Steve Jobs was one of the most influential entrepreneurs in the world at the end of the 20th century and during the first years of the 21st century. But in addition to being a technology industry mogul who revolutionized the smartphone and computer market, he is also known for leaving several lessons throughout his life for people to be more successful in their work.
From how to trust yourself to why you should learn from your mistakes, Steve Jobs is a great example of leadership who developed his system of thinking. Of course, because of that, he encountered several resistances on his way (he was even kicked out of his own company once!). In this article, we tell you 7 life lessons for success according to Steve Jobs.
1. Surround yourself with good people
If you want to succeed in what you do, sooner or later, you will have to start delegating some tasks, and for that, you must find a work team. This can be complicated for some entrepreneurs because finding the right profiles is difficult. Even worse: sometimes we think we can do it all by ourselves, and we end up stressing ourselves out.
Even Steve Jobs was very clear that he had to entrust his company’s tasks to the right people to succeed. In fact, contrary to what many may believe, he was not a great eminence in computer engineering, so Apple products were only successful if he had found the right team.
2. Be excellent and demand excellence
And speaking of teams… those around you must rise to the occasion, including you! Steve Jobs used to say that excellence was a way of life. In one speech, for example, he encouraged his audience to set a standard for quality: “Some people are not used to an environment where excellence is expected. Everything we do should be excellent!”. If we think about Apple products, we will realize Jobs’ true obsession with the design, quality, efficiency, and durability of his products to provide the best user experience.
3. Look ahead
During a speech at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in 1997, Jobs paraphrased Canadian field hockey player Wayne Gretzky, who said: “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it’s already been.
With this, the entrepreneur was referring to the fact that it is always better to anticipate future trends ahead of the curve. Undoubtedly, his ability allowed him to dominate entire markets, such as digital music.
4. Learn from others and teach what you know
Jobs attended computer conferences since he was a teenager. Moreover, before the age of 21, he had already worked for major technology companies such as HP and Atari. Steve Jobs’ example is always to be enthusiastic and proactive – anyone who sees that spark in you will want to hire you!
When you have enough experience, don’t forget to share your knowledge. Jobs, although not a true programmer, had intuitive wisdom about many things related to technology and did not hesitate to let those around him know it. So, if you are a university student, and some knowledge seems unattainable, do not be afraid to ask for help from friends, colleagues, or convenient online tools.
But before using such services, google something like “is paperhelp.org legit” to ensure you are clean before the law. After friends or anyone else have helped you, don’t feel foolish and useless, be sure that your knowledge can also be useful to someone else, it’s a valuable exchange.
5. Trust your judgment
Sometimes we are working on a project that is too new, and we are afraid it will not work. In those cases, it is common to receive negative opinions that will try to stop us. Well, Jobs was an expert at ignoring those voices. In fact, many people told him that developing touchscreen phones was crazy. Can you imagine what would have happened if Jobs had listened to them?
6. Open your mind
Another of Steve Jobs’ life lessons is to keep an open head. This gives you the ability to move into unfamiliar areas and learn new things; consequently, it allows you to be much more creative. Steve Jobs, for example, without being religious, spent several months traveling around India trying to learn Hinduism-related ideas. This open-mindedness was key to developing perseverance and patience.
7. Take risks and make mistakes
While in the late 1990s, almost all technology companies were looking to diversify, Apple did the opposite: it narrowed its portfolio to focus on quality. That was a controversial (and undoubtedly risky) decision that fortunately worked out very well.
However, it could have gone wrong. In such cases, seeing failure as an opportunity is always good. After all, Jobs was not always successful: at 30 he was fired from his own company.
Indeed, at that time, he founded Next and Pixar, two of today’s most important companies. Jobs’ involvement in Toy Story was critical to the film’s development and laid the groundwork for Pixar’s later success in digital animation. “I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple,” the Apple CEO claimed.
Apply these tips to achieve success
Although he was somewhat controversial, Steve Jobs’ passion and dedication to excellence were infectious. In addition, his ability to convey his life and work philosophy and foster creative professional environments was key to his becoming one of the most popular tech industry moguls.
What do you think of these life lessons, according to Steve Jobs? Now, it’s up to you to apply them in your life, particularly professionally – we encourage you to challenge the status quo and make a real mark on the industry you’re in!
