#281 Working with Steve Jobs

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Dec 12, 2022

Dive into the relentless pursuit of perfection and excellence as drawn from the experiences of Steve Jobs. Discover how clarity of vision is essential in complex endeavors and why every day at Apple felt like a design-focused university. Hear fascinating stories about Jobs’ passion for outstanding products and his hands-on, high-standards leadership style. The discussion also draws parallels between Jobs and coaching legends, highlighting how intentionality can drive remarkable outcomes.

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ADVICE

Focus on One Thing

Communicate a well-articulated vision for complex endeavors.
Focus intensely on perfecting one specific thing, rather than trying to do everything.

INSIGHT

Clarity of Thought

Steve Jobs' clarity of thought was remarkable and easy to understand.
He provided specific directions for product development, ensuring alignment with his vision.

ANECDOTE

The Decisiveness of Steve Jobs

Ken Kocienda describes demoing iPad keyboard designs to Steve Jobs.
Jobs' direct feedback and decisive choice highlighted his focus on simplicity and user experience.

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Hackers and Painters

Paul Graham

In 'Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age,' Paul Graham delves into the motivations and activities of hackers and programmers. The book is a collection of essays that cover various topics such as the role of 'makers' in society, the design and complexity of software, the importance of beauty in software design, and the open-source movement. Graham also critiques the current educational system and discusses the historical and cultural context of hacking and programming. The essays provide an insightful look into what Graham calls 'an intellectual Wild West,' highlighting the significant impact of technology on how we think, work, and live.

Insanely simple

The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success

Ken Segall

In 'Insanely Simple,' Ken Segall delves into the culture and strategies that made Apple a leader in innovation. The book highlights Steve Jobs' relentless pursuit of simplicity, which was a key factor in Apple's success. Segall shares personal anecdotes and stories from his time working with Jobs, contrasting Apple's approach with that of other companies like Dell and Intel. He emphasizes the importance of small groups of smart people, minimal bureaucracy, and the power of simplicity in achieving clarity and efficiency. The book provides valuable insights into how simplicity can be a driving force for success in any organization.

Creative Selection

Inside Apple's Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs

Ken Kocienda

In 'Creative Selection,' Ken Kocienda offers a detailed look at Apple's software development process during his 15-year tenure at the company. The book focuses on the 'creative selection' process, a method of iterative development through continuous demos and feedback. Kocienda shares stories of his work on key products like the iPhone, iPad, and Safari web browser, and discusses the essential elements of innovation at Apple, including inspiration, collaboration, craft, diligence, decisiveness, taste, and empathy. The book provides insights into the working culture and decision-making processes under Steve Jobs' leadership.

Becoming Steve Jobs

The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader

Brent Schlender

Rick Tetzeli

This book provides a rich and revealing account of Steve Jobs' life, drawing on exclusive access to his family, former inner circle executives, and top people at Apple, Pixar, and Disney. It humanizes Jobs by explaining his behavior and highlighting his growth from a brash founder to a mature and effective leader. The narrative includes stories never told before and offers a fresh perspective on Jobs' career, particularly his time at NeXT and Pixar, and his return to Apple. The authors, who had close relationships with Jobs, detail how he learned to trust his inner circle, became more patient, and developed a more mature management style, ultimately transforming the daily life of billions of people.

Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest Products

Leander Kahney

This book offers a detailed portrait of Jony Ive, from his early days as an English art school student with dyslexia to his rise as the most acclaimed tech designer of his generation. Leander Kahney draws on interviews with Ive’s former colleagues and Apple insiders to provide insight into the creation of Apple's most iconic products. The book highlights Ive’s collaboration with Steve Jobs, their impact on reversing Apple’s decline, and how their designs have revolutionized modern technology and created a global fan base[2][3][4].

What I learned from rereading Creative Selection: Inside Apple's Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs by Ken Kocienda.

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[2:01] We're going to relentlessly chase perfection, knowing full well we will not catch it, because perfection is not attainable. But we are going to relentlessly chase it because, in the process, we will catch excellence.

[2:01] I'm not remotely interested in being just good.

[3:00] Gentlemen, this is the most important play we have. It's the play we must make go. It's the play that we will make go. It's the play that we will run again, and again, and again.

[4:00] In any complex effort, communicating a well-articulated vision for what you're trying to do is the starting point for figuring out how to do it.

[4:00] A significant part of attaining excellence in any field is closing the gap between the accidental and intentional, to achieve not just a something, or even an everything, but a specific and well-chosen thing.

[6:00] Every day at Apple was like going to school, a design-focused, high-tech, product-creation university.

[8:00] A story about Steve’s clarity of thought.

[9:00] Although Steve's opinions and moods could be hard to anticipate, he was utterly predictable when it came to his passion for products. He wanted Apple products to be great.

[11:00] The decisiveness of Steve Jobs.

[16:00] Steve wasn't merely interested in paying lip service to this goal. He demanded action. Steve found the time to attend a demo review so he could see it. His involvement kept the progress and momentum going.

[17:00] Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Hack away the unessential.

[17:00] People do not care about your product as much as you do. You have to make it simple and easy to use right from the start.

[18:00] Steve Jobs believed that stripping away nonessential features made products easier for people to learn from the start and easier to use over time.

[19:00] Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success by Ken Segall

[22:00] Don’t rest on your laurels. Steve said: “I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what's next.”

[24:00] The sooner we started making creative decisions the more time there was to refine and improve those decisions. (The sooner you start the more time you will have to get it right.)

[26:00] The simple transaction of buying a song, and of handing over a credit card number to Apple in order to so, became part of what Steve had begun calling “the Apple experience." As a great marketer, Steve understood that every interaction a customer had with Apple could increase or decrease his or her respect for the company. As he put it, a corporation "could accumulate or withdraw credits" from its reputation, which is why he worked so hard to ensure that every single interaction a customer might have with Apple-from using a Mac to calling customer support to buying a single from the iTunes store and then getting billed for it-was excellent. —— Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader by Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli (Founders #265)

[29:00] Studying great work from the past provides the means of comparison and contrast and lets us tap into the collective creativity of previous generations. The past is a source of the timeless and enduring.

[29:00] Design is how it works. —Steve Jobs

[31:00] Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham (Founders #275, 276, 277)

[34:00] Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple's Greatest Products by Leander Kahney. (Founders #178)

[37:00] Our clarity of purpose kept us on track.

[38:00] Concentrating keenly on what to do helped us block out what not to do.

[40:00] Steve Jobs on the importance of working at the intersection of liberal arts and technology:

“The reason that Apple is able to create products like the iPad is because we've always tried to be at the intersection of technology and liberal arts, to be able to get the best of both, to make extremely advanced products from a technology point of view, but also have them be intuitive, easy to use, fun to use, so that they really fit the users. The users don't have to come to them, they come to the user.”

[42:00] Steve Jobs provided his single-minded focus on making great products, and his vision motivated me.

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