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What Apple's Disaster Teaches Us About Human Behavior
The single most important factor when influencing human behavior
Howie Chan
March 30, 2025
Dear Legend,
It’s 9.57 am and I’m already exhausted. Why? It took us 2 hours this morning to get one kid to school. Hey it’s just one of those days. I have my headphones on, I blocked out 3 hours and with the research I’ve already done, I’m ready to write.
Onward.
The question I have on my mind lately is this:
What is the one truth we need to know when persuading anyone to do anything?
I think I’ve found the answer. Stick with me.
An employee asking for a promotion
A company seeking the best employees
A leader trying to get their teams to perform
A sales person persuading a prospect to buy
The number one mistake all of them make is that they make it about themselves.
“I deserve the money, so you should give it to me”
“We have a bold mission so you should join us”
“We need to win so you need to work harder”
“This is the best, so you should open your wallet”
See the problem?
The truth is when you’re trying to influence, make it about them, not about you.
And look it’s not just us mere mortals who fail at this, even the greats make mistakes.
A recent ad by Apple went viral. But not in a good way.
“Crushing symbols of human creativity and cultural achievements to appeal to pro creators, nice. Maybe for the next Apple Watch Pro you should crush sports equipment, show a robot running faster than a man, then turn to the camera and say, God is dead and we have killed him.” Artist Sterling Crispin
There was so much backlash from consumers that Tim Cook had to apologize.
“We missed the mark with this video, and we're sorry.” Tim Cook on Ad Age.
What did they do?
They ran an ad that showed a hydraulic press crushing all the symbols of creativity, presenting the iPad Pro as the latest tool that encompasses all of that into one machine.
The problem wasn’t that they positioned the iPad Pro as a great tool - it is a great tool. The problem was that they attacked the identity of the very people they were trying to persuade.
They made it about the iPad, not about the creator.
The key lesson here are two fold:
Make it about the people you are trying to influence
Elevate their status, don’t ever denigrate the symbols of their identity
I can’t begin to emphasize how important this is. Making it about the audience, while decreasing their status is going to be disastrous. Trying to elevate their status while focusing on your product as the hero will also be terrible.
You need both: make it about them, elevate their status (read a previous issue about the status games we play.)
How does this help you?
When asking for a promotion (make sure your boss see your promotion as a reflection of their great leadership)
When a company is trying to attract the best (make sure they show how current employees are becoming more successful and working on the coolest projects)
When you are leading a team (make sure to show them how great performance means company wide recognition for each of them)
When selling to a prospect (make sure they feel how this product or service can help them become the person they want to become)
Remember this truth as you go about your day: it’s not about you, it’s about elevating them.
(If you also love audio, I share a simple THREE STEP system to leverage this truth. Listen to this short 10 min solo episode on Apple, Spotify or on the web.)
Will you take action on this lesson? How?
But wait, there’s more!
Another issue, another #PSYCH! lesson:
🧠 The Common Enemy Effect
Want instant loyalty and alignment?
Give people someone (or something) to rally against.
When I was in officer school 25 years ago, I used this effect unknowingly. It turned my platoon from a bunch of disorganized and low morale soldiers to one of the top platoons in the school (read the story on LinkedIn and see my chiseled jawline back in the day. What happened to me? 😅)
The truth is this: humans bond faster when they’re fighting the same enemy. It could be a competitor, an injustice, or even an outdated belief system. In tribal times, sticking together wasn’t an option—it was life or death. When a threat appeared (another tribe, a predator, scarcity), unity meant survival.
A shared enemy creates instant “us vs. them” clarity.
So our brains evolved to rally around a shared threat. It made us cohesive. It gave us purpose. It still works today.
But this doesn’t mean attacking people—it means identifying a belief, problem, or system your audience hates… and positioning the solution as the way to combat that enemy.
Examples:
Apple vs. PC (outdated tech)
Nike vs. doubt ("Just Do It")
Basecamp vs. workplace chaos ("The calm company")
Where can you introduce a common enemy?
When I think about us, as aspiring legends, this is our enemy:
It’s doubt, it’s fear, it’s the lack of belief in ourselves.
That’s what we’re fighting against. (Don’t you think it’s true?!) Our enemy is internal and that’s keeping us from playing big and making our mark on life.
Do you know who made a mark on MY life last week? Agnes Roter (that’s right, I’m looking at you Agnes!)
She posted this on LinkedIn (along with a screenshot of the I Have. I Am. I Will. framework from the previous issue):
“Howie shares lessons from recent interviews or reading / research on human psychology. It arrives on Sunday mornings and is a great way to kick off the day…”
It made my day… not because she mentioned Legend Letters, but because my writing made her think differently and encouraged her to take action.
Thank you Agnes! ❤️
(I love to see Legend Letters in the wild, so please remember to tag me if you decide to share something out there.)
See you next Sunday.
Make your mark, live your legend 🤘🏽,
Howie Chan
Creator of Legend Letters
P.S. If you or someone you know is a marketer or strategist working in the Medtech or Healthtech industry, check out Medtech Brand Academy!
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