10 Top Steve Jobs Lessons For Success
[With Examples]
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Want tips from one of the most inspirational entrepreneurs of all time?
He’s known for his rebellious nature, extreme focus, difficult personality, and pursuit of perfection.
He’s widely recognized as a pioneer of the personal computer revolution.
He was the chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar, the Chairman Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Apple, and worth over 10 million dollars…
Yes, he’s Mr. Steve Jobs.
Welcome to Bounce Mojo’s take on the ten best success lessons from the man himself.
We also have an actionable bonus at the very end. Enjoy
1. Do What You Love
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<a href="https://bouncemojo.com"><img src="https://bouncemojo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Eddie-Murphy-Movies-02.jpg" alt="Eddie Murphy" ></a>People say you have to have a lot of passion for what you’re doing, and it’s totally true…
The reason is that it’s so hard that if you don’t, any rational person would give up.
It’s really hard, and you have to do it over a sustained period of time.
So if you don’t love it, if you’re not having fun doing it, you don’t really love it – you’re gonna give up – that’s what happens to most people, actually.
If you really look at the ones that ended up being successful – unquote – in the eyes of society and the ones that didn’t, oftentimes it’s the ones that are successful that loved what they did so they could persevere when it got really tough…
And the ones that didn’t love it, quit.
Because they’re sane, right?
Who would want to put up with this stuff if you don’t love it? So, it’s a lot of hard work, and it’s a lot of worrying constantly.
If you don’t love it, you’re gonna fail.
So you gotta love it, you gotta have passion.
2. Live Life To The Fullest
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<a href="https://bouncemojo.com"><img src="https://bouncemojo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Eddie-Murphy-Movies-02.jpg" alt="Eddie Murphy" ></a>If you are thinking of continuing through the traditional route in life, think again because that certainly is not the path towards satisfying success, according to Steve Jobs.
The charismatic innovator urged his listeners to drop all the heavy inhibitions in life and embrace it to the fullest.
What does it mean?
Instead of focusing on trying not to bash into the walls too much, getting a high-paying job, and having a nice family life, Steve says that exploring more in life could just bring you the success that is like no other people’s.
“The minute that you understand that you can poke life and if you push in something will pop out on the other side that you can change. You can mold it, and that’s maybe the most important thing – to shake off this erroneous notion that life is there and you’re just gonna live in it versus embrace it, change it, improve it, and make your mark upon it.”
Who knows what’s waiting on the other side, right?
And another thing…
…Once you learn that, Steve says that life for you will never be the same.
3. Build Your Dreams
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<a href="https://bouncemojo.com"><img src="https://bouncemojo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Eddie-Murphy-Movies-02.jpg" alt="Eddie Murphy" ></a>By the time he was 25 years old, Steve Jobs was already worth a staggering $250 million.
Because it seemed too much for such a young man…
…some people assume that the tech genius had it quite easy with the help of his plenty of nerdy friends.
But that was not the case.
It took the man many restless days and sleepless nights to be able to build their first batch of computers.
Starting from building his own computer kit because he can’t afford to buy one, Steve’s passion caused him to grow a business that caters to numerous industries’ needs at that time.
Suffice to say…
…his great success didn’t happen overnight. It was a process and a frustrating and difficult one.
How did he do it?
He knew he wanted to change the world and accepted that he will be put to many stressful tests to be able to achieve it. But nevertheless, he had a game plan.
“It’s entirely different and sometimes a lot of people ask, “Well did you know it was going to mushroom into this phenomenon?” and you could say, “Yeah, we planned it out, we had lead on a piece of paper. But it’s different from the experience of seeing 500 people working at Apple computers.”
So if you find yourself in the middle of adversity, remember that dreams can be built.
4. Money Should Come Last
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<a href="https://bouncemojo.com"><img src="https://bouncemojo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Eddie-Murphy-Movies-02.jpg" alt="Eddie Murphy" ></a>If you are a fan of Steve Jobs, you probably know that the man is all for quality and benefit his products can give to its consumers instead of simply getting money.
