Follow the Beat(s) of your heart
The following is my response to “The Last Re-Org You’ll Ever Do”. It has been ammended due to the rumor that Apple has agreed to purchase Beats Electronics for $3.2 billion.
I agree with the Responsive OS framework. But based on the way I view the world, I think it can go one level deeper – to people.
Non-fragile organizations can be resilient, anti-fragile, or robust, as expressed in a Responsive OS. Similarly, non-fragile people can be led by their head, their heart, or their “hormones.”
A company made of people who are resilient (i.e. think with their head) will likely be successful – potentially for a while. They’ll know how to maximize for efficiency and provide market solutions (i.e. Microsoft). But they won’t invent new industries. They won’t make art.
A company made of people who are robust will also likely be successful, especially in the short term. But they’ll be directed by the actions of others, so they, too, won’t create art. They’re more likely to create derivative, evolutionary products (i.e. Samsung – re: mobile).
The design and values of any organization are an extension of its founder. And the best ones are led by a mission – not by objectives. They’re missionaries, not mercenaries. They “start with why.” They’re led by their heart.
Steve Jobs wasn’t the only person who thought they way he did. He surrounded himself with people who loved the company he created, who found “their tennis ball”. That collective, known as Apple, creates unique products because it is led by a unique force: the heart.
In business and life, people can be led by their head, their heart, or their hormones. It is those who are led by their heart who make the most impact, in whatever they do.
Maybe acquiring Beats Electronics is part of Apple’s wearables strategy. Or maybe it’s intended to bolster their streaming music offering(s). Maybe Apple wants to remain “cool.” Or maybe they simply want to make more money.
Historically, Apple doesn’t make large acquisitions. Their biolerplate PR response to all M&A activity: “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.” They may (likely will) not discuss their plans immediately, but Beats is not a small company – it’s Apple’s largest acquisiton ever.
When Steve Jobs handed over the reigns of Apple to Tim Cook, he told him to never ask what [Steve] would have done, just do what’s right. Effectively saying: follow your heart. That’s exactly what has gotten Apple this far. And whatever the reason for acquiring Beats, I hope they continue to follow it.
Don’t just take my word for it. On what he envisioned for NeXT – a company, and a time in his life, that taught him much of what enfused into Apple upon his return – Steve Jobs said it himself:
One of the things that made Apple great was that in the early days it was built from the heart — not from someone who came in and said ‘I know how to build a company; you follow steps x, y, z.’ We didn’t always use our heads. And we can do better in many respects, because we continue to get wiser and smarter and those sorts of things. But one of the most important things — one of my largest wishes — is that we build NeXT from the heart…and that [everyone who experiences what we do] feels that.