steve jobs problem solving

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This month marks the 10th anniversary of the passing of Steve Jobs , a tireless tech visionary, an extraordinary innovator, and the cofounder of Apple . When he died on 5 October 2011 at age 56, he left a lasting legacy.

Jobs's innovations made a profound impact. He redefined computing, enhancing the user experience, and created products and services loved by millions around the world. He reshaped the music industry with the iPod, the mobile phone industry with the iPhone, and the movie industry with Pixar Animation Studios . He also transformed the publishing industry with iBooks and media subscription services.

Jobs also redefined what a high-tech corporate campus should look like, according to a 2011 IEEE Spectrum article . One of the final products he pitched was Apple Park , the company's corporate campus in Cupertino, Calif. Jobs designed it to be a curved structure without a straight piece of glass. Construction on the four-story building, nicknamed the spaceship , was completed in 2017. It now can house 12,000 employees.

Jobs had amazing vision. He foresaw what the future of technology could—and should—be. And, crucially, he brought that vision to fruition.

In his tribute to Jobs, former U.S. President Barack Obama described him as "brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it. He made the information revolution not only accessible but intuitive and fun."

Jobs was not an engineer, an IT professional, or even a college graduate. Still, he was able to make lasting contributions to the technology and business worlds.

Engineers, IT professionals, and business executives can learn valuable lessons by studying his career. Here are 10 that I've identified—strategies that can help a wide range of professionals excel.

Think differently and work persistently. Jobs encouraged others to think differently and creatively in conceiving new products and solving problems. He said, "When you first start off trying to solve a problem, the first solutions you come up with are very complex, and most people stop there. But if you keep going and live with the problem and peel more layers of the onion off, you can oftentimes arrive at some very elegant and simple solutions. Most people just don't put in the time or energy to get there."

Anticipate and create the need. Jobs had an uncanny ability to foresee and define trends in computers and consumer electronics . "A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them," he said. "We shouldn't overly rely on focus groups. Sometimes the most innovative of products contradict what the end users envision." He showed people what they need, not just what they asked for.

Jobs could anticipate what we wanted before we even knew we wanted it, creating a market for a product where none had previously existed. And he led the creation and marketing of irresistible products including the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, which spurred several companies to follow suit with similar products and marketing strategies.

Create a vision and innovate. By staying focused on new ideas that no other company was working on, Jobs was able to create a vision, develop novel products within that vision, and then do it again and again. On its 25 October 2005 cover, Time magazine hailed Jobs as "the man who always seems to know what's next." His legacy extends beyond the technology and computing worlds into other businesses.

Focus on design. Good design is the hallmark of most Apple products. The company's design process honors and addresses users' needs—both expressed and perceived. Jobs showed that being the first to launch a new product is less important than being the first to launch a product that embraces good design and is of value to its users. The iPod, for example, came four years after the first MP3 players on the market, but it quickly surpassed them when it debuted. The iPod was the first user-friendly and innovative means of accessing music on the go. Its physical design, the minimalist layout, the screen with playlists, and the easy-access buttons made it successful, and the iTunes store made it easier for people to discover and buy music and organize it into personal playlists.

Engineer software and hardware together. Most tech companies specialized in either hardware or software, but Jobs pursued both. Apple built systems encompassing hardware and software, closely aligning the device and its operating environment to optimize system performance. Apple built a mobile phone running its operating system and created a store where users could download a wide variety of apps and games that run on it, thus embracing vertical integration. Jobs led Apple in building technological systems , not simply products, and that distinct strategy made Apple Apple.

Get your priorities straight. Jobs excelled at choosing the right project at the right time and deciding its features. It's a skill that many professionals lack. Saying "No" matters. It's only by saying "No" that you can concentrate on the things that are really important. On making choices, Jobs said, "I'm as proud of what we don't do as I am of what we do."

