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Why my iphone charging cable is pink!

Uncategorized Jul 28, 2021

Steve Jobs, Founder of Apple Inc. was abrasive and upset a lot of people.   He also influenced a lot of people!

 

Have you ever wondered why all Apple products have white cables?   At the time, all other electronics had grey or black cables.   Well, the story goes that Apple - Jobs - wanted to make their products STAND OUT from the competition. They decided to be contrary and make their product unique, easily recognized and therefore….influential in the marketplace.   

 

Whether you like Apple products or find them overpriced, you can likely agree that Steve Jobs managed to create an ecosystem of products that marries ease of use combined with gorgeous visual style.

 

His influence continues.  The ipad spawned a whole new product category. 

 

And have you noticed how you can buy charging cables in all sorts of different colours nowadays?     

 

FUN FACT - I have a PINK charging cable.  Keeps my son and his friends - pre-Covid - from magically making my cords disappear!

 

So what do cable colours have to do with your influencing skills? 

Well, it reminds me of how in order to increase your influence, you need to stand out and be heard above all the noise.  You need to think about your audience.  Consider their needs, not yours. 

 

TRY THIS:

 

Think about a situation where you need to influence stakeholders around a specific initiative.   It could be work-related (eg., you want to convince the senior leadership team to approve a new leadership development framework and corresponding investment) OR it could be personal (eg. you want to persuade your family that your next vacation should be in an RV vs a hotel).

 

How are you thinking about your ability to influence in this situation?  

 

What if you completely REFRAMED from it being about YOU to it being about THEM?   

 

What if you thought about how to make your proposal STAND OUT as unique, interesting, perhaps contrary in the best, most exclusive, intriguing way?  

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