Apple Way Winners!
I love inBubbleReaders, especially when they do my job for me. That's right, today's edition of inBubbleWrap was guest-written by loyal reader Jose Castillo. Jose has a great podcast radio show and a blog well worth reading (I subscribe to both). He's also a musician, family man, heir to Ming the Merciless' Mongo thrown, and has been known to weep during Sleepless in Seattle.
At first glance I was somewhat thrown off by the title of the book. Perhaps I had accidentally picked up a manual on how to build highways using only fruit. Or maybe the InBubbleWrap leader had sent me a guide to Zen enlightenment using household accoutrements from the crisper drawer. But after closer examination I was quite pleased to see that The Apple Way is actually a management book based on the core (pun unintended -- but I will take what ever I can get) beliefs that have driven Apple from the failures of the Newton to the success of the iPod.
First, this is an excellent brief history and time-line of events at Apple from inception to modern times. And although its history is short (there was no Abacus version of the Mac that we are aware of) compared to other storied companies there are plenty of great stories and lessons that can be gleaned from the frenetic and explosive path that has lead Steve and his rouge band of merry folks to success. Not being a total Mac/Apple nut I was worried that I might miss some of the insights but Jeffrey L. Cruikshank does a wonderful job of blending story telling with bite sized nuggets of management takeaways. I would expect nothing less from someone tied so closely to the Harvard Business School folks.
Secondly, The Apple Way does an excellent job of cataloging the blend of art and science that has made Apple a dominant player in form and function. Any business management book that has an entire chapter devoted to "how to be cool" I consider a massive step in the right direction. The section on "taking their breath away" also plays out the importance of aesthetics in business and how key that is to the end user experience. I would love to send a batch of these books over to the people that designed my lawnmower. The only thing taking my breath away is the grass in my teeth when I try to empty the clippings bag.
The coolest thing about this book is the condensed snippets that are highlighted in grey boxes throughout each chapter. Skimming through the pages you can see the outline of the points of interest and the thoughts summarized into very easy to swallow sound bites. Reading all the text in between gives you the story and sums of the thought with a real world application. It's almost as if Jeffery was designing the book to be like a Mac -- simple, easy to use, and a great way to impress your friends.
In reading this I have come to several conclusions. One I have resolved to make the Mac plunge and join the legion of Mac heads everywhere. I know I will be welcomed. Secondly, I am passing this book along to a good business friend with all the things I want him to see dogeared and highlighted. Lastly I highly recommend this as a great way to see the business side of one of the most powerful brands on the face of the planet. This book is an excellent guide to doing things the wrong way, the right way and the Apple Way.
P.S. Anybody in the market for a used lawnmower?
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