Reading Reflection

I read about Steve Jobs, and was very intrigued not only by his story but also by his personality. I really enjoyed reading about how all of the seemingly "small" things in his life influenced him and would influence the products he ended up creating. For example, when Jobs was in high school he sat in on a calligraphy class-- this class inspired him to create font, and made Jobs extremely detail-focused and perfectionistic.

I most admired Steve Jobs's ability to keep pushing for more. When he first created the Macintosh, he sent his partners back to make new models again and again and again until he was satisfied that they had created the best possible product. I also really appreciate his concept that it is the business's responsibility to be even more forward-thinking than the customer, and provide the customer with products that they don't even know they want.

The part of Steve Jobs I least admired was his attitude as a leader. Although he always strived for the best from his partners, he was often cutthroat, rude, and unsupportive. Increasingly today, "good" leaders are those who inspire the people around them and enable other people to become leaders. Steve Jobs was a visionary, but he was not necessarily the "good" leader. If I had known him outside of Apple, I'm not sure I would have wanted to work with him.

Steve Jobs did encounter adversity and failure. When he first started Apple, Jobs had significant difficulty receiving funding from capital investors. However, he was extremely persistent, and proved that his product would be profitable. Jobs also faced failure when he was fired from his own company. When this happened, however, he didn't allow himself to become a complete failure. He started several other successful companies and was then asked to come back to Apple.

Steve Jobs has several competencies, and the first was originality and innovative-mindedness. He always believed that he could make something better and as a result, he never stopped improving and revolutionizing products on the market. Another one of his competencies was resourcefulness. Jobs started Apple out of his garage; however, he had the resourcefulness to develop prototypes and create a team that would ultimately become the backbone of his success. Most importantly, Jobs's determination was the key factor in ensuring that he persisted and never gave up.

One part of the reading that was confusing to me was when Steve Jobs found out about his cancer. He kept the discovery very quiet, which makes sense; however, he never stopped working. I think many people would have taken off work in order to spend time getting better or being with family. However, I realize that in many ways Apple probably was Jobs's family. If it was his passion, he probably wouldn't dream of stepping down.

If I could ask Steve Jobs a question, I would first ask him what books he has read and would recommend. This is because books are permanent sources of insight and knowledge; the books he read had probably inspired him. Then I would ask him how he came up with his ideas. This is because the work he did was revolutionary, but it was because of the ideas behind the work. After the idea is there, anybody can make it happen, but coming up with the idea is the hard part.

I think Steve Jobs thought hard work was just a necessity of success. He was always working hard, and never took no for an answer. This was the reason he was so successful.