In 1997, Steve Jobs returned as CEO of Apple. The "Think Different" slogan was coined by Apple that same year. The slogan was created by Craig Tanimoto, an art director at the advertising agency TBWAChiatDay. It was intended to inspire customers to question the status quo and think creatively. It succeeded.
The slogan "Think Different" was grammatically incorrect, which some have criticized. They missed the point. "Think Different" was perfect because it was grammatically incorrect. It was seen as a reflection of Apple's ethos of being bold, expressive, and creative in its choices and views. The slogan played a significant role in altering perceptions of campaigns, advertisements, posters, and of course, computers and technology.
Even though the slogan was officially used from 1997 to 2002, it still resonates today and is recognized as one of the most iconic slogans of the 21st century. Every advancement of mankind was based on "Think Different" The very nature of advancement implies "Think Different."
For instance, Herb Kelleher embraced "Think Different" as he established Southwest Airlines. Herb embraced partnering with employees to serve customers, a radical form of "Think Different" captured in their stock symbol, LUV. For the 20+ years that Herb was the CEO, Southwest Stock outperformed every other publicly traded stock. "Think Different" is incredibly profitable, as Steve Jobs also demonstrated, giving us insights like, "We don't hire people to tell them what to do. We hire people to tell us what to do."
Our research proves that partnering with employees to serve customers profitably is widely more profitable, as seen in the article, "A Key Strategy to Double Your Profitable Growth" Few if any believed us. But inspired by great leaders like Jobs who not only embraced "Think Different", but persevered, we are following their lead. Our article, "Rewarding Rollups" is our "Think Different". Why should we sit back and watch private equity firms extract wealth from owners and employees who created that wealth? We are the little guys who are challenging the big private equity players. And by God, we are going to succeed. The initial response has been encouraging.
My point in this article is not just to promote "Rewarding Rollups". It's to promote YOU! The big guys with all the money say you are too small, too insignificant, too uneducated, too misguided, too whatever to challenge them. That is what tyrants of every age have preached. Don't you believe them for a moment. They are the ones with the problem. Their arrogance and ignorance, secured by the way they tell their employees what to do, is their weak link.
Dinosaurs once ruled the world. You know, big bodies, small brains. They are extinct. They were outfoxed by smaller, smarter mammals, who worked together in teams. Herb Kelleher and Steve Jobs went toe to toe with the giant dinosaurs of their respective industries. No one took them seriously. They won, and they won big. The dinosaurs, not so much.
Don't believe it? We will soon be detailing how MSA, a civil engineering company that no one knew thirty years ago. They are thriving, doing their own version of "Rewarding Rollups", with no help from us. In the last five years, their market valuation has increased by 6-fold. That's right, 600 percent. They have been embracing, "Think Different" big time.
So can you. "Think Different." Do so with your most important assets, your people. Prove that you and your team are a force to be reckoned with. Persevere... As Walt Whitman said, "In the Great Play of life, contribute a verse." And when you do, and you will let us know. We like to write articles about "Think Different."
EXPERT OPINION BY BILL FOTSCH, FOUNDER, ECONOMIC ENGAGEMENT
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