Love Is the Killer App

January 21, 2002
Remember when the online biz was the playground of the business world? Yahoo! exec Sanders does, and with a vengeful nostalgia. In his almost dementedly excited book on how to get ahead in business by being loveable and smart, Sanders beats the drum of the New Economy louder and more happily than just about anyone out there. The "Big Statement" here—Sanders is a proponent of reading as much as possible and boiling it down to an essential Big Statement—is that a kill-or-be-killed mentality won't get you far in today's business environment. Better to spread love, by connecting with people, giving out advice, using every available moment to increase your knowledge and being a "lovecat." It's hard not to get swept up by the rose-colored glow of this gleaming "bizlove" philosophy, where people are excited to come to work and where they give out hugs and encouragement to everyone they come across. But being a lovecat, Sanders emphasizes, does not mean being a sucker. Naturally, as with most hype, the relentlessly upbeat narrative leads to some ridiculous overgeneralizations, like "during the Depression people worried about survival. Today the affluent worry about whether or not they are going to have a good experience." Sanders also vastly overestimates the availability of choice in today's job market, saying that if your boss isn't reciprocating your love, just get a new job ("A fresh start is a mouse click away"). These lapses aside, he is convincing. Cynics will argue that a sheep in a pack of wolves will simply be eaten, but a sheep armed with Sanders's brand of intelligent enthusiasm will more likely charm the wolves into submission.