David Feldt Proud father. Entrepreneur. Builder. Catalyst. Accelerator. Guide.

Human Character, the Final Frontier

I was born in South Africa and left the country in 1984 during the darkest time of Apartheid. When I left, I didn't see any hope for the country. It appeared to be headed for ruin.  Little did I know.

For me, Nelson Mandela represents the highest order of humankind.

Here is a man who spent 27 years behind bars fighting against the evil of Apartheid and when he emerged from prison to become the President of South Africa in 1994, what did he do?

Instead of pursuing a path of vengeance and retribution (as most people feared and what a lesser man would have chosen), he pursued a path of reconciliation and unity.

His leadership and example actualized one of the most powerful miracles in human history - He transformed an entire nation.

I have always marveled at how Mandela, who had gone through so much personal pain, loss and anguish, could rise above it all, become such a powerful leader and force for positive change.

He pursued the "heroic path" as described in David Lapin's new book, Lead by Greatness, How character can power your success.

As we approach 2012, the world is facing major challenges and we seem to have lost all faith and trust in our leaders and institutions, be they political or corporate.

We are all searching for new models, new paradigms and new structures for the post-industrial age.  We've exhausted our natural resources, our financial resources and exploited our technology.

What's the next frontier of innovation and growth? Humanity itself, or more specifically, our human character. This is the thesis of David Lapin's book and it is profound. He shows us how we can all become heroic leaders and transform ourselves, those around us and ultimately our entire world.

Mandela demonstrates the eight character traits that David Lapin discusses in his book: Authenticity, destiny, mastery, humility, vulnerability, generosity, awareness and wisdom. Too many leaders today have tipped the scale in the other direction with stories in the news every day about some new scandal, ponzi scheme or corrupt behavior. We obviously need more people like Mandela. People who have the courage, vision and resolve to take the heroic path. People with similar character traits to help lead us to a better place.

David Lapin's book provides us with a unified roadmap that can take all of us on this much needed heroic journey. He fuses together ancient spiritual principles, modern business philosophy and twenty years of practical, global application to provide us with the roadmap.

This book should be mandatory reading for all of us who seek to transform our own life and the institutions we build.

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The image above is of President Nelson Mandela shaking hands with the Springbok captain, Francois Pienaar, during the 2005 Rugby World Club. Mandela enlisted the national rugby team in a unique venture to unite the apartheid-torn land. This powerful story was captured in the movie Invictus which was directed by Clint Eastwood and starred Morgan Freeman as Mandela and Matt Damon as Pienaar.

Why Does Amazon Have Differential Pricing In Different Markets?

Here's the Amazon price for the Steve Jobs autobiography that is sure to become an instant bestseller:

On Amazon.co.uk: (50% off regular price) [ = USD $19.96 as of midnight October 24, 2011 ]

On Amazon.ca: (37% off regular price) [ = USD $23.07 as of midnight October 24, 2011 ]

On Amazon.com: (48.9% off regular price)

Why Apple Is The Most Valuable Brand In The World – A Personal Story

Yesterday, on the day when Apple became the most valuable brand in the World, I had a personal experience that reinforced why Apple IS the most valuable brand in the World.

I recently lost my iPhone and called my mobile provider to arrange to get a replacement. After a 30 minute conversation with their customer service rep on the phone, I was assured that everything was in order and that all I needed to do was to go to one of their stores and pick up my new phone.  When I got to the provider's store, they told me that they didn't have any stock of the new white iPhone 4 and that I would have to go to an Apple Store to get one.

I walked into my local Apple Store which was buzzing as usual and Matthew came up to me and asked how he could help me.  I explained that I'd lost my iPhone and that I needed a replacement phone. I told him that my mobile provider had sent me to Apple Store as they didn't have stock.  His first words to me were, "No problem, I'll be happy to help get you setup." He led me to the closest iMac and launched an app which connected him directly with my mobile provider's backend. He typed away for 30 seconds and discovered that there was no record of my 30 minute conversation with the provider.  He got on the phone to them and went back and forth with them to solve my problem.

I stopped for a second and realized that this was an Apple employee in an Apple Store solving my problem with my mobile provider on my behalf.  While he was on hold, he pulled out his iPod Touch and hit a few keys. Within 30 seconds, one of his colleagues emerged from the back of the store carrying my new iPhone.

