Monday, May 14, 2007

Steve Jobs' 20 rules of success


Steve Jobs' rules for success:
  • First thing: As soon as you join/start a company, make a list of strengths and weaknesses of yourself and your company on a piece of paper.
  • Don't hesitate in throwing bad apples out of the company.
  • Don't worry about too many things at once. Take a handful of simple things to begin with, and then progress to more complex ones.
  • People judge you by your performance, so focus on the outcome.
  • Success generates more success. So be hungry for it. "I've always wanted to own and control the primary technology in everything we do."
  • Ask for feedback, from people with diverse backgrounds. Each one will tell you one useful thing.
  • If you're at the top of the chain, sometimes people won't give you honest feedback because they're afraid. In this case, disguise yourself, or get feedback from other sources (Steve Jobs actually called Apple Customer Care disguising himself as a customer, just to check on them).
  • Focus on those who will use your product - listen to your customers first.
  • Advertise. If they don't know it, they won't buy your product.
  • Pay attention to design. "We made the buttons on the screen look so good you'll want to lick them." "Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works."
  • "Innovation distinguishes a leader from a follower." If there's a better technology available, use it no matter if anyone else is not using it. Be the first, and make it an industry standard. “I think this is the start of something really big. Sometimes that first step is the hardest one, and we've just taken it.”
  • “Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected.”
  • Learn to criticize your enemies openly, but honestly.
  • If you partner someone whom you don't like, learn to like them - praise them and benefit from them - "Ecosystem approach"
  • Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.
  • Do your best at every job. No sleep!
  • Think about not just tomorrow, but the future. “I want to put a ding in the universe.”
  • There's always "one more thing" to learn!
  • "Better be a pirate than to join the navy"
  • "Think different"

3 comments:

Mohican yells said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mohican yells said...

Great thoughts! I guess this is what makes a successful person different from others. The best line I liked is "better to be a pirate, than to join the navy."....This is amazing. To be successful one has to take risk, the one who always looks for security, will have to satisfy with mediocre life...

Accredited GED Online said...

Really important written content. the information that you shown is hard to faith and many superbly i liked the way you afford things here.