S: Soul

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A good trend has soul—an undefinable element of energy, excitement, excellence and desirability.

Products with soul somehow mean more than what they are. There’s an extra something there that you can’t quite put your finger on but that makes them easy to fall in love with and highly desirable. Similarly, a tend with soul connects with people at a special level, and lifts products from the ranks of mediocrity up onto a pedestal of sorts.

Interestingly, products with soul can be big or small, cheap or expensive, elegant or simple, useful or frivolous. Some examples of products that have soul would include the Hummer, the Mini Cooper, the iMac, the iPod, Harley-Davidson motorcycles, In-and-Out burgers, OXO garlic presses, Breitling watches and even Jones Soda. All of these products attract enthusiasts who rave about them far beyond the realms of their functionality. The presence of soul somehow these products a life o their own.

Can you find soul in your product or organization? If you’re not sure that you’ll know it when you see it, then go out of your way to hire people who will. People with soul follow their bliss. They can turn walls into doors. They are authentic, passionate, optimistic, and driven to deliver the best products and experiences possible. Their rarity makes them easy to identify.

–Robyn Waters