By Joseph J. Bucci ——Bio and Archives--July 28, 2025

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Jobs had started another computer company after leaving Apple, and its innovative technologies were an attractive addition to Apple, which acquired the company in 1996 and added Jobs to its Board of Directors. Jobs quickly consolidated power and returned to the CEO role one year later (Hormby, 2013).

Jobs overhauled the organization’s product offerings as well as its marketing communication (West, 2024). He simplified the product range, eliminating 70% of the products and focusing on the remaining 30%. He also invited back Chiat/Day, an Ad Agency which whom he had previously worked. In their brainstorming about how to re-energize the tarnished perception of Apple, Lee Clow came up with the famous “Think Different” slogan (Hormby, 2013). Part of the campaign included black-and-white posters and commercials of iconic personalities, known innovators and distinctive thinkers who had a tremendous impact on the industries in which they operated, as well as on the culture. The marketing campaign had a tremendous impact on Apple’s future, as well as the audiences that connected with this concept (West, 2024).

Thinking different is not an option in business, it is a necessity. Almost 20% of students who graduate from colleges and universities in the United States graduate with degrees in business (NCES, 2023). The reason I know this is that I teach Business for a living. It’s also important for me to know, because we have a small but unique school population. I want to do everything I can to get our students to stand out when they are applying for jobs or being interviewed for opportunities.

We make it part of our approach to encourage our students to think differently about business. We believe it helps them gain an advantage in their discipline. We also teach them to approach problems as opportunities to think differently about solutions. One of the most important things that any employee can do is to think differently than everyone else. If you have a group of people in a room that all think the same, most of them are not necessary.

Hans Finzel writes about people who think different – he calls them ‘mavericks’ – in his book, “Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make” (1994). Finzel notes that most leaders struggle with having people in their employ who think and act differently than they do. Yet it is these ‘mavericks’ who are not necessarily attitude problems but opportunities for leaders to perceive things from a different vantage point when........

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