March 29, 2011

What is it about Steve Jobs and his company Apple that we find so compelling, so fascinating, so central to the lore of business management?

The Steve Jobs Way, by former Apple senior vice president Jay Elliot (written with William Simon, author of iCon), may actually be the first publication to unwrap the answer to that question in an authentic and useful way. Nearly every other treatment of Steve Jobs and his iconic company is from an arms-length observation. What sets this book apart is the fact that Jay Elliot was there at the beginning, up close and personal, with Jobs for many years.

"We were quite a contrast," writes Elliot. "He was this hippy-looking twenty-something in jeans and sneakers. About the only thing we seemed to have in common was that at the time we were both wearing beards. But we quickly discovered a shared passion for computers. The guy was a fire-eater, bursting with energy, lighting up at the idea that I held key positions in technology but had left IBM when I found them slow to accept new ideas. He introduced himself as Steve Jobs, Board Chairman of Apple Computer. I had barely heard of Apple. Then he took me entirely by surprise, saying he'd like me to come work for him. On a Friday two weeks later, I started working..."

The rest, as they say, is history. And Jay Elliot's treatment of it is entertaining, enlightening, and educational.

Big idea:

While Steve Jobs "is in a class by himself," there are lessons in leadership and life that can be learned from a close personal examination of Jobsian (or, as Elliot writes, "Stevian") thoughts, action, and decisions if viewed with the intent to answer a single question: What is it that has made Steve Jobs so unique in the ways he runs an organization that brings such convenience and pleasure to so many people around the world?

Key takeaways:

The Steve Jobs Way reads more like a biography than anything else. Elliot makes you feel as if you were there, giving you a great behind-the-scenes look at a number of important events in the Steve Jobs saga. There are no to-do lists or obvious action items that might prescribe "the Steve Jobs way." But at the end of the book, Elliot provides a list of nine principles:

• Be passionate about each project you work on

• Be driven by an opportunity and create a product for it

• Always be open to talent who can help

• Do your best to make the product intuitive, so a user's manual isn't needed

• Be really honest with yourself about your products

• Ensure that the products represent you and your traits as a person

• Work through your people and celebrate as a unit with every success

• Keep innovating to get closer and closer to your ideal, your vision of perfection that goes beyond the currently achievable reality

• Don't listen to people who say it can't be done

Liked most:

There are three facets of The Steve Jobs Way that I truly loved. First is the chapter entitled "Holistic Product Development," which is a 10-page primer on innovation, and a must-read for anyone wanting to truly grasp the essence of the Jobsian mindset.

Second is the sentiment offered by Apple COO Tim Cook in an interview with Elliot: "We're constantly focusing on innovating. We believe in the simple, not the complex. We believe that we need to own and control the primary technologies behind the products that we make, and participate only in markets where we can make a significant contribution. We believe in saying no to thousands of projects, so that we can really focus on the few that are truly important and meaningful to us. We believe in deep collaboration and cross-pollination of our groups, which allows us to innovate in a way that others cannot. And frankly, we don't settle for anything less than excellence in every group in the company, and we have the self-honesty to admit when we're wrong and the courage to change."

Third is the book's closing: "A Letter to Steve."

Best for:

Anyone wishing to get an insider's view of the Steve Jobs/Apple story delivered through highly readable anecdotes will love this book. 

Related Topics

• Innovation

Related keywords

Matthew E. May, Article, guru review, business books, Apple, William Simon, Jay Elliot

Join the conversation ( 1 )

• Lorrin Lee 11 months ago

  

  I really enjoyed this book and gained a lot of insights that will help to make my life better so I can inspire more people to do the same. Thanks to Steve Jobs, the world can be lived in a more productive and fun way with Apple. Steve is the "ULTIMATE CONSUMER" ...and that may be his greatest secret. Through him, Apple continues to produce products that people lust for and use with passion. For me, it has made my journey in life more fun by constantly learning better ways to live my life with the power of Apple computers and the pure joy of using them. Thank you, Steve ...and Jay Elliot for sharing this ongoing and amazing story. Lorrin Lee, Hawaiihttp://lorrinlee.com