![Picture](/uploads/5/7/0/3/5703375/249594237.jpg)
![Picture](/uploads/5/7/0/3/5703375/6541402.jpg)
Tonight I attempted to create a blog post that served as a reflection of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, which I have been reading over the past month or so. I made a couple of lists: things that stuck out to me within the book, things that surprised me, lessons that I will always remember, etc. At the end of my list making, however, I realized that after reading this book I have a much clearer understanding of what it is like to be in a pivotal leadership position like Steve Jobs. In no way do I want to play down his peculiarities-- as many have said, Jobs had his demons. This was evident in the way that he interacted with those that he hired and fired, as well as the overall tone of how he went about his daily routines. In one sense Jobs was a crazy leader who had extreme expectations and was disliked by much of his workforce. In another sense he was one of the greatest visionaries and creative people of our time. Regardless of which you think is the dominant trait, the persona of Steve Jobs was multifaceted and one of a kind. As a result, it is a bit hard to write about. I didn't want to sit down and give you a simple recap of his life-- if you want that you can turn to Wikipedia. What I do want to talk about, however, is the way that Jobs kept recurring throughout the semester. ![]() In January I set out on my independent study quest, starting with Steven Levy's In the Plex. I spent the following month in a haze of Google, preparing for interview after interview and becoming very interested in the company's history, particularly that of Sergey Brin and Larry Page. I loved reading about their individual stories, which prompted me to begin my Innovation Leaders series. Throughout the semester I talked with a range of people about their path to an innovative career and how they value their current technological capabilities. One of the recurring themes was Steve Jobs himself-- many people included him in their descriptions of what inspired them at a young age and what they wish to be when crafting their corporation. Yes, Jobs was an incredible businessman, but this stemmed from a concentrated dream and tunnel-vision that made enemies quicker than it made friends. One of my favorite things about Issacson's book was the honest depiction of Job's as a person and as a family member and friend. He took an honest approach in describing Job's personality, but was also sure to highlight his greatness as a leader and as an innovator. For example, when Jobs gave his team an assignment with the Lisa computer and a strict deadline, many thought the feat would be impossible. When asked if they could have an extension, Jobs simply told them that that was not an option. ![]() After reading a couple of hundred pages, I certainly feel that I better know the man behind the myth of Apple Computer. He was no kind soul, however he accomplished in a lifetime what most only dream they could do. Throughout the semester I have talked with many local and national innovation leaders, our conversations always centering around the current state of America's technological innovation, as well as how and why we are where we are. Although many of these professionals come from different places and work in different fields, mot of them brought up Job's name at least once during our discussion. He made a mark on Kimberly Jenkins and Ajaz Ahmed at a young age, giving them a spark that lasted throughout their lifetime. Not only did Jobs inspire people, but he has been a visionary for some of the most revolutionary products of the century. I wrote an entire post on my first spring break as an iPhone owner, a device that I could barely comprehend when I was a Blackberry user. Although Jobs is no longer alive, I feel that his name will continue to come up in the realm of professionals with which I identify. I will be spending my summer at Google (I start work in less than three weeks!), where I look forward to applying the entrepreneurial and professional lessons that I have uncovered while researching for this class. Doing this independent study was an extremely valuable use of my semester because it gave me time to step back from my assigned homework and readings and realize what kind of company I admire and what kind of corporate world I would fit best in. However, the biggest takeaway was likely how to be a great leader, which is a skill that I am spending time developing while here at UNC. I have loved interviewing people, reading and writing for this class because all of the subject matter was exactly what I wanted to learn, which forced me to delve deeper into most topics and to conduct much additional research. Although I could talk for hours about what I did throughout the course of the semester and how much of it [surprisingly/unintentionally] relates back to Steve Jobs, in his honor I want to keep this relatively minimalistic. I plan to continue my Tech Thoughts blogging from the Googleplex this summer-- stay tuned! I look forward to see if I hear Steve Job's name has frequently there as I did at school this semester. Cheers!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Started restructuring this site on 12/24/2011 by adding this page. It will mainly consist of technology ramble and things that you probably won't read.
Archives
April 2012
Categories
All
|