share my story (my passion and personal connection) to the topics and issues of concern. I can talk about management and leadership because I have been a manager and leader and have faced the same struggles as those who I now work with. Whenever I listen to anyone else who is sharing their knowledge and wisdom on a topic, I am always interested in their personal story to the topic at hand. I want to know why I should listen to them and take their words to heart. Guy captured my attention at the start with his story of how he journeyed from being a humble jeweler to becoming the Chief Evangelist for Apple, a venture capitalist, a veteran entrepreneur, and of course an international best seller. Guy can talk about enchantment because he was an integral part of a business revolution that enchanted us all!
As Guy shares, it was in the early days of the development of the personal computer and software to the masses via the Apple Macintosh that Guy first felt the power of enchantment in a business setting. This short demonstration of the power of this new product and its associated software made him an instant believer in its creative potential and drove him to want to work for Apple. It also marked his fascination with the art of changing hearts, minds, and actions by delighting people with a product, service, organization, or idea.
Guy makes some important points about enchantment. First, enchantment does not belong to the famous, the powerful, the richest, or most respected. Enchantment occurs everywhere. It happens when an individual can cause others to voluntarily change their hearts, minds, and actions. Second, enchantment is not manipulation or skilled negotiation. It is more than both of these actions. Enchantment is filling others with delight to transform situations and relationships. In these complex and difficult times, Guy makes the point that enchantment is necessary to get others to change the world around them. And, enchantment is essential to making difficult and infrequent decisions, persevering in the face of continuing adversity, overcoming ingrained habits, defying the will of the crowd, and aspiring to idealistic, hard-to-achieve goals. Enchantment is how visionaries at Apple and other computing companies changed the course of history and unleashed this creative force that continues to transform the way we live, work, and communicate.
In Part 2 of my book review, I will share more of Guy’s wisdom on the journey to enchantment and explain why we all need to take this ride with him! In the meantime, I encourage you to purchase your copy now at any national bookseller. Enchantment is already on the New York Times Bestsellers List.
What Others Have to Say About Enchantment
— Sir Richard Branson, Founder of the Virgin Group
— Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple[br][br][br][br]
— Michael Gartenberg, Research Director, Gartner [br]
This article is accurate to the best of the author’s knowledge.
Content is for informational or educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional advice in business, management, legal, or human resource matters.
