1.) For this assignment, I chose to read Steve Jobs' biography. The most surprising aspect of his life as well as what I admire most is the fact that he dropped out of college and became as successful as he did. His parents, both biological and adoptive, did a lot so he could go to college so it really had to take some guts to drop out. The fact that he had enough faith in himself to succeed without a degree is astonishing to me. I know plenty of people who have dropped out of college, not done much with their lives, and regretted it. I find the least admiring aspect of his life was how arrogant and assertive he was. This book gave me the feeling that Jobs was quite full of himself, especially the excerpt where Isaacson discusses Steve's job at Atari and his body odor that made the CEO force him to work the night shift is icing on the cake. Many of his coworkers at Atari also didn't like collaborating with him because he was arrogant which isn't very respectable. Even if he was a smart man, he could have been coy about it. He did experience a bit of adversity with the launch of the first Mac. There was a loss in sales but Jobs came back with an impressive marketing campaign that boosted the popularity of the company and increased sales.
2.) A main core competency that I noticed with Steve Jobs was his ability to be creative and think outside the box. For example, it's astonishing that he was able to come up with a marketing strategy that resurrected the plummeting sales. He was also a perfectionist and paid extreme attention to detail which is another pattern that was prevalent in this reading. I believe this was a big portion if what made his products so successful even if his tendency to be anal with details potentially sprouted from his hallucinogenic drug use.
3.)My main confusion lied in Jobs' family background. I'm a little confused as to why his parents gave him up, why they didn't really stay in touch, and why his parents were able to keep his sister and not him. I don't think it was a mistake by any means, he obviously did phenomenal without them but the whole concept leaves my mind wondering. Although his grandfather kept his biological parents apart, I think he still could have been kept.
4.)If I could ask Steve Jobs two questions, they would be: 1. Do you have any regrets regarding how you ran your company and treated your employees? 2. What are your decision making styles/methods? I chose the first question because he didn't have the best reputation and I'm curios as to whether or not he knows how arrogant and rude he was. I'd like to know if he would change how he treated his colleagues if he could go back or if he wouldn't change a thing. I feel effective communication is important to being a successful manager but it didn't seem to matter in his case. The second question is substantial because decision making is a very important part of being successful in just about every situation. His methods to making the right decisions had to have some sort of science to them. Jobs wasn't correct all the time but his decisions seem to have done him more harm than good and I think it would be crucial to understanding how one would achieve his level of success.
5.)Steve put hard work at one of the highest of priorities, only second to perfection. Working hard was one of his core values and he fired anyone who fell short of his standard. I agree that hard work is important but by no means think that someone should be fired for displaying the slightest bit of slack. Hard work is crucial to success, but no one needs to be pushed to the point of 90 hour weeks.
Kristen,
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting read because I found out things about Steve Jobs that I did not know regarding his personality and ethics. I guess he was like that because he really just wanted his company to succeed and trusted his process so much that he did not want anything getting in the way of it. He definitely had some obstacles to go through in the process and his rough upbringing already makes what he has done so much more impressive. It seemed like he worked extremely hard but also set such high standards for himself and for his company, that he expected the same kind of work and intelligence from everyone else which he knew was not possible.
Hey Kristen! I found it super interesting how you read the same book I read. I had no idea Steve Jobs was raised by a dropout who pushed him to be the best version of himself. I also find it interesting how you mentioned the fact that Jobs dropped out of college. It reflects what his father did exactly. Additionally, the questions you chose to ask him are intriguing. It would be intresting to know if Steve has regrets and what his decision making process is. He did more harm then good throughout his career but passed away to be known as a genius. Great job highlighting everything and how he became an entrepreneur simply from being curious and addressing a need during the technology age.
ReplyDeleteHi Kristen,
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Steve Jobs is one of the best successful people that has ever existed for his ability to see beyond. He was a man that was always thinking in the future. I have not seen his autobiography but from your findings, his life seems to be very interesting and sad at the same time. The fact that his parents gave him up is heartbreaking. It is also very inspirational because despite all that he was still able to succeed. It seems that you took this assignment seriously since each of your responses is very detailed. Overall I think you did a great job. Thank you for sharing!
Arrogance is definitely not a flattering quality, especially in a leader. Over the years arrogance is the main adjective I heard that people would use to describe Steve Jobs. However, he truly was innovative. I believe Apple should spend some more time in Research and Development because since Steve’s passing has left many customers underwhelmed with their annual releases. It is sad to read that Steve did not have strong connections with those in his life. To me, my family and friends mean the world to me, and I could not imagine not having them around.
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