For those of you who think of Steve Jobs as a boy wonder who had a life filled with success and creativity – someone to emulate, you need to read Brent Schlender’s article in Fast Company about his hundreds of interviews with Jobs over 25 years. The article is about Job’s 11 wilderness years after he was fired from Apple.
Those years he spent getting to know himself, starting a family, working from home, learning to refine his ideas and leadership and management through NEXT and Pixar. The interesting thing about those years is despite many failures he continued to learn and change. That above all else may be the key to his success. In this day of wanting instant, quick results, the idea of spending 11 years learning seems impossible.
Yes, Linda. Nice post.
As an Apple user (ah, the Macintosh 128K) since the early 80′s I have always followed Jobs’, and Apple’s, histories with interest. I remember the non-Jobs years when Apple tried, and failed, on numerous products (can you say “The Cube?”).
It was truly amazing to watch him return and be such an incredible focal point and obvious leader to what has become what of the absolutely most powerful and influential companies in the world.