There are very few people in the world today more closely associated with

innovation than Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs. He is the classic American

entrepreneurstarting his company in the spare bedroom of his parents' house,
and pioneering the first personal computer for everyday use.
The famed New York Times columnist, Thomas Friedman, wrote a column in which
he said America needs more jobsSteve Jobs. He meant that innovation and
creativity must be nurtured and encouraged to help the U.S and other countries
emerge from the global recession. Everyone wants to learn more about Steve Jobs,
yet very few journalists have identified the principles that drive Steve Jobs and his
success. Until now, that is.
The nnovation Secrets of Steve Jobs (McGraw-Hill, October, 2010) reveals the 7
principles that are largely responsible for his breakthrough success; principles that
have guided Steve Jobs for his entire career and, more important, principles you
can adopt today to "think differently about your company, product or service.
Steve Jobs has something to teach you about your career, your business, and your
brand. He thinks differently about every aspect of business from product design to
marketing to communications. Here are the 7 principles responsible for Jobs'
breakthrough success.
PrincipIe
One:
Do what
you Iove.
!assion is everything. nnovationwhich simply meansnew ways of doing things
that improve our lives---cannot flourish unless you are truly obsessed with making
something betterbe it a product, a service, a method or a career.
"Have the courage to 1oIIow
your heart and intuition.
They somehow already know
what you truly want to
become.
Jobs has followed his heart his entire career and that passion, he says, has made all
the difference. t's very difficult to come up with new, creative ideas that move
society forward if you are not passionate about the subject.
n 1972, Steve Jobs dropped out of Reed College in !ortland after just one
semester.
He stayed another 18 months to "drop in to those classes he enjoyed, like
calligraphy. Calligraphy didn't have any obvious practical application in his life but it
would come back to Jobs when he created the Mac.
The Macintosh was the world's first computer with beautiful fonts and typography. f
Steve Jobs hadn't followed his passion, we'd still be entering line commands.
"Being the richest man in the
cemetery doesn't matter to
me. Going to be bed at night
saying we've done
something wonder1uI
that's what matters to me.
"!assion won't protect you against setbacks, but it will ensure that no failure is ever
final. Bill Strickland
" don't mind failure. 've always thought that schoolchildren should be marked by
the number of failures they've had. James Dyson
How to do find your passion? !assions are those ideas that don't leave you alone.
They are the hopes, dreams and possibilities that consume your thoughts. Follow
those passions despite skeptics and naysayers who do not have the courage to
follow their dreams.
PrincipIe
Two:
Put a dent
in the
universe.
This speaks to vision. nnovation doesn't take place in a vacuum. You need to know
where you're going, what the ultimate destination is, and you need to inspire others,
evangelists.
"We're gambIing on our
vision, and we'd rather do
that than make 'me-too'
products.
Steve Jobs has never underestimated the power of vision to move a brand forward.
n 1976, Steve Wozniak was captivated by Jobs' vision to "put a computer in the
hands of everyday people.
n 1979, Jobs took a tour of the Xerox research facility in !alo Alto, California. There
he saw a new technology that let users interact with the computer via colorful
graphical icons on the screen instead of entering complex line commands.
t was called a "graphical user interface. n that moment, Jobs knew that this
technology would allow him to fulfill his vision of putting a computer in the hands of
everyday people. Jobs later said that Xerox could have "dominated the computer
industry but instead its 'vision' was limited to building another copier. Two people
can see the same thing but perceive it differently based on their vision.
Steve Jobs set out with a vision to change the world. What's your vision for your
product, brand, and your career?
!assion fuels the rocket, but vision points the rocket to its ultimate destination.
PrincipIe
Three:
Kick start
your
brain.
Creativity leads to innovative ideas. Jobs believes that a broad set of experiences
expands our understanding of the human experience. A broader understanding
leads to breakthroughs that others may have missed. Breakthrough innovation
requires creativity and creativity requires that you think differently about.the way
you think.
"Creativity is just
connecting things.
The idea fell from a tree, literally. Steve Jobs had returned from visiting a commune-
like place in Oregon located in an apple orchard. Apple co-founder and Jobs' pal,
Steve Wozniak, picked him up from the airport. On the drive home, Jobs simply
said, " came up with a name for our companyApple. Wozniak said they could
have tried to come up with more technical sounding names but their vision was to
make computers approachable. Apple fit perfectly.
Dalai Lama
ndia
Four Seasons
Mercedes-Benz
Calligraphy
Apples
Steve Jobs creates new ideas precisely because he has spent a lifetime exploring
new and unrelated thingsseeking out diverse experiences. Jobs hired people
from outside the computing profession, he studied the art of calligraphy in college,
meditated in an ndian ashram, and evaluated The Four Seasons hotel chain as he
developed the customer service model for the Apple Stores. Look outside your
industry for inspiration.
"!art of what made the
Macintosh great was that the
people working on it were
musicians, and poets, and artists,
and zoologists, and historians who
also happened to be the best
computer scientists in the world.
PrincipIe
Four:
SeII
dreams,
not
products.
Your customers don't care about your product, your company or your brand. They
care about themselves, their hopes, their dreams, their ambitions. Help them fulfill
their dreams and you will them over.