Embrace multidisciplinary perspectives. Apple's tech products' success and popularity are attributed, in part, to their artistic and humanistic flavor. With their sleek looks and intuitive features, they embed aspects of the arts and humanities. As Jobs had emphasized, "Technology alone is not enough. It is technology married with the liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields the results that make our hearts sing." He provided in his products a compelling user experience in ways not previously envisioned. Start with the customer experience and work back toward technology, he advised.

Pay attention to details and strive for perfection. To get things right, Jobs paid attention to every detail—and from multiple angles. He achieved the best products, best design, best quality, and best delivery. Attention to detail is the ability to achieve thoroughness and accuracy when accomplishing a task. Being detail-oriented is essential to delivering quality work and reducing errors. Jobs's genuine passion for detail is what made his company's products stand out.

Keep improving. Users want to be delighted with new offerings that further enhance their product experience. Apple constantly developed follow-up versions designed to improve the user experience while introducing new products. Developers and business executives should always be considering potential improvements to their products and services.

Master your communication. You might have a novel idea, but if you can't get people excited about it, you can't sell it and move your idea forward. You need to tell a compelling story or make a convincing, realistic case. Jobs was a captivating communicator and a great corporate storyteller.

His Macworld keynotes —known as Stevenotes —were fascinating. He showed upfront the benefits, features, and end-user experiences his products and services offered—not just boring specifications. To make a persuasive presentation, he would deliver a story or a statement that excited the audience; pose a problem or a question that had to be solved or answered; offer a solution to the problem he raised; describe benefits for adopting the course of action he proposed; and state a call to action ("Now go out and buy").

People have criticized Jobs's personal traits. But, as G. Pascal Zachary wrote in a 2011 IEEE Spectrum article, "Despite his infamous bad temper, his impatience, and his penchant for tantrums, Jobs was the ultimate human-centered technologist—even while he was the ultimate digital autocrat."

To learn more about Jobs's strategy, passion, and leadership, view this slideshow and listen to his inspiring 2005 commencement address at Stanford University. He told three stories about connecting the dots, love and loss, and death.

As Tim Cook, the current CEO of Apple, wrote to his staff recently, Jobs "challenged us to see the world not for what it was but for what it could be. [He] was a singular figure, but he taught us all how to soar."

Adopting Jobs's lessons in our work can help us create a lasting legacy that we and others can be proud of.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Steve Jobs' 10 Most Innovative Creations

How Steve Jobs Changed the World

15 Little-known facts about Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs and the Apple Story

" iGenius How Steve Jobs Changed The World "

Jobs's valuable general advice , delivered in that 2005 Stanford speech:

"You've got to find what you love. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma—which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And, most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition."

• The Real Story of Pixar - IEEE Spectrum ›
• Steve Jobs in Four Easy Steps - IEEE Spectrum ›
• Apple Has the Most Powerful Patent Portfolio in Consumer ... ›
• In the Politics of Innovation, Steve Jobs Shows Less Is More - IEEE ... ›
• To Look Forward, Sometimes You Have to Look Back - IEEE Spectrum ›
• Text of Steve Jobs' Commencement address (2005) ›
• Steve Jobs - Wikipedia ›
• Remembering Steve Jobs - Apple ›
• Jony Ive on What He Misses Most About Steve Jobs - WSJ ›

Apple focuses strongly on creating what Ricardo Saltz Gulko would call, ‘Simplified Experiences’. In fact, one of their company values is literally, ‘We believe in the simple, not the complex’. Check out this article to know more. https://bit.ly/3mMpZNn

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What Is Problem-Solving? How to Use Problem-Solving Skills to Resolve Issues

Great businesses don’t exist to simply grow and make money. Instead, they solve the world’s problems , from tiny issues to giant dilemmas. Problem-solving is essentially the main function of organizations. An effective organization will have systems and processes in place to reach their goals and solve problems. If a company has team members and leaders who have poor problem-solving skills, that means they’re ineffective at one of the core functions of a business.

What Is Problem-Solving?

What is the general process of problem-solving, 1. define the problem, 2. brainstorm possible solutions, 3. research several options.