While it sounds very kind and sweet…
…not focusing on money alone can technically help you succeed with your career.
In Steve Jobs’ case, he was able to develop and innovate more products because he was focusing on creating solutions to people’s problems instead of pinning his eyes on the moolah.
That being said…
…it’s not a very bad thing to be keeping your eyes on the prize. But it could definitely get very distracting and will not help you think of more creative ideas for a business to grow.
As the master himself shared:
“It’s very interesting. I was worth over a million dollars when I was 23. Over 10 million dollars when I was 24, and over 100 million dollars when I was 25. It wasn’t that important because I never did it for the money. The most important thing was the company, the people, the products we were making, what we were going to enable people to do with these products. So, I didn’t think about it a great deal and I never sold any stock. I just really believe that the company would do very well over the long term.”
And do well it certainly did!
That’s what you get when you’ve got your eyes on the right prize.
5. Produce Quality Products
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<a href="https://bouncemojo.com"><img src="https://bouncemojo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Eddie-Murphy-Movies-02.jpg" alt="Eddie Murphy" ></a>When recruiting for new employees for Apple, Steve Jobs used to say “Do you want to change the world?”
Not only is it a badass legendary line, but it also stems from his ultimate goal that is to make premium quality products that people from all walks of life can enjoy.
Apple wasn’t special…
…at first. But it was the impeccable quality with which the products were made that helped it rise to the top of the competition.
Come to think of it…
…Steve and his boys were just a bunch of nerds who did not even know how to market their new creations.
And whatever others do, whatever gimmick your competitors launch, if you are offering nothing but the best quality to cater to every need, people will always come and find you.
“The difference is we don’t offer stripped-down lousy products. You know we just don’t offer categories of products like that but if you move those aside and compare us with our competitors I think we compare pretty favorably.“
Steve was very hands-on with the production of his products and this legacy still continues even today.
After all..
…you just can’t cheat quality.
6. Focus On Good Stuff
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<a href="https://bouncemojo.com"><img src="https://bouncemojo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Eddie-Murphy-Movies-02.jpg" alt="Eddie Murphy" ></a>Did you know that Steve Jobs once reprimanded Nike’s CEO Mark Parker and told him to cut all the crap from his products?
Heck yes, he did.
And while Mark expected Steve to laugh afterward and say that it’s a joke, no laugh actually followed.
Steve was serious. Cut all the unnecessary “crap” and focus on the good.
If you are offering something and it is appealing to people, continue what you are doing and keep away from adding unnecessary ruffles and glitters that will only take away the sophistication that your consumers come to love.
As a matter of fact…
…this philosophy by Jobs is still quite evident with the streamlined and functional designs Apple aims and works for.
After all, simplicity is the only good stuff people and consumers are mostly looking for.
Steve Jobs and his two cents’ worth of advice: FOCUS ON GOOD STUFF.
7. Team Work
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<a href="https://bouncemojo.com"><img src="https://bouncemojo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Eddie-Murphy-Movies-02.jpg" alt="Eddie Murphy" ></a>Regardless of whether you are managing a small business or an empire, Steve Jobs believed that the most crucial and important job for a leader like him is recruitment.
It might be surprising…
…but as established as Steve’s companies already were, they were not looking at the applicants’ credentials when choosing a new team member.
They are looking at the peoples’ intention, passion, and interest.
After all…
…what is an engineering degree if you’re not updated about the latest technology because you just can’t be bothered and are not interested?
It is not just Steve who believes this but the whole Apple team.
In fact…
...in an interview, some of the top Apple engineers share the tedious and meticulous process with which they choose a new team member.
According to them, an interview may take a whole day from breakfast to dinner and when they decided the person is interesting enough, they would go and show them a Mcintosh prototype…
…and if there were no lights in the applicant’s eyes, he’s out.
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is how legends choose their teammates.
You might have a bunch of brainy people in your group, but if the shared passion isn’t there, good team work will not happen, too.
No man is an island and without effective teamwork, an empire can’t certainly be built.
