Life lessons from Steve Jobs
Would you like to be like Steve Jobs? So many people are sure to instinctively say yes, but there’s a lot we need to explore. While the founder of Apple clearly inspired and in many ways changed the world, I think it came at a cost. To be honest, I don’t think you could behave like him and keep your job in most companies.
We’ll look at the good and the bad bits, so you can learn from them.
A lot of people will remember his Apple events, when he would personally unveil new products. He made them unmissable. The launch of the iPhone stands out for me, where he initially presented it as three revolutionary products. This lead to an unforgettable moment where he revealed it was all on one device.
This had to be his masterpiece. This was among huge successes and some very public failures.
The short version of his story is that he co-founds Apple from very humble origins. A garage to be precise. He is then very publicly ‘booted out’ in the mid 80s before going on to grow Pixar and another tech startup, NeXT.
Like the plot of a movie, a struggling Apple aquired NeXT. He soon works his way back to CEO and begins what many consider the greatest second act in business. This leads us to the Apple we see today and iconic products like the iMac, iPod and iPhone. He also played a big part in changing the music business with the launch of iTunes.
It can be hard to get a true read of Steve Jobs. His post-college dropout years gained him a reputation as something of a free spirit who appeared to reject material things. This even lead to him being described as a ‘billion-dollar hippie’. This is of course contrasted by the accounts of self-centred and ruthless behaviour, that seem a lot more in-line with the CEO of a major tech brand.
There have been well-documented feuds, outbursts and an unforgettable response to a clear design flaw in the iPhone 4, when he told people they were holding it wrong.
My interest was really peaked when I read the book, Becoming Steve Jobs by Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli. I found it fascinating, as it explored both the good and the bad sides. More importantly, I picked up a sense of frustration from Steve Jobs himself in regards to his behaviour.
I found it all fascinating, which is why I really want to explore it all here. These are the life lessons I think we can learn from Steve Jobs.
Inspire people
I don’t think you could have listened to Steve Jobs speak without coming away inspired.
He hooked me in 2005, when he announced the Mac mini and the iPod Shuffle. During this keynote speech at the MacWold event, he unveiled these two breakthrough products with his usual passion and persuasion.
Since then, I’ve been firmly entrenched in the Apple ecosystem and have always followed them closely. He had a lot to do with that.
He could work an audience. At Apple events, he would simply get up and speak. Just him, some slides and the products. He would always make the headlines soon afterwards though and his message would reach the world. He would get you interested and excited.
While there were some misses early on, such as the long introduction to the ill-fated iPod Hi-Fi and the time he allowed the face of Bill Gates to tower above him on a screen while announcing the ‘Microsoft deal’, we have a lot of unforgettable performances to look back on. Masterclasses in public speaking and presentation.
As I’ve said, just watch him unveil the iPhone to see what’s so special. The launch of the iPad, MacBook Air and the switch to Intel processors in 2005 also stand out.
I think the fact that so many presenters, from companies like Samsung and Microsoft, have tried so hard to emulate this but never came close says so much. Even Tim Cook has taken great care to do his own thing.
Those around Steve Jobs described how it was like a reality distortion field around him. He believed and he made others feel the same way. The teams he lead would be inspired. His passion wasn’t restricted to the stage.
He would communicate the vision and make everyone deeply care about the work.
An important lesson Steve Jobs has taught me about speaking to an audience is that while these performances looked spontaneous and fresh, they were carefully rehearsed. Everything was planned and considered.
For me, this means taking time to hone your craft. Planning everything carefully and doing as much rehearsal as possible.
It also highlights the importance of being positive and working to inspire people. Passion and enthusiasm really make a difference.
Strive for perfection
When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 2007, things weren’t going well. I think it can be summed up as having too many average products in the market. From that point on, his strategy focussed on reducing the range and making everything magical.
His approach and his collaborations with designer Jony Ive changed the game and made Apple what it is today.
They would obsess over every detail. Take walks in the evening discussing ways forward and pushing teams to get closer to perfection. Always resisting compromise.
There are a lot of stories. One I always look back on was when he reportedly threw an iPod prototype in a fish tank. He then remarked to the design team that the bubbles and the fact it floated meant there was empty space inside. Something they needed to fix.
There’s another famous story of an iPhone prototype getting scratched in his pocket. Despite being close to launch, he made the decision to introduce chemically strengthened ‘Gorilla Glass’ to address this. This was a major problem and his then head of operations, Tim Cook made it clear it was likely to be impossible.
He didn’t take no for answer, Tim Cook delivered and the rest is history. I’ve heard this time referred to as “months of sheer terror” to make the “hail Mary” work though.
I think we can all learn something from this. For me, it’s about channeling that passion to be better. To keep working. There are so many examples of people settling in the world around us.
We also see examples of people appearing to only focus on what we covered in the previous section. To passionately promote the average. Worse still, I also see a lot of people promoting things they surely know don’t work or would be of little use to anyone.
Steve Job showed us the importance of creating something amazing and then passionately telling the world about it. Focussing on something beyond money and making a difference.
As I write this, I actually have the original iPhone on my desk on a stand. It’s my reminder to keep working to improve. Be authentic and do it right.
Respect people
That reality distortion field we spoke about wasn’t always a good thing. I think it’s safe to say Steve Jobs lived by own set of rules, personally and professionally.
Just picking up on a couple of things we’ve explored highlights this. Throwing an iPod prototype into a fish tank may have revealed excess space, but just think how that would have felt to someone who had put so much effort into creating it.
Imagine not being able to make calls on that expensive smartphone you just brought and simply being told it’s your fault.
The one that really got me was when he attempted to justify the exclusion of a physical drive on the new MacBook Air in 2008. He literally told people that they could just buy their movies again on iTunes. That was his solution.
Another thing that stands out for me are the reports of him parking his Mercedes in disabled bays at Apple headquarters.
It’s his interactions with people that I’d like to explore though. He rarely held back and to put it mildly, was very direct. After reading Becoming Steve Jobs though, its clear that this was something that impacted him, and he found it very difficult.
We see frustrations. An awareness that his need to let people know exactly what he thought of them was a problem. One he really struggled with.
There were also famous feuds. I remember him declaring he was ‘willing to go thermonuclear war’ with Google after he asserted that Android was a ‘stolen product’. He also clashed with the musician Neil Young over his criticism of iTunes. He clearly took this personally, particularly when we angrily rejected a ‘peace offering’ of his remastered vinyls.
For me, all of this points to the flip side of all that passion and striving for perfection. There are also countless reports of him claiming credit for group projects and workers at Pixar have expressed their unease about his reluctance to share profits.
I think it’s safe to say that Steve Jobs would never have been able to succeed in an environment where he was accountable. Where he was not the boss.
I think it’s important to consider the true cost of success. In his personal life, he refused to acknowlage his own daughter for years. That reality distortion did not appear to stop at the office.
We have to think carefully about this. When we’ve gone beyond the point where we’re challenged, it’s up to us to drawn the line. I think behaviour like this could easy be seen as bullying.
We need to consider the example we’re setting. At home and at work.
I hope this has been helpful. This one was important to me, because I’ve seen so many people try to emulate behaviours that just aren’t acceptable.
I think the key to all of this is finding balance.
The one part of his life that I often ponder is his obsession with work towards the end of his life. Although he was very ill, he was still very much involved with what was happening at Apple, in particular the ongoing development of the iPad.
It reminded me of the final days of Freddy Mercury, when he also threw himself into his work. Both of them had considerable fortunes, but the work appeared to provide meaning.
I’ll let you think about that.