Former Vice President Al Gore is showing us something. Whether we like it or not global climate change is the issue of the day. The VP’s recent Academy Award-winning An Inconvenient Truth and for nearly two decades prior, the VP showed us how and why global climate change is impacting our lives. President Bush, for the first time, acknowledged global warming in his 2007 State of the Union.
We all know these instances.
What we might not know is one of the most fundamental philosophies of business and life defined in 1998 by Apple founder Steve Jobs: “people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” The Hollywood style presentation of global warming facts and figures in An Inconvenient Truth made an impact, negatively and positively, on those who watched. The VP’s momentum on the global warming issue is based on his ability to own the issue, define it and present it clearly enough to make an impact.
Watch out for local, political momentum based on a clear message. Councilmember Suja Lowenthal increased her political momentum last week by showing us what we want; she delivered 760 new parking spaces and over 150 currently unused parking spaces throughout the Second District. Everyone hates parking downtown. Especially if you live there.
Sometimes we don’t know what we want. Show us something, show it well, and we might just agree with you.
It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.
– Steve Jobs,
BusinessWeek, May 25, 1998
America is on the verge of technological breakthroughs that will enable us to live our lives less dependent on oil. And these technologies will help us be better stewards of the environment, and they will help us to confront the serious challenge of
global climate change.
– President George W. Bush,
State of the Union, January 23, 2007