This narrative was written in an American journal and later on made its way into a book on how Steve Jobs designed and deliver his Apple presentation written by Carmine Gallo.
“A picture is the most powerful method for
conveying an idea. Instead of booting up your computer, take out a napkin. Some
of the most successful business ideas have been sketched on the back of a
napkin. One could argue that the napkin has been more important to the world of
business ideas than PowerPoint. I used to think that “napkin stories” were just
that—stories, from the imagination of journalists. That is until I met Richard
Tait, the founder of Cranium. I prepared him for an interview on CNBC. He told
me that during a cross-country flight from New York to Seattle, he took out a
small cocktail napkin and sketched the idea of a board game in which everyone
had a chance to excel in at least one category, a game that would give everyone
a chance to shine. Cranium became a worldwide sensation and was later purchased
by Hasbro. The original concept was simple enough to write on a tiny airline
napkin. One of the most famous corporate napkin stories involves Southwest
Airlines. A lawyer at the time, Herb Kelleher met with one of his clients,
Rollin King, at the St. Anthony’s Club, in San Antonio. King owned a small
charter airline. He wanted to start a low-cost commuter airline that avoided
the major hubs and instead served Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. King
sketched three circles, wrote the names of the cities inside, and connected the
three—a strikingly simple vision. Kelleher understood immediately. Kelleher
signed on as legal counsel (he later became CEO), and the two men founded
Southwest Airlines in 1967. King and Kelleher would go on to reinvent airline
travel in the United States and build a corporate culture that would earn
Southwest’s place among the most admired companies in the world. Never
underestimate the power of a vision so simple that it can fit on a napkin”!
