Strategic Intuition – by Kunaal Arya

Around 2002, when I came across the iPod, I got interested in business. I know AAPL was my first stock pick, and it was around the time I started getting interested. I was young, and was lucky to have mentors, and I read tons of books on business, after I realized it wasn’t cool to hate books. I started little businesses. I still remember Steve Jobs being my inspiration. I knew at 15-16, that I wanted to do great in the world. That I wanted to create, grow, execute, and run a great company. I started to learn more about Steve’s history as I went through University. I was amazed by his drive, and vision. I recognized the importance of design, and usability, through his products. I scoffed at pretty much all other companies, because they didn’t get it.

I’m saddened by Steve’s death. Although, I never met him, or have even been in the industry. He has had a profound impact on my life. I read the letters which industry leaders released and teared up. Steve has always been at the very core of my inspiration, drive, and motivation. As I read, watched and learned more about Steve over the years, I picked out the underlying factors which led to his success. Today, I remembered them again, and realized the impact it has had on my life. Although Steve is gone, there is no reason why we can’t continue to be inspired by what he has done, and use it as inspiration in our own lives, and in the work we do, to make our own dent in the universe.

3 Lessons From Steve Jobs

Steve Went Through Hell And Still Kicked Ass

Steve dropped out of college, started Apple, and lost it when he was kicked out of his own company. He didn’t sulk, and retire. He came back and he created two other companies, NeXT, and Pixar, then came back to Apple and turned a $5B company into $350B. Steve Jobs had cancer for a good part of this last decade, and still fought on, and still brought great products to market, all the while ensuring the right leadership was in place. This went into his personal life as well. Walt Mossberg posted a blog after Steve’s death and told a story about when he was ill, he asked Walt to go for a walk with him, and told him everyday he walks a little bit more, and that day he was going to walk over a mile to the neighbourhood park. Walt told him he wasn’t comfortable with it, but Steve said he had to. Steve Wozniak was quoted after Steve’s death saying: “People sometimes have goals in life. Steve Jobs exceeded every goal he ever set for himself.”

Lesson #1: Steve didn’t make excuses, and you shouldn’t either. Steve is an example of putting in your full effort into anything you do that you truly believe in. Find your passion, find THAT job, and kill it. If that fails, do whatever it takes to be in the next step, and hustle and kill it. Don’t make excuses, just like Steve never did. Exceed every goal you ever set for yourself.

Steve Jobs was born out of wedlock, put up for adoption at birth, dropped out of college, then changed the world. What’s your excuse? – @jwmoss

Steve Had The Vision For The Big Picture, While Paying Attention To The Details

Steve has been known to pay attention to the smallest details. According to Google’s Vic Gundotra, Steve left a message for him on a Sunday and asked to call him back at home:

“So Vic, we have an urgent issue, one that I need addressed right away. I’ve already assigned someone from my team to help you, and I hope you can fix this tomorrow” said Steve. “I’ve been looking at the Google logo on the iPhone and I’m not happy with the icon. The second O in Google doesn’t have the right yellow gradient. It’s just wrong and I’m going to have Greg fix it tomorrow. Is that okay with you?”

You can see the attention to detail in all of Apple’s products. Steve was involved with the product design of every product, and especially the flagship products to make them as perfect as possible. Steve wasn’t always like that, he learned it more and more, and especially at Pixar, and came back and led Apple with his attention to detail.

Lesson #2: Pay attention to the smallest of details, while building your vision of the future. With Steve it was in products. With you it may be in your work. It may be in your personal life. Know the big picture of where you will be in the future, and pay attention to the detail of the pieces to get there. Whether you’re building a spreadsheet, an advertising campaign, a memo, a company, an iPhone app. Do it to perfection. Improve on it. Everyone isn’t perfect. But strive to be. And improve along the way. Ask yourself when you’re done. Did I do this to perfection? No? Fix it! The little things count as much as the big things.

Steve Had Innovation At His Core

Steve has been a pioneer for innovation. There are very few innovators in the world today, and they even they admire Steve Jobs and were admired by him deeply. He brought to market the first personal computer. He made computers beautiful from the iBook to the iMac to the Macbook Air. He turned the music industry on their heads by bringing to market the iPod, and putting 1000s of songs into our pockets. He transformed the mobile phone industry with the iPhone, and turned RIM, Nokia, Sony Erricsson and many others on their heads. Through Siri, he brought the, although basic, artificial intelligence into the palm of your hand. He brought the first easy to use, and affordable tablet, and who knows what is left in the Apple pipeline. A famous quote from Steve: “There must be a better way.”

Lesson #3: Innovate in everything you do. Not everyone is going to be as innovative as Steve Jobs. Although, I think Elon Musk can come close. But have innovation as a goal in your life. In your job, find something innovative that can improve a process or a product or a service. Your company doesn’t like it? Go do it on your own! Innovate in your personal life. Be creative. (Nine Ways to Set Your Creativity on Fire) Find that spark. Find that passion, that leads to the spark. Build the knowledge that can create a spark. Read, learn, be inspired. Go to an art gallery, flip an industry upside down, write something, create something. Don’t have a talent? Go find one. Go make one. “There’s a phrase in Buddhism, ‘Beginner’s mind.’ It’s wonderful to have a beginner’s mind.” (Steve Jobs) Dream big. Like Steve said, “We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?” Find the better way.

Steve Jobs inspired, and was admired by all of us. Although he is now gone, his legacy lives on and it lives on strong. We can all look at Steve’s life and miss him, we all will. But know that he lives in each of us through the powerful message he left through the actions he took. Don’t look at the products he brought the world, or the industries he reshaped. Look at his actions at the very basic level. Hustle, Attention to Detail, and Innovation. Bring those into your life, and make your own dent on the universe. However big, however small. You never know who you may inspire along the way. Open your eyes, and use your beginner’s mind.

Take action towards your goals today. Never delay, never procrastinate. Hustle and innovate everyday…just like Steve did.

Some Great Articles on Steve Jobs

Icon Ambulance by Vic Gundotra

The Steve I Knew by Walt Mossberg – All Things D

The Tao of Steve by Om Malik – GigaOM

Reactions to Steve Jobs’ Death – Gizmodo

Robert Scoble Talks About Steve Jobs – Robert Scoble

Eric Schmidt on Steve Jobs

By the Way, What Have You Done That’s So Great? - Jason Calacanis

And some quotes sourced from Twitter and others

Don’t mourn because it’s over. Celebrate because it was.

Once in a rare while, somebody comes along who doesnt just raise the bar, they create an entirely new standard of measurement. – Dick Costello

Steve Jobs actually changed the world. Do you know how fucking impossible that is?

The next Steve Jobs is in a class room somewhere and I hope we can provide the tools to feed their imagination.

He changed the world—my world, your world, the entire world. His words to live by: “There must be a better way. – Guy Kawasaki

The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. – Bill Gates