success

Lessons from Steve Jobs

by Michael on August 24, 2011 · 0 comments

Steve Jobs, proud papa of the iPad.

Today was a sad, although not unanticipated, day for anyone appreciative of technology and its role in our lives: Apple Computer founder Steve Jobs has resigned as CEO:

“I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.”

You don’t need me to recount the changes in our society Apple has been responsible for. The company revolutionized home computing in the ’80s with the original Mac. After his return in 1997, Jobs and the company he founded simply owned the 2000s, and have moved the world forward immeasurably. From the iMac to the iPod, the iPhone and now the iPad, Apple recognized needs and then filled them in ways most technology companies simply hadn’t thought of (but were always quick to both copy and build on, from Windows to Android).

He made his company’s stock the poster child for coveted investments, and even started a side venture that has created some of the most beloved animated films of all time. He was a workaholic, sent often terse responses to e-mails from customers and may be one of the most famous examples of a control freak since the days of kings and emperors (one former employee quipped, “he’d make an excellent King of France”), but it can’t be denied that he’s a classic alpha male.

What made his time with Apple, and his “side” businesses like NeXT and Pixar, so fruitful?

Passion

Jobs was driven to create the best products he could, taking new technologies and moving them forward. He wanted to ditch “beige boxes,” creating the original iMac, a colorful machine with curved lines and the screen and computer in a single piece. There were MP3 players before the iPod, but none with the same sleek white case (and identifiable white earbuds—you could spot another iPod user a block away) and easy interface for uploading music.

People screamed at first when the iMac appeared with no floppy drive, and when the MacBook Air included no CD/DVD drive. In both cases, Apple dragged us into the future, whether we liked it or not, and today we use thumb drives and the Internet for moving files and installing software. Multitasking and Flash were available for “smart phones” prior to the iPhone, but Jobs felt they caused more problems than they solved, and refused to use either in the early versions of the iPhone.

Other companies tie themselves up in knots with features based on focus groups; Jobs focuses not on what’s wanted, but on what’s needed.

If you’ve ever watched one of his keynotes, you’ve seen his love for his products and company. And you won’t find many CEOs of giant corporations who are nearly as well-versed in the actual use of their products as Jobs has demonstrated in those keynotes. And he returned to give those keynotes with amazing speed after both his treatment for pancreatic cancer and subsequent liver transplant.

And when he was “in exile” from the company he founded, he kept his passion alive, creating a company called NeXT, and developing the operating system that would become Mac OS X. He also bought a hardware company called Pixar and turned them into a computer animation studio with Toy Story.

Delegation

Despite his control-freak nature, Jobs understands he can’t do it all himself. When he returned to Apple, he sought out people who were experts in their field and relied on them for key roles. One of Jobs’ first major hires was Phil Schiller, a marketing executive at Macromedia who actually had a programming background. Jonathan Ive, the man behind the iconic design of most of Apple’s modern products, had considered quitting Apple after the company rejected his designs for a new all-in-one computer. Years later, Jobs returned and used the designs to create the original iMac.

Confidence

Jobs has what may be the most famous compensation agreement in the corporate world, taking a salary of exactly one dollar per year. His financial stake in Apple consists of stock options—just over 10 million shares, granted between 1997 and 2003—that were worth around $20 per share in 2001, the year the iPod was released. As of today those shares are worth $376.18 apiece.

One way to look at it is that Jobs felt that if he couldn’t lift the company out of near-failure, he didn’t deserve to be paid. But the more likely scenario is that Jobs knew what he could do and chose compensation based on that confidence.

Yes, it comes out like arrogance at times, but Jobs has quite literally put his money where his mouth is.

It’s likely that deteriorating health is the reason he’s stepped down as CEO (he’s retaining his position as Chairman, as well as his board position at Disney), so I wish him the best life possible in whatever time he has remaining. The world will miss him.

A small glimpse at what he’s done: here’s the introduction of the iPod, circa 2001.

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The Carrot or the Stick?

by Michael on May 5, 2011 · 0 comments

The garlic for lunch was a nice touch.

A friend on Facebook has been posting about the new “boot camp” exercise class he’s joined. It’s led by a former military officer, who barks out drill-sergeant-like orders and gets into the faces of those lagging behind. It’s amazing how many people can squeeze out one or two extra push-ups when someone is standing over them demanding it.

But not all of our mutual friends agree. A comment from one of his posts went something along the lines of, “not if it was the last workout class on Earth!” Others mentioned their favorite classes: the traditional kind, with the dude or chick who manages to keep smiling for a solid hour, periodically offering positive affirmations: “Just one more!” “You can do it!” “Awesome! And again…”

People have different learning styles. Some need the Carrot, and some need the Stick.

The Carrot method is the one we see most of the time: an instructor leads you gently through the program, stopping to tell you how easy it is, how well you’re doing, and making sure no one is left behind by gently helping those laggards. The downside of the Carrot is that it doesn’t offer much in the way of rigid leadership: it’s up to you to push yourself.

The Stick involves tough love: You’re given instructions, then expected to get ‘er done with the instructor breathing down your neck. God forbid you fall behind, because the instructor will make an example of you. If you’re embarrassed easily or prone to resent taking orders, the Stick may not be for you, but if you want structure, this is where you need to be.

In objective terms, the Carrot expects that people need support and assistance, and the Stick expects that you’re a damned grownup.

What You Want vs. What You Need

A few years ago I took salsa lessons (the dance, not the condiment). The instructor was a guy who used both the Carrot and the Stick: the Carrot was for the women, and the Stick for the men. If a guy screwed up a move, it wasn’t below the instructor to mock him, but he’d always refer to a woman by name and come over and gently lead her through a move she was getting wrong.

Sounds a little unfair, right? Well, it worked.

Many men seem to need structure in their learning, and a negative consequence to a bad habit. Of course, we also need to know what the good habit is. It’s just that sometimes, even though we know what the good habit is, we’re more comfortable with the bad habit. Or we think we’re practicing the good habit when in reality we’re half-assing it and calling it good.

My learning style is somewhat that of the Carrot: I absorb much better when there’s an explanation. The “why” is as important as the “what.” However, I’m sometimes prone to spend too much time gathering information: the “paralysis of analysis.” Therefore, a little boot to the rear at the end is ideal to get me moving on a project.

What I’m Getting At

Your learning style is important to know. If you don’t understand what you need in order to not only absorb information but also to act on that information, you’ll do what millions of people do now: read book after book, take class after class, and never actually use that information to enrich their lives.

I want you to think back on the most successful classes you’ve taken, the books or sites you’ve read that actually resulted in positive life changes, and the people in your life who have inspired you to take definitive action. Things that snapped you out of your comfort zone and showed you that you can accomplish more than you thought. Perhaps it’s something bad that happened to you, that snapped you out of a bad habit.

Write down what was most effective. Obviously, if it was a death in the family or a dismal medical diagnosis, you don’t want to replicate it, but you can extract what it was about the event that changed your habits (realizing that life is short, for example, or seeing the results of smoking).

Then seek to learn that way. If you need information, find one or two of the most highly recommended sources and get that information. If you need accountability or direct guidance, find a coach, trainer or mastermind group. If you need inspiration, go get it: help at a soup kitchen or elderly care facility. Keep a journal and stay in touch with yourself during this process.

Put yourself in the best situation to succeed on your terms. Just be aware of what those terms are.

So, what’s your learning style? What or who have you learned the most from?

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