Imagination, empathy, and fresh perception
Let’s talk about something that almost never comes up in a business discussion: Love.
Yes, that many-splendored thing. Emotions seldom arise in business (even branding) discussions. Love least of all, perhaps because it’s so rarely relevant. But sometimes true love happens. When it does it’s remarkable, worth our attention.
Two recent events brought love to mind: Steve Jobs’s death and Netflix’ clumsy self-destruction. Both offer lessons.
In the weeks before Steve Jobs’ death, if you clicked on Amazon.com you saw Jeff Bezos’ open letter to customers, which began as follows:
Dear Customers,
There are two types of companies: those that work hard to charge customers more, and those that work hard to charge customers less. Both approaches can work. We are firmly in the second camp.
Thankfully, Amazon had the sense to take this down when Steve Jobs died. It was unworthy of a leading company, and Jeff Bezos was lucky it wasn’t posted longer.
There’s a lot of handwringing out there following the news of Steve Jobs’s resignation as Apple’s CEO. Yes, things will be different. Sure, it’s the End of an Era. But Jobs is only stepping down from operational control. This could actually be the best thing that ever happened to him—and to Apple.
How many truly creative people love all the management crap that comes with running a company?