After you’ve come up with several possible alternative solutions, pick two or three that seem the most promising using your analytical skills. Then you’ll need to buckle down and do some research to see which one to pursue. Conduct your research using primary and secondary resources.

4. Select a Solution

In order to make the most objective decision:

5. Develop an Action Plan

When the right choice is made, and the solution is placed into the overall strategy, start developing an action plan . Lay out the “who,” “what,” “when,” “why,” and “how.” Visualize exactly what success looks like with this new plan. When working through the problem-solving process, write all the details down. This helps leaders construct action items and delegate them accordingly. Never leave this part of the process empty-handed. Your team needs a clear picture of expectations so they can properly implement the solution. And if everything works, you can use this problem-solving model in the future.

The Best Problem-Solving Strategies and Tools

One of the best ways to discover the root cause of a problem is by utilizing the 5 Whys method. This strategy was developed by Sakichi Toyoda, founder of Toyota Industries. It’s as simple as it sounds. When a problem occurs, ask why it happened five times. In theory, the last answer should get to the heart of the issue.

First Principles Thinking

When one engages in first principles thinking , they end up questioning what everyone just assumes to be true. It effectively removes those assumptions , breaking things down into their most basic elements that are probably true. It’s all about getting to that core foundation of truth and building out from there. Problem-solving skills should always include first principles thinking.

Steve Jobs’ Problem-Solving Method

What to do when a problem feels too big to solve.

Tackling a problem that feels too big to solve requires a can-do, positive mindset. In order to improve your problem-solving, you’ll need to take remember these steps. Imagine what is possible instead of focusing on what seems impossible. As you do so, you’ll become skilled in solving all sorts of problems while also improving your decision-making.

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How Steve Jobs Turned Setbacks Into Success His story serves as a reminder that disasters also make the eventual triumph sweeter.

By Richard Koch Dec 28, 2020

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

The following excerpt is from Unreasonable Success and How to Achieve It: Unlocking the Nine Secrets of People Who Changed the World , out now via Entrepreneur Press. Purchase from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | IndieBound | Entrepreneur Press .

It is not enough to be resilient and get over setbacks; to be unreasonably successful, you must learn to positively thrive on them. No one knew that better than Steve Jobs.

In 1985, Jobs was brutally fired from the company he had founded. Jobs sold all his shares — 11% of Apple — bar one solitary share. This was not the action of a man planning a comeback. He was out, it seemed, forever.

Can you imagine what that must have done to the man who thought he was a genius, the man who had created the Macintosh — possibly, despite its weaknesses, the greatest product leap forward Silicon Valley had ever made — and was now frozen out of Apple? To add insult to injury, Apple shares soared almost 7% when his departure was announced.

He then immersed himself in something called NeXT. The product was a high-end workstation sold only to colleges and universities. NeXT was a caricature of Jobs' search for a spectacular product, along with all his worst indulgences and habits. He started by paying $100,000 for a logo, a perfect black cube. Because the logo was so beautiful, Jobs insisted that the computer should also be a perfect cube, which was expensive to manufacture. Jobs built a fancy futuristic factory, complete with white walls, $20,000 black leather chairs and an impossibly grand staircase which seemed to float in space. The head office had one of these too.

The product went on the market in mid-1989, some two years late. It had some great features, such as the Oxford dictionary and complete works of Shakespeare. The computer had an optical read/write disk, but no backup floppy disk. The optical disk had high capacity but was slow. Jobs had promised his academic market that it would cost between $2,000 and $3,000, but it came out at $6,500. If you wanted a printer, it was another $2,000, and an additional $2,500 for an external hard disk. NeXT expected to sell its factory capacity of 10,000 computers a month. Only 400 a month were sold.

Related: Driving the Road to Success

NeXT was a magnificent flop — Jobs at his most expansive and least commercial. Yet the venture served a function for Jobs: It distracted him from being fired from Apple, it kept him in the digital game, it preserved his self-respect as a player in the brave new world, it gave him valuable lessons in how not to create a viable business, and most of all, it eventually paved the way for his return to Apple, when it was in even worse straits than NeXT.