Not once did Matthew stop and say, "Sorry sir, there's a problem with XYZ Mobile company. You'll have to call them to resolve it."  He just took care of business and apologized to me for the delay!

No passing buck.

No "it's not my problem".

No attitude.

No excuses.

Only superb customer service above and beyond anything I've ever experienced.

His actions reinforced why I love Apple so much and validated why Apple is the most valuable brand in the World. Yes, they build and distribute magical products that are beautifully designed. Yes, their retail stores are gorgeous and they have the highest gross sales per square foot of any other retail store. But most importantly, they have a culture of excellence, a culture of zero-defect, a culture of service and they attract and nurture employees who share these values and beliefs.

Thank you Matthew! You have made a very personal connection and reinforced why Apple is the most valuable brand in the world.

(Why) Your Brand’s Future Isn’t On Facebook

We all know that Facebook has 500+ million members and that 50% of them use the site on a daily basis.  The stats are overwhelming. There can be no question that Facebook is the powerhouse of social media and that people are addicted to it. Just look at how Zynga's leveraged Facebook's phenomenal growth to reach a reported pre-IPO valuation of $10 billion.

So, what does this mean for brands? Mark Zuckerberg said the following at the Web 2.0 Summit late last year:

I think that over the next 5 years, most industries are going to get rethought to be social and designed around people. This is kind of the evolution we’ve seen at Facebook.

Anyone paying attention to what's happened in the world over the past 5 years would have to agree with the Facebook founder. I know I do --- I've founded two businesses in the past 18 months that are both focused exclusively on innovation within the social business web.

The current hype around Facebook for business reminds me of the glory days of AOL back in the 1990s.

Can you remember that far back?

At the peak, every TV ad seemed to have those AOL keywords which are analogous to today's Facebook fan pages. We all know what happened to that strategy.

Every agency is telling its clients to "fish where the fish are" and the fish are definitely on Facebook.  We've seen gigantic growth of Facebook fan pages and the top 50 corporate brands on Facebook have a collective 458,033,721 fans who "liked" them!  There are very successful startups who are capitalizing on the Facebook fanpage phenomenon ... Increasingly I'm hearing people suggest that the corporate website is dead and that all the action is now taking place out on the social networks, with the Facebook platform being the key benefactor.

So, should your brand jump on the Facebook bandwagon?  Should you abandon your own website and simply set up a Facebook fan page instead?

Many brands seem to be following this path and on the surface who can argue with that 458 Million number.

What's Zynga thinking today? It is looking to hedge its bets and create it's own platform.

I'm suggesting that you do the same thing for your brand too.

Build your own social business platform.

Yes, the social phenomenon is real and it will transform the way business operates. It's already done that and I'm a strong believer that we are only at the beginning.  We will see dramatic innovation within the social business arena over the next few years. So, instead of just relying on Facebook to be your "social voice", look to build your own social platform that you can control and tailor to your own unique business needs. Why do I say this?

Bottom line, social platforms are the way of the future. My advice is to build your own social platform and hold your brand's destiny in your own hands.

The Missing Link In Air Travel

I spent most of Tuesday flying across North America going through three airports and traveling on two different airlines.

Those of us who travel frequently (seem to) have resigned ourselves to the inhumane travel experience:

• The atrocious TSA experience which resemble human assembly lines ... people lining up, taking off their clothes, putting on their clothes, being scanned, prodded, searched and treated like criminals
• The planes which resemble the cliched old Greyhound buses with broken seats, broken lights, smelly toilets
• Flight departure delays; seemingly endless circling on arrival that adds 15 - 30 minutes to your flight
• The list goes on and on ...

The last one hour flight I took at 9pm revealed the missing link in air travel.  All the logistics, planes, terminals and gates have made us forget the key ingredient : The Human Connection.  Air travel is fundamentally a service industry and the power to innovate and improve this experience lies in the hands of people - many people in many roles.

There was one key person who actually made that human connection on Tuesday:

The flight attendant on my United Express flight out of Houston was phenomenal. She's been in the industry for 20 years and one would have expected her to be jaded, tired and robotic. Instead, she was funny, energetic, helpful and caring. She engaged passengers with an authentic empathy and I saw her actively solving problems and helping people. As she walked by me, she saw that I was struggling to read my book in the poor light. Without being asked, she unscrewed the light fitting so that I could have more light to read. "Don't tell the maintenance people I did that", she said.

A simple human gesture that literally shone Light on my day.  Thank you.