Steve Jobs’ Top 10 Lessons

A recent article from Forbes.com author Eric Jackson highlights the top ten lessons that the late Steve Jobs donned upon the business world. Jobs supplied 35 years worth of successful business knowledge and has left his mark not only on the market, but on the world. Despite his greatness, Jobs was merely a man. Unlike other men, Jobs left a legacy that will span over years to come.

The top ten lessons Jobs left behind include:

1. The most enduring innovations marry art and science.

What made Apple such a thriving success? To Jobs, it was the attempt to marry art and science. Did you know that the original Mac team had degrees varying from anthropology to poetry? This symmetry between art and science has always been what makes Apple stand out from other comparable products. 

2. To create the future, you can’t do it through focus groups.

They teach you in college marketing classes that focus groups are one of the proven ways to test a new product of service, one of the noted ways to actively listen to your consumer. Jobs disagreed. How can a consumer know what he or she wants if they’ve never seen or touched it before? No one knew what an iPhone was in the beginning, and now just about everyone has one or has at least seen one – now it’s a must-have item because Jobs trusted what his company was producing.

3. Never fear failure.

Jobs was fired by his chosen successor – talk about embarrassing! He didn’t retreat into hiding after the public embarrassment, he forged ahead, focusing on his passion. He was later diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and that didn’t stop him either.

4. You can’t connect the dots forward – only backward.

As often as you try to plan your life in advance, there will always be something unpredictable. Even moments that appear to be bitter defeat and utter anguish, something will rise from the ashes. Never become too attached to what your think your life should be like, have faith that the dots will connect in the future.

5. Listen to that voice in the back of your head that tells you if you’re on the right track or not.

People often ignore the little voice in their heads that tells them when something is right or wrong. “Whatever your voice is telling you, you would be smart to listen to it. Even if it tells you to quit your job, or move to China, or leave your partner.”

6. Expect a lot from  yourself and others.

Jobs was often referred to as a perfectionist – sometimes hard on his staff, sometimes called a control freak. From another perspective, he was arm-in-arm with his passion and he cared about how things were being executed. He gave his best, and he wanted the best from each and every one of his employees. Giving his best was a great example and motivation for his employees.

7. Don’t care about being right. Care about succeeding.

Jobs was quoted saying this after he was fired from Apple. His notion was that if someone has an idea and you can do it better, do it! An idea is simply an idea until it is executed perfectly.

8. Find the most talented people to surround yourself with.

Steve Jobs is not Apple. Apple is not Steve Jobs. Everyone involved in and employed by Apple is a piece of that overall masterpiece. Jobs surrounded himself with top-talent, and he did so intentionally. After Jobs left Apple, the stock didn’t decrease in value which speaks volumes about the value of the team.

9. Stay hungry, stay foolish.

This line comes from Jobs’ 2005 Stanford commencement speech. “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.”

10. Anything is possible through hard work, determination, and a sense of vision.

Jobs was a father, a husband, a friend. Not to mention he’s the father of the modern computer – but at the end of the day, he was simply a man. Following the guidelines above will help to steer you in the path of success.

To read the full article, click here.


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