A t-shirt popular within the Apple Computer team building v.1 of Quicktime read “Apple: 80 hours a week, and loving it!”
So much for work | life balance.
At the same time, I think Steve Jobs gets a lot of things right – including not making decisions for the short term without fully understanding the long term implications of those choices.
Jobs also knows loyalty is a two way street; customers and employees will forgive an occasional misstep or two if they feel a product and company are worthy and relevant for the long term:
- The cure for Apple is not cost-cutting. The cure for Apple is to innovate its way out of its current predicament.
- Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.
- Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.
- Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it.
- Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.
- You hire good people who will challenge each other every day to make the best products possible.
- When I got back, Apple had forgotten who we were. Remember that “Think Different” ad campaign we ran? It was certainly for customers, but it was even more for Apple. That ad was to remind us of who our heroes are and who we are. Companies sometimes do forget. Fortunately, we woke up.
I’m not yet ready to move Cupertino, especially since I think the Northwest can – and should – do better. After all -we’re also
“…the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
Or – innovate or die.
Related Content:
Steven Jobs, cofounder of Apple, has been labeled many things, from visionary to egomaniac. Often I think he is inspirational too: We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here? Innovation is the distinction between a leader and a follower. The system is that there is no system. That doesn’t …
If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you. – Friedrich Nietzsche No men are oftener wrong than those that can least bear to be so. – Francois de La Rochefoucauld There is a demand in these days for men who can make wrong appear right. – …
Others’ Thoughts From the Blogosphere.
Yesterday Scott Berkun wrote a very interesting blog post on How to call bullshit on a guru; equally interesting was the reader discussion which followed. My favorites: “Do you know how to innovate? How?” “How interested is this guy in understanding my problem(s)?”. If they’re not, then they’re a hammer looking for nails, …
Putting a Dent in the Universe.
Steve Jobs is many things – obsessive, a visionary, a micro-manager, and until now, ever-present. Outside of his recent weight loss, not much is known about the health issue behind his announcement today of a six-month leave of absence – but it’s a safe bet it’s something quite serious. Steve Jobs …
Success – and Failure – Really Do Depend on the Customer Experience.
And, customers experience your company in a lot more ways than you realize. Every day, and via multiple mediums, customers receive some kind of experience, ranging from positive to negative; with customer experience being defined as the sum total of conscious events/experiences. A company’s ability to deliver an experience that sets …
Tags: ad campaign, computer team, square holes, misstep, work life balance
