7 ways to be like Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs biography

Last week I finished the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson. I thought quite a bit about it after reading it. I came away with 7 traits that I feel like I need more of in my life.

7 ways to be more like Steve Jobs.

I started this list yesterday. You can find points 1-3 in that post.

4. Fight for what you believe.

Steve Jobs did not always have the support of those around and above him (board members, partners, etc). As Apple grew in stature, he had to struggle less, but he always was ready to fight for his vision.

He knew what he believed (simplicity), and he fought at every level for this.

At Pixar, Jobs was willing to fight the behemoth Disney, because he knew his product was better than what Disney wanted it to be. He wouldn’t back down. It was a modern-day David versus Goliath, and David won again. David didn’t back down.

When you know what you believe in, it’s up to you to fight for it. Be passionate. Be convicted. Stand up. Fight.

5. Make it absolutely perfect.

Focus (point 2), fighting for what you believe, the big picture (point 3) they all have this in common – striving to make a perfect product.

Early on, this philosophy got Jobs in trouble (the first Macintosh was months late, the NeXT computer was way over priced for the target market). He found an amount of balance as he got older, but perfection was always his goal.

He believed it could always be better and always was steps ahead in his head for the next generation of product(s).

Make what you are selling perfect – the portraits, the experience, the relationship, everything.

6. Value product over profit.

In my post last week, I talked about Steve Jobs relationship with Mike Markkula – Apple’s first major investor and an early mentor of Jobs.

Here is another of the lessons Jobs took away from Markkula:

“He (Markkula) emphasized  that you should never start a company with the goal of getting rich. Your goal should be making something you believe in and making a company that will last.”

Later in life he said this:

“My passion has been to build an enduring company where people were motivated to make great products. Everything else was secondary. Sure it was good to make a profit, because that was what allowed you to make great products. But the products, not the profits, were the motivation.

Jobs realized Apple and Pixar were the most important products he was building. The company was more important that any one product. The company would last because it was building something greater than a widget (or movie) that will lead to profit.

Be careful not to create a business or even a product within a business just for the sake of profit. Build a business and product that you love, so profit will follow.

Which leads to…

7. Legacy

Jobs believed he was literally changing the world with the products he produced. He believed he was changing how people interacted with technology.

He wanted to leave an impact on the world. At this point, it looks like he is right.

You have the opportunity to leave a lasting stamp on the world. The images you are creating today can be remembered for generations…but your legacy is all dependent on points 1-6.

 And one more thing…

Jobs famous line at the Apple events was “and one more thing…”, so let me end with one more thing.

As much as I want to be like Steve Jobs, I don’t want to be anything like him. As I read through Steve Jobs, I was equally repulsed by Jobs actions and attitudes as I was impressed.

Tomorrow, I’ll share exact what I mea…

Which of these 7 traits do you feel you need more of?

Header image courtesy of Flickr/Jesus Belzunce