March 8, 2011
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There is a reason why Guy Kawasaki is the featured expert in The World section of the Idea Hub here on OPEN Forum. He's in the business of changing it...the world, that is. And he's been doing it for over a quarter century ever since he left his job in 1983 as "a humble jeweler, schlepping gold and diamonds for a small jewelry manufacturer out of Los Angeles" to become chief evangelist for the Macintosh Division of Apple.
If for some strange reason you aren't familiar with Guy Kawasaki, or what being a chief evangelist for Apple might entail and why it's so relevant, allow me to educate and enlighten you. Guy's job was to convince software designers and developers to create Macintosh-compatible products when Macintosh had negligible mind or market share. In other words, he had to enchant them, through "fervor and zeal to make them believe in the Macintosh" when Macintosh wasn't yet the Macintosh.
"Enchant" is the operative word, and forms the basis for Guy's 10th book, out today, called Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions. Guy sent me an advance copy, which I devoured in a single enchanted evening featuring a rare interval of snow in southern California, accompanied by a roaring fire and a wonderful Malbec adding a certain ambiance.
I also consumed two pads of Post-it notes. Enchantment is that good, and that useful.
Big Idea:
"I define enchantment," Guy writes, "as the process of delighting people with a product, service, organization, or idea. The outcome of enchantment is voluntary and long-lasting support that is mutually beneficial. The greater your goals, the more you'll need to change people's hearts, minds, and actions. If you need to enchant people, you're doing something meaningful. If you're doing something meaningful, you need enchantment."
But the best way to think about enchantment is contained in this passage: "Seeing a Macintosh for the first time was the second most enchanting moment of my life (the first most enchanting moment was meeting my wife). My introduction to the Macintosh removed the scales from my eyes, parted the clouds, and made me hear angels singing."
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Key Takeaways:
The entire rest of the book is a playbook for how (with a capital H) to do just that (part clouds and make people hear angels singing). In true Kawasaki fashion, there are ten key takeaways, each with its own chapter chock-full of real-world tactics, tips, techniques, and to-dos. (READER BEWARE: As I did, you will need to have a highlighter and a few pads of Post-it notes handy as you make your way throughEnchantment.)
1. Likeability is the first step. To get people to like you, you need to accept others and find something in them to like.
2. Trustworthiness is the second step. People trust you when you do the right things in the right way.
3. Build to D.I.C.E.E. "D" is for deep, as in value. "I" is for intelligent. "C" is for complete. The first "E" is for empowering, the second for elegant.
4. Launch your cause. Ship stuff. Immerse people in your stuff. Get that first follower and good things will happen.
5. Overcome resistance to the change your offering brings by providing social proof, finding a way to agree, and influencing the influencers.
6. Enduring enchantment requires others. Build an ecosystem of resellers, consultants, developers, and user groups around your cause.
7. Use push technology. Used properly, e-mail, Twitter, and Powerpoint can be powerful tools to help you bring your story to the people you want to enchant. In short: engage fast, engage many, engage often, use multiple media, provide value, give credit, give people the benefit of the doubt, accept diversity, limit promotion, disclose conflicts, and don't take any crap.
8. Use pull technology. There are right and wrong ways to use websites, blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
9. Employee enchantment. Call on the intrinsic motivators of mastery, autonomy, and purpose.
10. Boss enchantment. The benefits of working for someone you've enchanted include freedom, flexibility, mentoring, and money.
11. (Bonus takeaway) Recognize and resist "Mis-Enchanters." The mortgage crisis, it could be argued, can be traced to some enchanting ideas about home ownership. But not all great ideas are good ideas.
Like Most:
There's a lot to like about Enchantment. First, it's pure value. It's all of Guy Kawasaki's best advice from his writing (books and blogs), speaking, and practical experience in venture capital all rolled into one turnkey answer book. It's like having Guy Kawasaki spend three hours with you giving individual counsel on everything about your idea, for about $20.
Second, there's no "no bull shitake" in Enchantment. It's not fancy writing. There are no scholarly models or academic frameworks. Just good 'ole stuff that actually works, with a fair amount of wit thrown in for good measure. Most books require you to interpret and translate the information contained in them before you can put the ideas to work. Such is not the case with Enchantment. The applicability factor is high.
Third, I liked the personal vignettes and sidebar stories of enchantment by others that sprinkle each chapter. There's a nice mix of both everyday people and high-profilers.
Finally, I loved the story of the book cover included at the end of the book. The book cover design featuring an origami butterfly is actually an excellent example of everything Guy talks about in the book. The story of how it came to be is an enchanting tale about an enchanting piece of art.
Best For:
The better question might be, who is this book not right for? And I can't think of anyone who at some point in work or life doesn't need to influence others, to win them over, to move them to action in support of an idea.
What Others Are Saying:
"You feel it when you drive a BMW, touch an Apple iPad, shop in a Sephoro store, or buy shoes from Zappos. Kawasaki reveals how you can deliver the same enchanting experiences as these famous brands." --Robert Scoble, Rackspace videoblogger
Links:
You can keep up with Enchantment goings-on through the >Enchantment Facebook Page.
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