Lessons from the Life of Steve Jobs

A leader, an innovator, a mover, a changer, a designer, a marketer, a visionary…these are just some of the many words and phrases that come to mind when I think of Apple’s former CEO who passed away on October 5, 2011.

Jobs was truly an inspiration to me as an individual. There are many lessons you can learn from him. In a recent talk I gave on leadership, I said, “Steve Job’s most impressive accomplishment was not the iMac or the iPhone or the iPad. His single most impressive achievement was his ability to cast a vision and bring a team of individuals from designers to thought leaders, engineers to marketers together to achieve that vision and create products that have revolutionized technology.”

One of my goals was to always sit down and meet with Steve Jobs, but unfortunately, I will not have that opportunity in this lifetime. From seeing Steve Jobs represent Apple over the years, I have come to the conclusion that these three lessons can be learned from Steve Jobs’ life.

3 Lessons from Steve Jobs

1. Never think too small. Time and time again, we saw Steve Jobs stand on the stage in Cupertino, California and blow people away with revolutionary breakthroughs in technology. Steve Jobs didn’t get caught up in what he had in front of him today, he thought of the future.
2. Never act alone. Steve Jobs was a leader and innovator that relied heavily on a hand-crafted team of experts. Leaders never act alone, they surround themselves with people who have gone ahead of them (mentors/coaches), people who can run alongside them and keep them accountable and finally, people who are a few steps behind them that they can share their experiences with.
3. Never give up. Whether it was the constant battle with Microsoft for the top of the computer industry or his battle with pancreatic cancer starting in 2004, Steve Jobs never once gave up. He continued to dream and continued to cast a vision for others to follow.