“There will never be another Steve Jobs. We can’t be the special person he was. We are who we are and just have to appreciate how great he was”, said Larry Ellison, a close friend of Steve Jobs (1955 – 2011).
Steve Jobs continues to be an inspiring figure even after his death. He is a visionary of the digital world; he introduced “art” to technology.
Not everyone can be Steve Jobs but we can certainly be inspired by his thoughts and beliefs, and try to inculcate them in our lives.
So, what are the life lessons from Steve Jobs?
#1 Money is overvalued.
“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t’ matter to me…Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful…that’s what matters to me.”
Money should not influence innovation. Yes, it plays a role but money shouldn’t be the overarching factor. When Apple was innovating Mac, IBM was spending hundred times more in their R&D than Apple. It’s all about how people are motivated to work and produce fantastic results.
#2 College is important but not necessary.
“If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts.”
Steve Jobs says that college is important but one can certainly do without it. Higher education gives us the connections and problem-solving abilities but both these can be found outside the purview of higher education.
Still, Steve Jobs credits the course he did in calligraphy for the stylish aspects of Mac. He didn’t want to drain his parent’s savings; therefore, he dropped out of Reed University in 1975. He co-founded Apple Computer the same year.
#3 Fake it till you make it.
I know this sound ominous but take it sportingly. Early on, Steve Jobs realized that Palo Alto, California is going to be the center of computer innovation and he wanted Apple to be associated with this place even though he didn’t have the means to hire a space there.
Instead, he setup a PO Box in Palo Alto along with voice answering services. Any potential client would get the impression that Apple is located in Silicon Valley, even though Apple was still functioning out of a garage.
#4 Always have a purpose.
“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”
Steve Jobs internalized the teachings of Buddha. He began practicing Buddhism in the 1970’s and believed that we become what we think. The result is for everyone to see.
#5 Take failures in your stride.
“I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.”
Steve Jobs was fired from Apple in 1984. As he says, getting fired was perhaps the best thing that happened to him. He entered into one of the best creative periods of his life.
What we should learn is that failure is a part of our life. Our fear of failure stops us from going forward. We should, instead, take it in our stride and stomp forward.
#6 Embrace the unknown.
The true test of leadership is to embrace the unknown. Steve Jobs knew that the introduction of iPhone into the market will eat away the market value of iPod but still, he took the risk and the rest is history.
#7 Strive for perfection.
Steve Jobs is known as a perfectionist, to the extent that it would rile up the employees. There have been instances of Jobs changing things at the last moment to strive for perfection.
For instance, before the iPod launch, all the headphone jacks were replaced to make it more ‘clicky’. Similarly, before the opening of the first Apple store, he stripped off all the tiles and had them replaced!
#8 Small teams work better.
Steve Jobs preferred working with small teams because it led to better productivity and members came to work without any pre-conceived notions.
In The 10 Commandments of Steve, by Leaner Kahney, it is said that the original Mac team had only 100 members. Whenever the number reached 101, the team was reshuffled. Also, it is believed that Steve could only remember 100 names at a time!
#9 Lead your life the way you want.
“If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a arrow, I know I need to change something.”
Steve Jobs led his life on his own terms. He loved what he did. Unless you have passion for your work or skill, it will feel like living in a prison; daily life will become unbearable.
Endnote
Steve Jobs passed away at 56 but his legacy will continue to live on. Imbibe the life lessons from Steve Jobs in your own life and see the change.
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