Among the endorsements for the new book, my favorite comes from my friend Jay Baer, co-author of The NOW Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter, and More Social. Jay writes:

Phil Simon sees a forest when the rest of us just see trees. In this compelling mix of research and interpretation, Simon shows how the future of business isn’t just technology, but its tentacles.

High praise from such a smart guy.

Is it just me, or today are the vast majority of books, articles, and blog posts these days are tactical?

Now, there’s nothing wrong with tactical content. Let me repeat that: there’s nothing wrong with being tactical. Not everything written can advance a big idea. Pragmatic business tips are invaluable. Busy consumers and employees today want to know what they need to do–and how they need to do it. I get it.

Raising the Level of Discourse

At the same time, though, we can’t spend every moment in the weeds. I’m a big believer in books that raise the level of discourse beyond the tactical. Books that take it up a notch, such as The Long Tail by Chris Anderson–one of my very favorite texts.

Are there tips in The Age of the Platform that can be implemented immediately? Yes–and a bunch more that will take longer. (You don’t change company culture by writing a memo or email.) But the book is not a how-to guide. In fact, such a book would have been impossible to write.

Explain this to me: How does one provide a list of things to do in building the next Amazon, Apple, Facebook, or Google anyway? I’ve never met Jeff Bezos, but I can’t imagine that he envisioned the Amazon today back in 1994. It evolved because of its platform, ecosystem, and other factors discussed in the book.