Steve Jobs is one of the most recognizable visionaries of the modern era, and his lessons extend well beyond Silicon Valley. Here are four of his lessons that have most impacted my life and business the most, and I hope they will impact yours in a positive way as well.
Lesson #1: Love What You Do
Do you love what you’re doing, or are you just doing it for the money?
Every single day for more than three decades, Steve would stand in front of the mirror and ask himself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I still do what I’ll be doing today?”
And whenever the answer was “No” for several days in a row, Steve would know that he needed to change something.
Now, you might feel “trapped” in your current working situation. That’s fine – change naturally takes time, especially positive change. But it’s important to know, as early as possible, what you love to do.
Lesson #2: Build Around Your Customers
This is a lesson most businessmen and entrepreneurs keep forgetting.
Steve once said, “You got to start with the customer experience, and then work backward to the technology needed.”
As much as you might love what you’re doing, it’s important to remember that your customers are your lifeblood. The more you meet their needs, the bigger the impact you’ll make on the world, and the more successful your endeavors will be.
Lesson #3: Choose the Right People
Steve also had his insights on which people made the best managers. As Apple grew, Steve decided to hire professional managers. It was a disaster because those managers knew how to manage, but not much else. And the people they managed did not feel empowered one bit.
Steve then made the conclusion:
“The best managers are the best individual contributors who DON’T ever want to be managers, but end up becoming managers because it’s needed, and there’s no one else up for the task.”
Lesson #4: Hold Fast to What’s Most Important
Steve’s 2005 commencement speech in Stanford is one of the most inspiring I’ve ever heard in my life. One particular lesson stuck out to me the most: It’s about avoiding the trap of thinking you have something to lose.
Steve’s lesson goes this way:
1. Pride, fear, embarrassment, failure—all of that flies away in the face of death, leaving only what’s most important.
2. Keep remembering you’ll be dead soon. There’s no reason not to follow your heart.
3. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.
So take a moment, and compare your life’s work against these four lessons. What can (or should) you change?
Write them down, and may they effect positive changes in your life and business in the years to come.
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Photo: Getty Images
YouTube: Evan Carmichael