While NeXT limped on, Jobs' obsession with digital images and computer animation pulled him ever deeper into another massive learning experience. After leaving Apple, he had become the majority investor in Pixar, whose main product was the Pixar Image Computer. It sold for $125,000, mainly to digital animators and graphic designers (think Silicon Valley serving Hollywood). Disney was Pixar's biggest customer. Alongside the hardware, Pixar had two other products: software for the computer and a small sideline making animated movies. While running NeXT, Jobs provided Pixar with ideas and board supervision, but neither were fruitful. By 1991, Pixar was in the intensive care ward. It could neither sell enough of its very expensive kit, nor invent a new mass-market product. Jobs had sunk nearly $50 million into Pixar. Then serendipity intervened.

In 1988, John Lasseter, the creative genius behind Pixar's animated films, had made Tin Toy , a very short movie about a toy called Tinny and the boy who plays with the toy, seen from the latter's perspective. A brilliant little piece of work, Tin Toy became the first computer-generated film to win an Oscar. Lasseter and Jobs had become friends and soulmates. Jobs loved computer animation and had bankrolled Tin Toy.

In 1991, Michael Eisner, the larger-than-life workaholic boss of Disney, and Jeffrey Katzenberg, head of the Disney film division, who had been hugely impressed by Tin Toy , tried to lure Lasseter back to Disney. But Lasseter was loyal to Jobs and told Disney no. Then Katzenberg tried to get Pixar to make films for Disney, and to give Disney exclusive rights to the Pixar 3-D animation technology. After vigorous talks, in May 1991 a deal was agreed: Disney would fund and own the first new movie they collaborated on, together with the characters in it. And the massively successful Toy Story franchise was born. You may know that Toy Story was a massive success, loved by critics, cinema-goers and Pixar's bankers. Jobs insisted on an extravagant price for Pixar's shares, yet they almost doubled on the first day of trading. Jobs' stake, virtually worthless at the start of 1991, became worth $1.2 billion.

After Toy Story and the Pixar float in 1995, the next year saw another Jobs coup. He persuaded Apple to buy his ailing company NeXT as the price for his reinvolvement with Apple. Then in 1997, as Apple stared at the abyss of bankruptcy, the board begged Jobs to take the reins. He now understood that to fulfil his destiny, he needed Apple as much as it needed him. Jobs had become anti-fragile, a gambler who had twice been to the brink, yet came back stronger, poised for greatness.

Related: Steve Jobs and the 7 Rules of Success

There is a template for turning repeated reverses, eventually, into supreme triumph, just like Jobs did:

• Take big risks. • Do not be dismayed if they don't work out. • After a disaster, keep going, but switch gears. • Reframe the disaster. • Unless you keep your original objective, immerse yourself in something different. • Setbacks give feedback. You need reverses and are going to get them anyway. Use them to make you stronger, more robust to future failure and to gain new experiences. The disasters also make the eventual triumph sweeter. • Never give up hope. You can't know the future, but you must trust it. Remain fulfilled and coolly confident; jump when the big break beckons. • Feed an intense sense of personal drama. What you will achieve matters — not just personally, but to the world. • Expect catastrophes to be followed by great rejoicing, all the greater for what went before. A novel or movie that ends in failure is not a very good story. Reject the script — improve it, transcend it.

Thrive on setbacks. It is a way of thinking, a philosophy of life and a self-conceit essential for unreasonable success.

British Author, Speaker, Investor, and former Management Consultant and entrepreneur.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

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The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs

• Walter Isaacson

Reprint: R1204F

The author, whose biography of Steve Jobs was an instant best seller after the Apple CEO’s death in October 2011, sets out here to correct what he perceives as an undue fixation by many commentators on the rough edges of Jobs’s personality. That personality was integral to his way of doing business, Isaacson writes, but the real lessons from Steve Jobs come from what he actually accomplished. He built the world’s most valuable company, and along the way he helped to transform a number of industries: personal computing, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, retail stores, and digital publishing.

