NOT EVERY COMPANY CAN BE APPLE.
Because of their great success, it’s easy to point to Apple as a paragon, but every company has the potential for greatness.
We need the non-Apples!
If every company was Apple, Apple wouldn’t be special. Not every company is going to revolutionize its industry – some are going to stay in the middle of the road, or innovate in less flashy ways, like cost reduction or energy efficiency. A healthy industry has a spectrum of companies that meet the needs of different market segments, though. Apple, with its focus on design and slick marketing, caters to early adopters – and its pricing reflects that, too. But there are plenty of people (who don’t want to spend that kind of money) in the market for a tablet or a smartphone or a laptop – and companies other than Apple manage to make a profit selling second- or third-wave versions of Apple products to those people. Samsung, no matter how the recent lawsuit turned out, may not be the most innovative tech manufacturer (they’re no Apple!), but they’re a major industry player, and millions of people use their devices every day.
It feels like books are saying, “Look, you can be whatever you want if you follow the Apple way.” No. No, you can’t. I’m five feet tall: there is no way I could play basketball like Shaq, and the harder I try, the more disappointed I get!
Likewise, not every company will have the same strengths – the same talents, visions, resources – and so not every company can follow the same path to greatness. The genius of Apple that can be emulated isn’t just in its penchant for innovation and great design, but in its ability to identify and exploit its pool of talent and resources.
So if you must “be Apple,” do that – instead of wishing you had Steve Jobs’ vision, make the most of the tools you actually have.
What do you think?
Anil Saxena is the President of Cube 2.14, an organizational development consulting firm that works with clients to increase both customer and employee engagement while decreasing turnover, improving customer retention, and increasing profitability within organizations.
Saxena is a certified High Impact coach and trainer and a Joint Application Design facilitator. He is also certified by both Rush Systems and IBM as a focus group facilitator. He is an inaugural member of Northwestern University’s Learning and Organizational Change program, and he earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
