Steve Jobs on Leadership
Steve Jobs was a complex leader — inspiring to some, brutal to others. His methods remain controversial but undeniably effective.
Key Principles
#### 1. Focus on What Matters
When Jobs returned to Apple, he killed 70% of products.
"People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas."
Apple succeeds by doing few things exceptionally well.
#### 2. Own the Whole Experience
Jobs insisted on controlling hardware, software, and services together. Critics called it "closed"; Jobs called it integrated.
The result: products that "just work."
#### 3. Design Is How It Works
"Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works."
Jobs spent as much time on what users never see (circuit board layout, internal packaging) as external appearance.
#### 4. Hire A-Players
Jobs believed great people don't need managing — they need a mission.
"A small team of A+ players can run circles around a giant team of B and C players."
#### 5. Push for the Impossible
Jobs' "reality distortion field" convinced people to achieve what they thought impossible.
Sometimes this was abusive. But it also produced extraordinary products.
Controversial Aspects
Brutal honesty: Jobs called bad work "shit" to people's faces. This motivated some, devastated others.
Credit-taking: He absorbed others' ideas as his own.
Emotional manipulation: Could charm or berate depending on what he wanted.
The Lesson
You probably shouldn't copy Jobs completely. But his principles — focus, integration, design excellence, high standards — work regardless of management style.
The question: Can you achieve excellence without the cruelty?
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