I had a hard time getting into Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo From Maslow. It started slow but picked up steam about half way in. Peak is written by San Francisco boutique hotelier Chip Conley, and was one of the books gifted to me during my Zappos tour. The premise of the book is that companies are better off appealing to higher-tier needs of their employees, customers, and investors.
Think about where you work. Is it a job or a career? Does it pay the bills or does it let you pursue your passions? Or both? Conley’s Employee Pyramid includes money at the base, recognition in the middle, and meaning at the top. Basically it’s saying that doing meaningful work or getting to see the big picture, and recognition for a job well done are critical parts of an employee’s overall “compensation” package. In companies with high employee turnover, it’s probably safe to say they are neglecting one or more of these elements.
On the customer side of things, merely meeting the needs of customers isn’t enough. Great companies, the book says, meet customer’s desires, and — at the top of the pyramid — meet unconscious needs.
Let me think of some examples. Verizon – they meet my needs as a cell phone service provider with reliable service. But they don’t meet my desires because there’s no iPhone available on their network. How about Capital One? They meet my needs with a business credit card. They do OK on desires by providing a pretty sweet triple-miles rewards program, but won’t grant a desired credit limit increase. For me, the first example that comes to mind of a company that makes it to the top of the customer pyramid is Nintendo. With their Wii system my need for video games is met. Because of the motion activated controller and fun multi-player games, my desire for entertaining party games is met. And finally, I never knew I had the unconscious need to play Dr. Mario online against complete strangers, yet I’m definitely addicted.
For investors, the book recommends investing in something you believe in, and reaping a great ROI in more than just dollars.
I thought Peak was a decent read but nothing earth-shattering. Maybe I just have a hard time with this touchy-feely self-actualization stuff … or maybe, hopefully, I just haven’t “peaked” yet. In the interest of saving time though, you can get the gist of the book by watching this 18 minute video instead of reading the whole thing.
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Tags: success
