I’ve been reading Guy Kawasaki’s Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions. It’s his tenth and latest book, although tagging it as “work” would belie the charm and ease that characterize his words. Guy is a well-respected business writer and speaks comfortably from his own experiences, having established his chops at Apple in the mid 80’s, becoming chief evangelist before moving on to other challenges.

Don’t let the book’s subtitle steer you toward suspicion. This is not a manual for coercion or manipulation of the unwitting or unwilling. Rather, it addresses how to fulfill, gracefully, the common wants and needs of the human social creature, one of those obvious “givens” that, sadly, is often exploited and ridden over roughshod. It’s an emphasis upon delivering happiness or contentment (thanks Tony Hsieh!) rather than moving more product, choking storage units and burying satisfaction. Kawasaki is digging beyond the “what” and into the “why” of a transactional relationship. Need I say it? The book is an enchanting read.

There’s a lot of interesting material here; I’ll probably trot out some more at another time… One memorable quote will suffice for today: “Do not confuse a skeptic with a cynic—a skeptic doubts, a cynic knows.”  Skepticism is healthy, to a great degree – it begs the question and is willing to accept a convincing answer. Cynicism, on the other hand, is just plain contrary, assuming the motivations of others are selfish and flawed throughout. 

This observation makes the challenge of a dubious prospect or potential partner into a mutual opportunity for establishing trust and at the same time weeds out those with whom it is not worth bothering. I’m willing to bet there aren’t many cynics on Twitter; it would drive them crazy! Now, curmudgeons are another breed entirely and I must ask you this: how did they end up being cuddly and endearing? Andy Rooney did a bang-up job of personal branding.