Lessons from Steve Jobs
What the greatest innovator can teach us
I’m a business student. And my “business role model” is, of course, Steve Jobs. It was after reading the biography of Jobs by Walter Isaacson, that I got to see how brilliant Jobs was in so many aspects. I learnt a lot from the book that will help me in my professional life. And I’d like to share some of those valuable lessons with you all.
Lesson 1: Have vision and aim
The one thing that every striving entrepreneur or anyone looking to achieve success in their professional life must know is to have an aim. You can never go too far without having an aim in life. Whether you’re a student or a working professional, make sure you have an aim that will guide you towards unprecedented levels of success. If I could just encapsulate the aim of Steve Jobs in a single sentence, it would be as Jobs claimed; “To put a dent in the universe.” — And he surely did that. Starting the with the Macintosh to the iPod and iPhone, Jobs made sure that he brought about technological changes that will surely change the world. Imagine a world without Apple. A world without iPhones and iPods. Boring, right? Yeah, Jobs did change the world because he had an aim. Everyone knows what an iPhone, iPad and iPod is. He did put a dent in the universe. So, all of us should have a vision/an aim in life so that we stay on track and hopefully achieve great things.
Lesson 2: Communication skills matter
Steve Jobs was well known for his mesmerizing communication skills back when he was alive. He had the ability to change the minds of people, motivate them, convince them and even manipulate them. He knew what to say at the right time. If you get a chance to read his biography, you’ll see how he made “business deals” that seemed impossible, become possible only through his perfect communication skills. He also gave exceptional presentations. His famous “mesmerizing eye stare” — his ability to look people dead in the eye without even blinking, while talking to them was his way to really get into the minds of people. Communication skills are absolutely essential for every individual in life. So, make sure you work on your communication skills by reading books and watching TED videos etc. Good communication is the trademark of all successful people.
Lesson 3: Persistence
We all face difficulties. We all fail. But most people give up after facing failures and difficulties. That’s not the right thing to do. Steve Jobs during his lifetime faced tons of obstacles from failure as an entrepreneur to personal and health issues. But did he give up? Never. Despite the difficulties in his personal and professional life, he never gave up. Fired from Apple (his own company, so imagine the desolation.). Started another company, NeXT. Failed miserably. Did he feel like stopping there? No. He kept working towards his aims and when he returned back to Apple, he changed the world through his technological innovations. The lesson here for all of us is that you must not stop. Failure must not stop you in any way. If you fail, take it as a lesson and come back even better than before. Persistence leads to success as it is evident from the life of Jobs and many other great business-people.
Conclusion
I would suggest all the business students to make sure they read Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson because there are countless lessons in that book. Whether or not you like Steve Jobs, you can learn a lot from his life as an entrepreneur and innovator. Whoever you consider as your role model in personal and professional life, observe what makes them what they are. Figure our their skills and their abilities that enabled them to achieve success and try to incorporate them in your life. And yes, do what the famous advertising slogan of Apple said, “Think Different”.