8. Invite Customer Feedback
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<a href="https://bouncemojo.com"><img src="https://bouncemojo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Eddie-Murphy-Movies-02.jpg" alt="Eddie Murphy" ></a>One of the greatest mistakes Steve Jobs had made in his career, according to the man himself, is creating a technology and assuming people will like it and patronize it.
And he’s got the “tissue scars” to prove it.
Upong coming back to Apple in the 90s, Steve realized something really vital in running and keeping a business…
…it is Customer feedback.
So how does this seemingly small part of marketing can contribute to the overall success of a business?
Take it from the master himself.
“You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology…I’ve made this mistake probably more than anybody else in this room…As we have tried to come up with a strategy and a vision for Apple, it started with ‘What incredible benefits can we give to the customer? Where can we take the customer?’…I think that’s the right path to take.“
Additionally, Steve said that this should not mean forming a communist-style committe to ask customers what they want.
The thing is…
…people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.
And of course we know that listening to your customers can open the doors for more possibilities and innovation because you are seeing your product’s shortcomings and flaws.
We already knew Steve was a master with technology. But as it turned out, he’s a master with reading his people, too!
9. Think Differently
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<a href="https://bouncemojo.com"><img src="https://bouncemojo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Eddie-Murphy-Movies-02.jpg" alt="Eddie Murphy" ></a>Back in the day, commercials were all about the technicalities of a product or how it’s good for you.
It didn’t escape technology genius Steve Jobs’ notice and he looked to extraordinarily soulful brands to create a campaign that is more than what Apple products can offer.
And it is honoring great people.
These were the people who thought differently from the rest. The legend-makers. The people who changed the world.
So what does it have to do with marketing?
“We believe that in this world, people can change it for the better and those people that are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that actually do. And so what we’re going to do in our first brand marketing campaign in several years is to get back to that core value. The things that Apple believed in at its core are the same things that Apple really stands for today and so we wanted to find a way to communicate this. It touches the soul of this company so I’m gonna go ahead and roll it.”
So what’s the bottomline?
The worn-out old way of marketing barely works now. The world is changing and people are looking for more than just technicalities.
Always think differently. Show the soul of your product to your people.
After all…
…sincerity always wins.
10. Believe in Yourself
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<a href="https://bouncemojo.com"><img src="https://bouncemojo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Eddie-Murphy-Movies-02.jpg" alt="Eddie Murphy" ></a>Most of us had spent (or is spending) much of our supposedly youthful days worrying about the path that we will have to take in order to establish a successful life and career.
While addressing graduate students in a speech, Steve Jobs shared 3 instances where he proved that intuition and one’s heart could never go wrong.
One of these instances was when Steve was fired from Apple.
Anyone in the same situation would feel like hiding away and mopping in a corner.
While Steve did feel like it…
…he chose to follow his passion instead and believe in himself enough to risk and gamble again, just like a beginner.
And it proved successful.
Later on, he was able to build another company and come back to Apple and be its chairman and CEO. Not to mention making history with Pixar too!
Another one was when young Steve dropped out of college.
So what would you do after dropping out?
The future billionaire reasoned that the school was too expensive for something that’s not resonating with or inspiring him
Instead…
…he listened to classes and lectures for things he found interesting. One of these was calligraphy.
It might seem like an indulgence, an impractical hobby. ..
But guess what?
His knowledge of calligraphy came in handy years later when he was designing the first Macintosh computer.
“If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. Since Windows just copied the Mac, it’s likely that no personal computer would have them…
…If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on that calligraphy class and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course, it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college but it was very very clear looking backward 10 years later.”
Who would have thought?
Certainly not Steve.
All he knew at that time was that he wanted nothing more but to be able to do what he loves and believe in himself and his abilities.
Conclusion: 10 Top Steve Jobs Lessons For Success
People always like to argue what should dominate: the heart of the mind?
Well, for Steve Jobs, it should be a balance of both…
…with a little more soul.
What can you take from Bounce Mojo’s take on Steve Jobs Lessons for success?
Remember actions speak louder than words…
…what actions are you going to take today?
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