Art of Enchantment

Enchantment – Guy Kawasaki

Some people and products do more than persuade or sell. They delight people so deeply that customers, employees and partners become enthusiastic supporters. Guy Kawasaki, the former chief evangelist of Apple, calls this enchantment, and in Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions, he explains how to achieve it.

Kawasaki argues that enchantment is not about manipulation or one-time transactions, but about creating voluntary and lasting change in people. It begins with two foundations: likability and trustworthiness. He offers practical advice on how to be likable, such as smiling genuinely, accepting others and pursuing shared passions, and how to be trustworthy, by being knowledgeable, competent, honest and willing to trust others first.

From there, he explains how to prepare and launch an enchanting product or cause, overcome people’s resistance to change, and make enchantment endure over time. He devotes chapters to enchanting people through presentations, through technology, distinguishing between push tools such as email and pull tools such as websites and social media, and to enchanting employees and even your boss. He also explains how readers can resist being enchanted by people with bad intentions.

Throughout the book, Kawasaki shares stories from his own experience at Apple and as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist, as well as examples from many companies and organizations.

Upbeat, practical and full of tips, Enchantment is a useful read for entrepreneurs, marketers, managers and anyone who wants to inspire others. Some technology and social media advice reflects the time of publication and may be dated.