What are the ideals that make Apple unique?
I love Gary Hamel’s writings in the Wall Street Journal on management. Last week, he had an interesting article on the ideals that have made Apple the company that they are today. This was his list:
- Be passionate. “I think, for a company to generate years of exceptional returns unless it first devotes itself to the pursuit of an exceptional ideal.”
- Lead, don’t follow. Apple “always sets out to radically redefine a category with a distinctive product or business model.”
- Aim to surprise. “Apple seems committed to exceeding expectations—to evoking a “Wow!” from even its most jaded customers.”
- Be unreasonable. “Reasonable people don’t produce breakthroughs.”
- Innovate incessantly and pervasively. Apple “must be relieved that innovation is still a sideshow in so many of their competitors.”
- Sweat the details. “Great design isn’t just about bold strokes, it’s about getting all of the tiny things right that conspire together to make a product truly exceptional.”
- Think like an engineer, feel like an artist. “A company can’t produce beautiful products if the bean counters win every argument.”
This is just a snippet of Hamel’s thoughts. Check out the rest of the article for more insights.
I think he pretty accurately describes what makes Apple unique. What would you add to the list? Do you think any of these attributes have a place in the organizations we lead? I do.
I think one of the biggest things Apple has done is acknowledge their failures and backs them up. Remember the “cube” from years ago? The failures from the design of that product paved the way for the current mac minis etc. They have a unique way to spin failure and then turn into excellence.
I think whats missing from your list is Passionate and Relentless Vision from Leadership.
Apple is what Apple is because of the vision and passion of one man, Steve Jobs. It’s interesting to note that the time when Jobs wasn’t at Apple they struggled. When He’s been not as involved due to his illnesses, there haven’t been then iPhone/iPad being produced because he wasn’t there pushing innovation and sexy design.
The stories of how passionate he is about Apple and it’s products are everywhere. The secrecy, the almost slave driver attitude, the him against the world mentality. He is so intense about what he wants to see done and people respond to it because he makes them understand it, feel it, and produce it.
His vision and passion for the company and what it stands for have made it into what it is today.
It begs the question what are we that passionate about? What sort of vision do we have that we will kick, scratch and fight to see happen.
Just wondering if I’m missing something in the ‘Be passionate’ bullet point, because this sentence seems incomplete:
“I think, for a company to generate years of exceptional returns unless it first devotes itself to the pursuit of an exceptional ideal.”