Moving the Needle: Get Clear, Get Free, and Get Going in Your Career, Business, and Life!

Chapter 5Clarity in Differentiating Yourself

In the end, all business operations can be reduced to three words: people, product, and profits.

—LEE IACOCCA, former CEO and chairman of Chrysler and credited with inventing the minivan, the precursor to the SUV

Having clarity means having a strong sense of self, which is vital for differentiating yourself from others. When you view yourself as highly desirable (because of your work skills), uniquely obtainable (because you're confident you can do the job), and economically irresistible (because you add value to a company), you've taken a big step toward getting clear.

In a similar fashion, the world's best companies understand this concept when producing products or services that are highly desirable, uniquely obtainable, and economically irresistible. Not many achieve this lofty status, but one that stands out is Apple, one of the biggest companies in the world behind giants such as Walmart and ExxonMobil.

So the question is this: How did Apple get clear and come to market with so many great tech products? How did it become highly desirable, uniquely obtainable, and economically irresistible? The answer is it got close to its customers, which was founder Steve Jobs's idea all along. He and Apple figured out not only what people want, but also what their needs would be in the future.

Getting close to the customer has been Apple's ...