I have a considerable collection of business books. Only a small fraction of them are what I call handbooks. I won’t lend them. I reread them. And I have added Enchantment to that special collection.
Guy Kawasaki’s Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions, communicates the same feeling of humanity and business acumen that Guy is known for. He writes, “If you need to enchant people, you’re doing something meaningful. If you’re doing something meaningful, you need enchantment.” Enchantment is not manipulating people. It transforms situations and relationships, converts hostility into civility, and reshapes civility into affinity.
Enchantment is a practical guide and a great storybook at the same time. The book takes us on a journey through the development of things that people will love. You’ll have to achieve likability and trustworthiness before you launch. You’ll definitely need to overcome resistance. And you’re not there until you make enchantment endure. Enchantment is a process, not an event.
The book demonstrates how to use today’s technologies for enchantment. There are two ways of doing that: “Push technology brings your story to people. Pull technology brings people to your story.” Guy gives practical examples and tips on enchanting ways to use presentations, email, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and so on. He hopes that Enchantment remains relevant for decades, so he lists general principles that should apply, even if technologies evolve.
Enchantment does not limit itself to creating new business. You can enchant your employees. You can even enchant your boss. But beware: the techniques of enchantment can be used for both good and ill. Robert B. Cialdini wrote in his bestseller, Influence, “how to say no” to those who use weapons of influence in a questionable way. Following in Cialdini’s footsteps, Guy calls his last chapter, “How to Resist Enchantment”.
Guy uses stories, images, and research results in a personal, entertaining and educational way. This book really makes you want to read it in one sitting. On the other hand, it contains so much wisdom that you’ll certainly want to keep it close at hand for a reread!
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