In this essay Isaacson describes the 14 imperatives behind Jobs’s approach: focus; simplify; take responsibility end to end; when behind, leapfrog; put products before profits; don’t be a slave to focus groups; bend reality; impute; push for perfection; know both the big picture and the details; tolerate only “A” players; engage face-to-face; combine the humanities with the sciences; and “stay hungry, stay foolish.”

Six months after Jobs’s death, the author of his best-selling biography identifies the practices that every CEO can try to emulate.

His saga is the entrepreneurial creation myth writ large: Steve Jobs cofounded Apple in his parents’ garage in 1976, was ousted in 1985, returned to rescue it from near bankruptcy in 1997, and by the time he died, in October 2011, had built it into the world’s most valuable company. Along the way he helped to transform seven industries: personal computing, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, retail stores, and digital publishing. He thus belongs in the pantheon of America’s great innovators, along with Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Walt Disney. None of these men was a saint, but long after their personalities are forgotten, history will remember how they applied imagination to technology and business.

• WI Walter Isaacson, the CEO of the Aspen Institute, is the author of Steve Jobs and of biographies of Henry Kissinger, Benjamin Franklin, and Albert Einstein.

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The Importance of Connecting the Dots: Lessons from Steve Jobs

In the world of innovation and success, the ability to connect the dots is a valuable skill that sets apart exceptional individuals.

Connecting the dots involves drawing meaningful connections between seemingly unrelated ideas or experiences, leading to novel insights and breakthroughs.

One individual who exemplified this skill was the late Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc.

Throughout his career, Jobs demonstrated his prowess in connecting the dots, enabling him to revolutionize the technology industry.

We will explore why connecting the dots is an essential skill and dive into specific examples of how Steve Jobs utilized this skill to achieve remarkable success.

So what’s The Power of Connecting the Dots?

Connecting the dots allows us to make sense of the world around us, identify patterns, and develop innovative solutions.

It is an interdisciplinary approach that combines various knowledge domains, experiences, and ideas, fostering creativity and problem-solving.

Here are three reasons why connecting the dots is crucial:

1. Combining Knowledge

By connecting disparate pieces of information, we can combine knowledge from different fields.

This allows us to see relationships and patterns that others might overlook, leading to unique insights and ideas.

The ability to draw connections between seemingly unrelated topics empowers people to think outside the box and approach challenges from a fresh perspective.

So when Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, the company was struggling.

Jobs recognized the importance of merging technology with the liberal arts, a concept that became central to Apple’s success.

He understood that technology alone would not suffice; it needed to be intuitive, aesthetically pleasing, and user-friendly.

By connecting technology with design and human-centered thinking, Jobs transformed the technology landscape.

The integration of art, design, and user experience elevated Apple’s products, making them more accessible and desirable to a broader audience.

For example, when Jobs introduced the iMac in 1998, he prioritized the product’s design, using colorful translucent plastics and a simple, elegant form.

This approach attracted consumers who were looking for more than just a functional computer.

By connecting the dots between technology and the artistic principles of design, Jobs created a product that was not only visually appealing but also user-friendly and approachable for the average person.

2. Identifying Opportunities

Connecting the dots helps us recognize opportunities that others may miss.

By combining knowledge from different industries or domains, we can identify gaps, needs that are not addressed, and potential areas for innovation.

This skill allows individuals to identify trends, anticipate market shifts, and capitalize on emerging opportunities.

Jobs had a remarkable ability to bridge the gap between technology, entertainment, and media.

When he unveiled the iPod in 2001, he leveraged his understanding of the music industry and digital technology to create a revolutionary product.

By connecting the dots between these seemingly unrelated domains, he transformed Apple from a computer company to a leader in the music industry.

This groundbreaking innovation paved the way for subsequent successes like the iPhone and iPad.

Through the shift in the landscape of the music industry and the emergence of digital music, Jobs saw an opportunity to create a device that would revolutionize the way people listened to music.

