#349 How Steve Jobs Kept Things Simple
Founders
Intro
This chapter delves into Steve Jobs' commitment to simplicity in his leadership and business strategies, inspired by Ken Siegel's insights. It underscores the significance of clear communication and the tendency to complicate ideas, illustrating how distilling concepts to their essence can drive organizational success.
What I learned from reading Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success by Ken Segall.
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(1:30) Steve wanted Apple to make a product that was simply amazing and amazingly simple.
(3:00) If you don’t zero in on your bureaucracy every so often, you will naturally build in layers. You never set out to add bureaucracy. You just get it. Period. Without even knowing it. So you always have to be looking to eliminate it. — Sam Walton: Made In America by Sam Walton. (Founders #234)
(5:00) Steve was always easy to understand. He would either approve a demo, or he would request to see something different next time. Whenever Steve reviewed a demo, he would say, often with highly detailed specificity, what he wanted to happen next. — Creative Selection: Inside Apple's Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs by Ken Kocienda. (Founders #281)
(7:00) Watch this video. Andy Miller tells GREAT Steve Jobs stories.
(10:00) Many are familiar with the re-emergence of Apple. They may not be as familiar with the fact that it has few, if any parallels.
When did a founder ever return to the company from which he had been rudely rejected to engineer a turnaround as complete and spectacular as Apple's? While turnarounds are difficult in any circumstances they are doubly difficult in a technology company. It is not too much of a stretch to say that Steve founded Apple not once but twice. And the second time he was alone.
— Return to the Little Kingdom: Steve Jobs and the Creation of Appleby Michael Moritz.
(15:00) If the ultimate decision maker is involved every step of the way the quality of the work increases.
(20:00) "You asked the question, What was your process like?' I kind of laugh because process is an organized way of doing things. I have to remind you, during the 'Walt Period' of designing Disneyland, we didn't have processes. We just did the work. Processes came later. All of these things had never been done before. Walt had gathered up all these people who had never designed a theme park, a Disneyland. So we're in the same boat at one time, and we figure out what to do and how to do it on the fly as we go along with it and not even discuss plans, timing, or anything. We just worked and Walt just walked around and had suggestions." — Disney's Land: Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park That Changed the World by Richard Snow. (Founders #347)
(23:00) The further you get away from 1 the more complexity you invite in.
(25:00) Your goal: A single idea expressed clearly.
(26:00) Jony Ive: Steve was the most focused person I’ve met in my life
(28:00) Editing your thinking is an act of service.
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“I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — Gareth
Be like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast
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