Image by blakespot via Flickr

Should I want to be enchanting?

There were many reasons that I resisted Guy Kawasaki’s new book, Enchantment. First, the title is a masculine turnoff. Maybe it’s a natural for women to be enchanting but it’s not what we associate with a man, Second, Guy’s focus is on business building. He is talking about the special qualities of businesses like Apple that made them sucessful. Life is not always analogous to business models. Still, I was tempted to see what Guy thought was important and I got a copy to read on my recent vacation.

For Guy, business is personal

What is different about Guy when compared to other business guru’s is that business to Guy is not an impersonal, numbers game. Apple didn’t become the successful company it is through smart financial decisions. It succeeded because it made magical products that did more than solve a problem for its customers. Apple created new ways to operate and opened new options.

It all starts with you.

I may be wrong but from my perspective, life is a marketing exercise. And most of us receive no training and have poor role models to learn about being relatable. That is a big part of the message in Enchantment. What can you do to appear open, honest and transparent in your activities. You start with that because if you aren’t someone that people want to know better, you can’t sell anything. It is more than being an honest, responsible, caring individual- you have to demonstrate that you are each of those things. And it isn’t marketing so much as letting those qualities shine.

Guy convinced me.

Guy can tell you how to apply enchantment to your business as well but even if you don’t have a business, enchantment can make your life richer. I stopped getting hung up with the feminine connotations about enchantment early in the book when I understood the distinction Guy is making between serviceable, adequate performance and enchantment.. We all need enchantment if we want to fulfill our destinies and live life at the highest level. As Guy says,

“The greater your goals, the more you’ll need to change people’s hearts, minds and actions. This is especially true if you have few resources and big competitors. If you need to enchant people, you’re doing something meaningful. If you’re doing something meaningful, you need enchantment.”

So read Enchantment!

Taking your retirement to the top means you must be operating at your highest level and making the most of all your abilities. Becoming enchanting is a good start. I recommend enchantment.