By connecting the dots between technology and entertainment, he created a device that could store and play thousands of songs in a compact and portable format.

The iPod’s intuitive design, combined with the iTunes software, offered a holistic solution for managing and enjoying digital music.

Jobs successfully bridged the gap between different industries, changing the way we consume media and setting the stage for future advancements in the mobile industry.

3. Innovating and Problem-Solving 

Connecting the dots is an integral part of the innovation process.

By combining diverse knowledge and experiences, individuals can generate new ideas, products, and solutions.

It enables them to solve complex problems by leveraging insights from various disciplines.

Steve Jobs was known for his relentless pursuit of simplicity and elegance in product design.

When developing the iPhone, Jobs connected the dots between technology, design, and user experience to create a game-changing device.

He understood that smartphones at that time were cluttered with buttons and complex interfaces, making them intimidating for many users.

By connecting the dots, Jobs envisioned a revolutionary device with a simple, touch-based interface that would make smartphones accessible to a wider audience.

The iPhone’s success was a result of Jobs’ ability to connect the dots between hardware, software, and user experience.

He recognized that the phone was not just a communication device but a portable computing platform.

By integrating features like the multi-touch display, the App Store, and a sleek design, Jobs revolutionized the mobile industry and set a new standard for smartphones.

So how does this relate to your life and career?

I will give you an example of how I transitioned my career from engineering to marketing.

I studied my diploma in multimedia engineering. Multimedia was a buzz word in the 90s.

That gave me the opportunity to learn the engineering and science behind software and applications.

And then later on I completed my degree in electronics engineering.

But my passion has always been IT.

Even during high school, I spent a lot of time online, learning how to build website, putting content together and more.

When I was studying my diploma, I worked part time at Domino’s Pizza as a call centre representative and was paid RM4.50 per hour.

At university, I learned digital photography. I didn’t go deep with this knowledge, but I know enough what good photography is all about.

After graduation, I spent 10 years working and living in China.

I build my skills and experience working in various industries including education, sports, travel, records management and IT.

I also developed my entrepreneurship skills by running a one-person business while in China.

There I enhanced my customer service skills, content creation, digital marketing and problem solving.

Upon returning to Malaysia, I worked at two government owned companies and a tech company.

I also took time to build my personal branding which grew exponentially last year.

By June 2022, I decided to quit corporate and started my own creative marketing agency.

Those are the dots that helped to build the path of my life and career.

It was about combining your knowledge, experience, personality, identity, network, audience and stories to offer solutions that are valuable for the world.

It takes time, a lot of effort but the journey has been great.

And I know there will be more challenges ahead.

The conclusion is connecting the dots is a skill that empowers people to combine knowledge, identify opportunities, and innovate.

Steve Jobs’ remarkable success can be attributed, in part, to his ability to connect the dots in various contexts, leading to groundbreaking products and industry disruptions.

By merging technology with liberal arts, bridging gaps between different industries, and leveraging diverse insights, Jobs transformed Apple into one of the most influential companies in the world.

Developing the skill of connecting the dots can unlock new possibilities and open doors to innovation and success.

If we embrace interdisciplinary thinking, drawing connections between seemingly unrelated ideas, and thinking holistically, we can cultivate our own ability to connect the dots and make meaningful contributions in our chosen fields.

As we navigate an increasingly complex and interconnected world, connecting the dots will become even more important.

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Why engineers loved working for Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs wasn't the easiest CEO to work for, but those who did work with him were willing to put up with his high standards and intense demands.

Even though Jobs would call his engineers on holidays and weekends, they felt the experience of working with him was worth it.

Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli's book, "Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader," portrays this side of Jobs.

Here's how they described Jobs' relationship with his engineers while working at NeXT:

Steve's arbitrary decisions dumbfounded those under him at NeXT, and his micromanagement gave them no peace. He assumed they would work nights and weekends. He wouldn't hesitate to call them at home on Sundays or holidays if he'd discovered some "urgent" problem.  And yet hardware and software engineers still could not resist working for Steve Jobs.

