Wow! Like everyone else, I’ve always been impressed with his work, but never really spent time studying Steve Jobs. That was until last night when I went online to see what kind of management videos are out there. What I found were a multitude of Steve Jobs interviews from the 1980’s through his recent death in 2011. I watched as many of them as I could find. He was amazing, both impressive and inspirational. I never realized how much of an impact he had on my life, but upon reflection, he did…he really did. And last night, his words truly resonated with me.
Not to date myself, but I was in high school when the Apple IIe came into the classroom for the first time. I always considered myself very fortunate to be part of the generation X clan. We learned how to use the apple computer as the world did. I loved it, stuck with it through college and even into my profession as I worked in marketing and graphic design at the start of my career. What I loved about that time was that you needed to understand everything about the computer in order to get full use out of it..and its use was endless. There were no rules, because it was new. There were no constraints, because the interface allowed you to imagine instead of remember program codes. The Apple computer…aka Steve Jobs…established my generation as doers. Every day there was a little more that could be done with this great tool but you had to get into it yourself to figure it out and be creative. You couldn’t dictate to others, you needed to be hands-on because it was new and so much fun!…I loved it so much I even volunteered my time in the college computer lab to help others take full advantage of the technology. It was night and day. One side of the lab was lined with PC’s, the other with MAC’s and it was amazing to me that anyone would actually choose a PC if a MAC was available. (Of course I did my part to convert as many as possible). When I looked at this box that Steve Jobs created for me, I was limitless, and that shaped the way I looked at life and the way I managed my professional career.
I am fortunate, and blessed to have had opportunities that were rich in experience and success. Whether it be in marketing, product development, international management, general management, managing business turnarounds or my daily interaction with colleagues, innovation was ALWAYS my mode of working. There were never rules to follow, instead, there were investigations to conduct. The more I could figure out about any given situation, the better I could develop a unique approach to solve problems, generate ideas and teach new ways to move forward. I have said many MANY times throughout my career that I believe my philosophy and hands on approach to life and business is based on the fact that I grew up at the beginning of the computer revolution….but what I never knew, until last night…was that I was right. I never imagined that Steve Jobs himself had a vision to open our minds this way. He impacted the world.
As a summary of all the video’s I viewed, here are just a few concepts that stood out the most:
- The world we live in was created by people that are no smarter than you or I, so don’t assume there is a best way of doing anything. Make your own decisions and come up with your own ideas. You can lead others and expose them to a better way of doing things.
- Be creative in everything you do. Including managing others. There should be no restrictions on the way things are structured. Structure and accountability are good things, but the way you structure things should be generated by the results you are trying to achieve. Don’t feel you need to implement a certain hierarchy, or use traditional job titles, etc… Look at the result you are trying to achieve and work back to a structure that best supports it. Don’t forget to assign accountability. Management by committee & matrix organizations often reduce a company’s ability to be creative and get things done.
- Listen to your customer and work backward. Don’t spend your time trying to explain why your product is so great and everyone should buy it. Instead, create a product or service that satisfies the needs & desires of your target customer and enhance it with value that takes it one step further.
- Be hands-on and involved in your work, as well as your overall business. Creating an environment where people can learn from you, and you want to learn from them, rewards everyone.
Steve Jobs intended to create an environment where people changed their approach to thinking, and as a result, he created mine. It has been with me since the Apple IIe (and yes I am still a MAC owner). I think in many ways it helped me shape the start of ManagingAmericans.com by providing new ways of approaching career growth and helping people succeed. Just like my approach to business, I believe that there should be a unique approach to professional development. I want to create tools that allow people to be innovative in their careers, be accountable for their approach to leadership, management and their individual contributions. Not be told by others what their limits are, but create a more hands on approach to understanding the big picture and the impact they can have by doing things differently while helping others add value along the way.
I think he summed it up best in a 1995 “Secrets of Life” interview conducted by the Santa Clara Valley Historical Association. “The minute that you understand that you can poke life, and if you push in, something will pop out the other side, that you can change it, you can mold it…that’s maybe the most important thing. Is to shake off this erroneous notion that life is there and you’re just going to live in it, verses embrace it, change it, improve it, make your mark upon it. I think that’s very important, and however you learn it, once you learn it, you’ll want to change life and make it better because it’s kind of messed up in a lot of ways. Once you learn that, you will never be the same again.” – Steve Jobs
You can view the interview here www.SiliconValleyHistorical.org.
How has Steve Jobs shaped your life? What about other thought leaders? I would love to hear your story.
Good luck!
Written by Lisa Woods, President & CEO ManagingAmericans.com
Lisa is a successful entrepreneur, world-class marketing strategist, dynamic business leader & author with more than 20 years experience leading, managing and driving growth in the corporate world. Today she provides Management Tools, Do-It-Yourself Training, and Business Assessments for small to mid size companies, Lisa utilizes her experience with integration techniques, organizational and cultural overhauls, financial turnarounds and strategic revitalization to help other companies succeed. Closing the gap between strategy and hierarchy through the use of effective communication skills, Lisa's techniques successfully develop employees into exceptional leaders, results driven managers and passionate team contributors that collectively exceed objectives.
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