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The impact of Steve Jobs on your life cannot be underestimated. His innovations have probably touched almost every aspect – computers, movies, music and mobiles. As a communications coach, I learned from Jobs that a presentation can really inspire. For entrepreneurs, Jobs’ greatest legacy is the set of principles that drove his success.
Over the years, I have become a student of Jobs’s career and life. Here’s my take on the rules and values that underpin their success. Any of us can adopt these to bring out our “inner Steve Jobs”.
1. Do what you love. Jobs once said, “People with passion can change the world for the better.” When asked about advice he would give to would-be entrepreneurs, he said, “Until I figure out what I’m really passionate about, I’ll get a job as a busboy or something.” How much it meant to him. Passion is everything.
2. Make a dent in the universe. Jobs believed in the power of foresight. He once asked John Sculley, then-Pepsi president, “Do you want to spend your life selling sugar water or do you want to change the world?” Don’t lose sight of the bigger perspective.
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3. Build relationships. Jobs once said that creativity is connecting things. What he meant was that people with extensive life experience can often see things that others cannot. He took calligraphy classes that had no practical use in his life – until he created the Macintosh. Jobs traveled to India and Asia. He studied design and hospitality. Don’t live in a bubble. Combine ideas from different areas.
4. Say no to 1,000 things. Jobs was as proud of what Apple decided not to do as he was of what Apple did do. When he returned to Apple in 1997, he took a company with 350 products and reduced them to 10 products over a period of two years. Why? So he could have an “A-team” on each product. Who are you saying “no” to?
5. Create wildly different experiences. Jobs also sought innovation in the customer-service experience. When he first came up with the concept for Apple Stores, he said they would be different because the stores would enrich lives rather than just move boxes. The experience you have when you visit an Apple Store is intended to enrich your life and create an emotional connection between you and the Apple brand. What are you doing to enrich the lives of your customers?
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6. Master the message. You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you can’t communicate your ideas, it won’t matter. Jobs was the world’s greatest corporate storyteller. Instead of just giving a presentation like most people, he informed, educated, inspired, and entertained all in one presentation.
7. Sell dreams, not products. Jobs captured our imagination because he really understood his customer. He knew that if tablets were too complex they would not capture our imaginations. outcome? A button on the front of the iPad. It is so simple that even a 2 year old child can use it. Your customers don’t care about your product. They care about themselves, their hopes, their ambitions. Jobs taught us that if you help your customers reach their dreams, you will win their hearts.
I think one story sums up Jobs’ career at Apple. An executive who had the task of reestablishing the Disney Store once called Jobs and asked for advice. his advice? shoot for the stars. I think that’s the best advice he can leave us with. See the genius in your madness, believe in yourself, believe in your vision and be constantly ready to defend those ideas.
RELATED: Remembering Apple’s Steve Jobs
The impact of Steve Jobs on your life cannot be underestimated. His innovations have probably touched almost every aspect – computers, movies, music and mobiles. As a communications coach, I learned from Jobs that a presentation can really inspire. For entrepreneurs, Jobs’ greatest legacy is the set of principles that drove his success.
Over the years, I have become a student of Jobs’s career and life. Here’s my take on the rules and values that underpin their success. Any of us can adopt them to bring out our “inner Steve Jobs”.
1. Do what you love. Jobs once said, “People with passion can change the world for the better.” When asked about advice he would give to would-be entrepreneurs, he said, “Until I figure out what I’m really passionate about, I’ll get a job as a busboy or something.” How much it meant to him. Passion is everything.
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