Steve understood the sensibility of engineers. Engineers, at heart, are problem solvers. They thrive on digging their way out of sinkholes, especially the gnarly kind with no clear path forward. Steve challenged them in ways they had never imagined. No one else in the computer business had such radical goals and expectations; no one else seemed to care so much about their work. The idea of creating a computer that could transform the very process of education was cool; but to his incredibly talented programmers and gearheads, the idea of creating this particular computer for this particular boss was irresistible. 

But it wasn't just engineers that loved working for Jobs at NeXT — Ken Rosen, a managing partner at consulting agency Performance Works, worked in the emerging markets manager of Jobs' company in the late 1980s' and early 1990s'. He said Jobs was tough, but it was worth the experience. Rosen said he learned one of the most valuable management lessons of his career while working with Jobs. 

"He just really wanted to develop an organization where people knew what good products were," Rosen said in a previous interview with Business Insider. 

Watch: Steve Jobs' biographer reveals the childhood moment that defined the Apple founder

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Steve Jobs Used a Remarkably Powerful Decision-Making Strategy That Will Transform Your Business

Steve jobs was one of the most successful business leaders of our time, and he knew how to make great decisions..

You know him as the man behind Apple , and the reason why you may be reading this sentence on an iPhone or MacBook. If you know much about Steve Jobs --and at this point, who doesn't--then you recognize him first and foremost as an icon, an entrepreneurial spirit whose legacy lives on in the technologies we couldn't bear to live without.

But the important takeaways from Jobs's life  don't stop at mere products--the professional knowledge and insight that his work can give you are equally (if not more) important.

As one of the most successful business leaders of our time, it's no surprise that Jobs was a master decision maker. Did he always make the right decision? No, but he always picked himself up, learned from his mistakes, and tried again. This can often be the core challenge for many entrepreneurial hopefuls, as diving into the complex waters of business is no easy swim when you lack courage or resolve.

This, according to Steve Jobs, is the heart of his approach to making decisions:

You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something--your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

Steve Jobs was aware of something special when he made his decisions: He knew that he didn't know everything .

As leaders, we often feel pressure to be the smartest person in the room--to know about every move being made, and every piece of information pertinent to our organization. However, this is incredibly unrealistic--no one person can know everything there is to know about an organization in today's increasingly complex and volatile business environment.

When you accept and remember that you cannot predict every future move made by your clients, consumers, or even business partners, you will be able to prevent yourself from making decisions that do not come from a positive, firm, or bold place.

Your decisions should come with confidence and resolve, and should not feel forced or come from uneasiness. They should not be dictatorial, and should express faith in the unknown.

Finally, when you're at a crossroads and not sure which direction to go or which decision is the best one, stop for a minute and ask yourself this simple question:

"What would Steve Jobs do?"

A refreshed look at leadership from the desk of CEO and chief content officer Stephanie Mehta

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The Problem Solving of Steve Jobs