"The people who are crazy
enough to change the worId
are the ones who do.
Apple Ad
Steve Jobs doesn't rely on focus groups. f he had, they may never have enjoyed
i!ods, iTunes, the i!hone, the i!ad, or Apple Stores. Jobs does not need focus
groups because he understands his customers really, really well. Yes, sometimes
better than they know themselves!
When Jobs returned to Apple in 1997 after a 12-year absence, Apple faced an
uncertain future. Jobs closed his presentation that year at Macworld in Boston with
an observation that set the tone for Apple's resurgence: " think you have to think
differently to buy an Apple computer. A lot of times people think they're crazy, but in
that craziness we see genius.
When Jobs returned to Apple in 1997 after a 12-year absence, Apple faced an
uncertain future. Jobs closed his presentation that year at Macworld in Boston with
an observation that set the tone for Apple's resurgence: " think you have to think
differently to buy an Apple computer. A lot of times people think they're crazy, but in
that craziness we see genius.
PrincipIe
Five:
Say no to
1,000
things.
"nnovation comes from saying no
to 1,000 things to make sure we
don't get on the wrong track or try
to do too much.
Jonathan ve, Apple design guru: "We are absolutely consumed by trying to develop
a solution that is very simple, because as physical beings we understand clarity.
Your customers demand simplicity and simplicity requires that you eliminate
anything that clutters the user experience.
Steve Jobs reduced complexity in the Smartphone category by eliminating the
keyboard.
The i!ad is so simple a 2-year-old can use it.
The Apple Web site features one product.
et rid o1 the crappy stu11 and
1ocus on the good stu11."
Steve Jobs' advice to the new Nike CEO, Mark !arker.
The designers behind the wildly popular Flip video camera found inspiration in Apple
products. Their goalanyone should be able to enjoy it out of the box in 30 seconds.
Mick Mountz, the CEO of Kiva Systems and a former Apple employee, said he
designed these warehouse robots after asking himself, "What would Steve do?
Simplicity is the elimination of clutterfor Apple and Nobu.
PrincipIe
Six: Create
insaneIy
great
experiences
.
"!eople don't want to just buy
personal computers anymore.
They want to know what they
can do with them, and we're
going to show people exactly that
Jobs has made the Apple Store the gold standard in customer service by introducing
simple innovations any business can adopt to create deeper, more emotional
connections with their customers. For example, there are no cashiers in an Apple
store. There are experts, consultants, even geniuses, but no cashiers.
Apple created an innovative retail experience by studying a company known for its
customer experienceThe Four Seasons. Apple Stores would attract shoppers not
by moving boxes, but by "enriching lives. The lessondon't move "product. Enrich
lives instead and watch your sales soar.
1
2
3
4
5
Carmine's experience buying a MacBook pro at the Apple store was like being set up
on a date and establishing a life-long commitment to the brand.
ABT Electronics in Chicago also sought inspiration outside conventional norms. The
Lobby looks like the atrium at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas, complete with dancing
water fountain.
ABT even built an aquarium inspired by the giant fish tank behind the check in desk
at the Las Vegas Mirage hotel.
"f you just think about what makes customers and employees happy, in today's
world that ends up being good for business. Tony Hsieh, Zappos CEO
PrincipIe
Seven:
Master the
message.
"You baked a really lovely
cake but then you used
for frosting.
You can have the most innovative idea in the world, but if you can't get people
excited about it, it doesn't matter. Steve Jobs is considered one of the greatest
corporate storytellers in the world because his presentations inform, educate and
entertain.
There are no bullet points in a Steve Jobs presentation
Title
0 30 100
CaLegory 1
CaLegory 2
CaLegory 3
CaLegory 4
Most !ower!oint slides are a confusing, convoluted mess.
This is a real !ower!oint slide used by the U.S military. f commanders can
understand this, they can win the war.
Steve Jobs thinks visually about presenting ideas, products, and information.
Simplicity: The Elimination of Clutter
n Apple's design world, simplicity is the elimination of clutter. The same holds true
for a Steve Jobs presentation.
!icture Superiority Effect (!SE)
BRD
10% 65%
f information is presented verbally, your audience will remember 10% of the
information. Attach a picture and retention goes up to 65%.
Text and images are so much more interesting than bullet points alone.
Don't Iet
the bozos
get you
down
One more thing.
nnovation takes confidence, boldness and the discipline to tune out negative voices.
e don't need you. You haven't
gotten through coIIege yet."
et your 1eet o11 my desk.
et out o1 here. You stink
and we're not going to buy
your product."
Your probIem is that you stiII
beIieve the way to grow is to serve
caviar in a worId that seems pretty
content with cheese and crackers."
There's no reason why anyone
wouId want a computer in their
home."
magine how one young man with big dreams must have felt when he heard the
following. Of course, these statements were all directed at one time or another to
Steve Jobs.
Don't the Iet noise o1
others' opinions drown out
your own inner voice."
Dream bigger."
!erhaps the ultimate lesson that Jobs teaches us is that innovation requires risk-
taking and risk taking takes courage and a bit of craziness. See genius in your
craziness. Believe in yourself and your vision and be prepared to constantly defend
those beliefs. Only then will innovation be allowed to flourish and only then will you
be able to lead an "insanely great life.