BOOK REVIEW — STEVE JOBS by Walter Isaacson – A must Read for Entrepreneurs !
“You should never start a company with the goal of getting rich. Your goal should be making something you believe in and making a company that will last.” — Steve Jobs
Inspiring!!
Yes, that’s the word for it. Right from how the book came to be to the legacies of all that Steve Jobs created for the world. It gets to you like fiction, “A Life” couldn’t be documented better! Considering the vastness it’s hard to come down to demarcations. Here are the major learnings I absorbed from the book.
Unwavering Confidence
Steve Jobs was very specific about the author who would curate his Biography. It’s interesting how he approached Walter Issacson years before his most phenomenal products were launched. And yes, Issacson did decline at that point. Considering Issacson’s lineage of biographies, he did not seem to believe that Mr Jobs fit there. But Steve Jobs knew where he ought to be in the world !
Early Life Influences
The account begins with orphaned Steve and his way into the lives of Paul and Clara Jobs. The influence of childhood in one’s life is evident throughout the book. His childhood, his fascinations and the persistence stayed with him till his last breath. About early influences from his father; Steve says “ He even cared for the look of parts you couldn’t see”. A trait that Steve brought into Apple and everyplace else he worked at. His obsession with perfection started way back in the day. The coincidence of his residence being at the Silicon Valley highlights some of the chance endeavours that would never have otherwise happened. Steve Jobs discovered his purpose quite early in life: “To stand at the intersection of humanities and sciences” and that’s what he always did!
Another interesting aspect is how Issacson goes into intricacies of why Steve probably behaved the way he did. The harsh truth of Steve’s abandonment way early in life and how it influenced every facet of his life is intriguing. The book does not try to hide and glorify Steve for what he is not. It is in many ways a candid account, with not only the author’s/Steve’s perspective of who Steve Jobs was, but of all the people that influenced him, worked and lived with him.
Reality Distortion Field
This is a term referred to in the book at multiple instances. Steve Jobs did not believe in “limitations”. Steve had an indomitable will and he tried to bend the reality to fit it into what he wanted. He would, in fact, convince others around him that his internal reality was the actual reality. This interesting aspect about him would result in phenomenal products like the iMac,iPod, iPhone, iPad and the list continues. But this did fail him in certain instances as well, like in the making of “Lisa” or when he refused to acknowledge his Cancer. But Steve’s failures never diminished the intensity of his reality distortion field. The author brings both the sides of this character to light throughout the account.
Master Salesman
In Steve’s encounter with Woz on their shared interests lies the “learning” on how Steve found opportunities in niches where others did not and sold them on it. Woz was a mastermind but if not for Steve’s persuasion, he would have gone undiscovered and we wouldn’t have “Apple” today.
The persistence which made Apple what it is today was a part of Steve Jobs from Day 1. The importance of being able to Sell is critical for any business to survive and Jobs was a master at the trade early on. He knew how to get other people to agree. Of course, there have been instances when he took this to extremism and it failed. But he knew how to connect to people. Throughout the book are interesting instances of successful selling. Be it creating a buying experience, pricing his products, launching his products or selling ideas to collaborate. Steve always almost won.
Perfectionism
Well, this part is well known to everyone. This is even evident in how his biography appears. It’s striking compared to other book covers. The author even talks about how Steve was very specific during the whole process.
Steve Jobs always believed in flawless products. This is fairly evident in the seamless design and user experience of Apple products. Steve Jobs wanted to control every tiny detail from the chips to the tiny bolts. He also believed in everything being integrated and did not want people to alter it.
He wanted to create the BEST. And he almost always did!
But his hunger for perfectionism did backfire when he tried to ignore certain details which were relevant like in the case of iPhone 4 which had antenna related issues due to its less accommodating design. It’s interesting to understand the positive and negative facets of everything that defined Steve Jobs. There is a lot to learn and ponder upon.
Learning From Mistakes
The life of Steve Jobs was not free from mistakes. In fact, it was filled with it. But what’s important is that he decided not to fallback and moved ahead with the learning. His life took the biggest hit when he was ousted from Apple. But instead of falling back, he went ahead to build the next best things. He continued making mistakes all along the way. But somewhere along the way he also achieved big with his conviction in what he did. The most notable one being his achievements at Pixar. It’s interesting to learn about this phase of his life. The author has captured the agony, frustration and the taste of sweet success as well.
The author also covers the mistakes Steve often made in his personal life. The lack of balance was evident throughout his life. Especially, his regrets about the way he treated his parents and also Lisa.
Value Creation
Steve Jobs knew what people wanted even before they knew what they wanted. As he wished for when he was a kid, he succeeded in conquering the intersection of humanities and sciences. Imagine a world without Personal Computers, a world where you still used the command line in computers, a world where your phone did not have an app store and the list goes on. More than anything, Steve Jobs added value to the lives of millions. He genuinely believed in what he did and beyond everything loved what he did. Hence, he stepped beyond the Realm of Possibility. This is perhaps the most important lesson to draw from this account.
The book is filled with infinite nuances which serve as learnings for young entrepreneurs like us. It is relatable and written in a rather gripping manner. For all of us who seek to change the world, it is a must-read!