The Problem Solving of Steve Jobs Steve Jobs' approach to solving specific problems was deeply rooted in his unique perspective on design, technology, and user experience. His methodology extended beyond conventional problem-solving techniques and involved several refined strategies: Deep Understanding of User Needs: Jobs had an exceptional ability to empathize with users, which drove him to create products that people not only needed but loved. He often anticipated market demands before they became apparent to the public or even to industry insiders. This foresight was grounded in his comprehensive understanding of user experiences and a commitment to addressing the frustrations and limitations of existing technologies. Integrating Simplicity with Innovation : A hallmark of Jobs' approach was his insistence on simplicity in design. He believed that true innovation was not just about adding more features but about stripping away the non-essential until what remained was most pure and effective. This philosophy was evident in the design of Apple products, which are known for their clean aesthetics and user-friendly interfaces. Jobs often pushed for designs that were both functional and intuitive, ensuring that technology served the user and not the other way around. Revolutionary, Not Evolutionary Change : Jobs didn't just aim to improve products; he sought to revolutionize entire industries by redefining how technology was integrated into daily life. For example, the introduction of the iPhone transformed mobile phones from mere communication devices into essential tools for life, capable of performing a vast array of functions from navigation to video recording to mobile computing. This was a direct result of Jobs' visionary outlook, which combined technology with an acute awareness of its potential impact on lifestyle and culture. Embracing Risk and Learning from Setbacks : Jobs was not deterred by failures; instead, he saw them as necessary steps on the path to success. He encouraged his teams to take bold risks, which sometimes led to spectacular failures, but also paved the way for groundbreaking successes. This resilience is a testament to his belief in innovation as a process of trial and improvement. The development of the Lisa computer, for example, was a commercial failure but it laid the foundational technologies and design principles that would later be perfected in the Macintosh. Collaborative yet Authoritative Leadership : While Jobs is often remembered for his authoritative leadership style, he also fostered a collaborative environment that valued creativity and innovation. He assembled teams of highly skilled individuals and created spaces where they could thrive, but he also made sure to steer them with a clear vision and decisive leadership. His approach was to guide with a strong hand, ensuring that the end product aligned with his vision while allowing room for expert input and creativity. Strategic Use of Materials and Technology : Jobs' focus extended to the materials used in products, aiming for durability, aesthetic appeal, and environmental sustainability. The choice of aluminum for Apple products, for example, reflected his commitment to quality and sustainability. Additionally, his interest in the latest technologies pushed Apple to constantly innovate its hardware and software integration, ensuring that each product released was cutting-edge and highly functional. Steve Jobs' problem-solving methodology was thus a blend of visionary thinking, user-centered design, relentless pursuit of excellence, and a robust leadership style that together created a legacy of innovative products that continue to influence the tech industry and beyond.

"You can't just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they'll want something new." Steve Jobs​

AEC Forensics

Dissecting the Built Environment with Brian L. Hill

Steve Jobs on solving problems

I came across a wonderful quote from Steve Jobs on how great people and teams solve problems. What caught my eye was a tweet from user experience expert Jon Fox linking to a picture with text from Jobs’ quote overlayed on the photo.

The caption for the photo, and the body (if you will) of Fox’s tweet reads: The very definition of #UX Wisdom from #SteveJobs. Let me explain…

UX refers to user experience . According to Wikipedia, “User experience (UX) involves a person’s behaviors, attitudes, and emotions about using a particular product, system or service. User experience includes the practical, experiential, affective, meaningful and valuable aspects of human-computer interaction and product ownership.”

Here is the quote from Steve Levy’s book, Insanely Great: The Life and Times of Macintosh, the Computer that Changed Everything :

When you start looking at a problem and it seems really simple with all these simple solutions, you don’t really understand the complexity of the problem. And your solutions are way too oversimplified, and they don’t work. Then you get into the problem, and you see it’s really complicated. And you come up with all these convoluted solutions. That’s sort of the middle, and that’s where most people stop, and the solutions tend to work for a while. But the really great person will keep on going and find the key, underlying principle of the problem. And come up with a beautiful elegant solution that works.

Source: Insanely Great: The Life and Times of Macintosh, the Computer that Changed Everything

What’s the Point?

The reason the tweet—and subsequently, the quote—caught my eye is that I am using a similar concept in the launch of a new brand and a new company offering project management or owner representation services to property owners that are designing and constructing new buildings. The theme of our new campaign: “The very definition of what an owner’s representative should be.”

Stay tuned…

Image courtesy Wikimedia

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• business development
• Marketing Consulting Services for the 21st Century
• Marketing Professional Services
• user experience
• user interface or user interference

Published by Brian L. Hill

As Director of Consulting Services for Xpera Group, Brian L. Hill connects clients to the diverse range of experts, technical specialists, tools and other resources that the firm has to offer in order to solve complex building performance issues. He is also the editor and publisher of AECforensics.com, which dissects the latest news and information impacting quality and risk management in the built environment. View all posts by Brian L. Hill

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