Health & Fitness
What Every Local Employer Can Learn From Apple
Apple is more than just Steve Jobs. But he's influenced how the company thinks. Now those lessons can be learned by everyone.
Earlier this month, a report came out making Apple the world's most valuable brand.
After a recent visit to Apple's home office and a meeting (through my work with the American Bar Association) with several Apple executives, it's easy to see why.
During our discussions, Apple executives emphasized several reasons why the company has become such a dominant force. None of these lessons is new (indeed, it's been written about plenty of times), but there are valuable ones to be learned and applied to any business.
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Here are three things I found fascinating:
- Sweat the small details: Besides its products, you know what else Apple is famous for? The packaging. Not just how the product looks, but the actual process, as well. While their competitors sometimes put their products in frustrating-to-open plastic, Apple keeps it simple. And make no mistake, it's takes a lot of effort to make it simple. For employers, it's easy to miss the little details, but it is these details that can make or break an experience.
- Don't be afraid to say no: Apple learned the hard way that too many products can make a company lose focus. So, it's focused on just a few products and being the absolute best at them. And it's not afraid to say no if it doesn't think it'll be a big success. There's a reason, for example, why we haven't seen an Apple HDTV. Hint: It's not because they can't make one. For employers, keeping a laser focus on your business mission is critical to success.
- Hire 'A' Team Players: Apple focuses on who it brings in and makes sure it is bringing in the absolute best staff it can for a particular position. Now, it certainly has made its task easier by becoming popular, but it believes that success begets success. And that if it starts hiring "B" grade employees, those employees will hire "C" grade. Hiring the best staff -- rather than just any staff - is crucial. To do that, it certainly helps to pay them well too.
Apple's success isn't overnight. But a visit out to them shows their commitment to excellence. It's inspirational and hopefully, it can inspire you and your business to excellence as well.
