Each generation gets only a few icons – people who change industries, shape the future of business and economies, create something from nothing except their own brilliant minds and from listening to and recognizing the brilliance of those around them. In all the media coverage of Steve Jobs so far, I’m struck by the analysis of those who knew him related to his leadership, fearlessness and vision – those qualities seemingly remote within most companies today.
Walter Mossberg said in today’s Wall Street Journal about Jobs, “He did what a CEO should. He hired and inspired great people; managed for the long term, not the quarter or the short-term stock price; made big bets and took big risks. he insisted on the highest product quality and on building things to delight and empower actual users…”
Maybe it’s best summed up by this quote from Mr. Jobs himself, at his now widely aired 2005 commencement address:
"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life… Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.”
Many of you probably have also learned from Steve Jobs, or maybe you were fortunate to know and work with him. Please share. We are, after all, experiencing a historic milestone.
Learn more:
The Steve Jobs Way: iLeadership for a New Generation by Jay Elliot, William L Simon, Vanguard Press, March 2011)
The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs: Insanely Different Principles for Breakthrough Success (by Carmine Gallo, The McGraw-Hill Companies, September 2010)
The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience (by Carmine Gallo, The McGraw-Hill Companies, September 2009)