Last week-end, I went shopping and decided to buy an iPad. There are many outlets within the mall I was at where I could purchase this device; but since there was an Apple Store nearby, I decided on it.

It appears that I wasn’t the only person with the same idea…because when I got there, the place was jammed. But here is the silver lining: despite being crowded, there was room to move about, there were three tables dedicated to the “consumer touch” experience with ten devices at each table (each loaded with a bevy of apps) and better yet, a representative to greet and help me no more than 30-seconds after entering the store. She was pleasant, knowledgeable about her products and efficient in her delivery of service; she answered everyone one of my questions to my satisfaction (and I have a tendency to ask a lot).

This totally satisfying shopping experience is a testament of a company’s passion for what it does; right down to the clever way in which the sales person rang-up my iPad sale (accompanied by a tag-on purchase of iPhone and iPod ear buds) on her handy iPod and reached under one of the three experiential counters to instantly retrieve my receipt – I never even had to move. In this case, passion brought about excellence that was manifested across the retail value chain; in the form of:

• Innovative products
• Innovative displays
• Innovative “consumer touch” experience
• Innovative customer service
• Innovative transaction processes

Now I’m not one of these Apple fanatics that wears the brand on my sleeve; in fact, the first Apple product that I ever bought was an iPod for my wife two years ago. I don’t  need the product for street cred or to feel satisfied – I bought the iPad so my kids could experience another technology that promises to be relevant into their adult years.

The point here is that the experience was so good that it was noticeable. That’s hard to do with today’s picky customer. But Apple pulled it off because they have passion for everything Apple. Passion to innovate across the organizational spectrum is key to drive performance to new heights – it must permeate your very culture so that it’s a feeling, rather than a thing. And you can get started on that today, if you dare position the organization to accept that challenge and respond as promised.