Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking that you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart!
– Steve Jobs

“Steve Jobs”, the name that strikes everyone’s mind when they hear the term innovation. His name is often used as the synonym of “innovation”. Apple and Pixar are it’s testament. This book provides insights into Steve Jobs’ life and thoughts, written by well-known author Walter Isaacson. The biography is based on more than forty interviews that Walter conducted with Jobs. It nearly took two years to conduct these interviews. Comments and conversations from his family, friends, employees, colleagues and competitors are also proposed.

Being one of the most influential entrepreneurs, visionary and creator of the modern era; he shaped the digital world like no one else could. Be it the personal computing experience or revolutionizing the entire industry through the iTunes Store, Pixar etcetera everything is enunciated in this book.

Human life is just like a roller coaster filled with ups and downs and Steve’s life was no exception either. He was an honest man and Isaacson had respected his virtue. Not even an iota of the detail is manipulated. Everything is expressed as it was. Be it being thrown out of Apple to becoming one of the richest of the world everything is mentioned clearly. Walter has done commendable work.

Many people aspire to be an entrepreneur these days but don’t know what to do, where to start. This story can bridge the gap. People who personally knew Jobs tend to glorify the man he was. Passionate, charismatic, enthusiastic, determined, fearless, visionary. This book is just the ideal way to know the man he was.

Lessons from Steve Jobs’ Biography.

Lesson 1: Risking Everything.

Hardly any company takes a risk when it is on top. It is true with the leader as well, but Jobs was different. His risk-taking ability distinguished him with other CEOs.

He took the risk to develop a new product that would cannibalise the sales of the top-selling product. The iPhone not only diminished the sales of the iPod but it made huge profits in the emerging smartphone market.
Without taking risks no one can move forward. Period.

Lesson 2: Your “Network” defines your “Net Worth”.

Steve surrounded himself with great minds while working at Apple and Pixar. He hired Steve Wozniak because he was better than jobs in building computers. He hired “A” grade players in his iconic “Macintosh Team”. Jonathan “Jony” Ive, Bill Atkinson, Andy Hertzfeld were other prominent people that he worked with.

Every great man in the history of the world had a “Master Mind” group that played a massive role in their success.

Lesson 3: Mindset.

Everyone fails in life. But what makes successful people different from unsuccessful is how they respond after failing.

In 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University, he commented:

I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life!

About the Author

Walter Isaacson is a Professor of History at Tulane and an advisory partner at Perella Weinberg, a financial services firm based in New York City. He is the past CEO of the Aspen Institute, where he is now a Distinguished Fellow and has been the chairman of CNN and the editor of TIME magazine.
(Courtesy: aspeninstitute.org)

Image Credits: Featured Image

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