The life and times of Steve Jobs
Catching up on the story of Steve Jobs had been on my list for a while. Having heard about several books on him, I had also watched the 2013 movie “Jobs”, one of the many made on the man, but it was largely forgettable.
Though I was planning for the Jobs account by Walter Isaacson, I just read the book ‘Becoming Steve Jobs: The evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader’ by Schlender and Tetzeli.
This book, inspite of coming about 5 years after Job’s death and after the phenomenal success of the authorized biography by Isaacson, has got great press. The Apple management and members of Job’s inner circle has strongly endorsed this book, contrasting this as a more balanced portrayal.
A different perspective
Very well written and structured quite like a movie plot, the book was a great read. The authors have consciously tried presenting a balanced view of his personality.
The book starts recounting Job’s popular portrayal as ‘half genius, and half asshole’, given a string of incredible success, & equally legendary, bristling temper.
The authors then try to break down aspects of his personality, through first-hand accounts, interviews and media stories. Justifying the title, a key theme is in tracing how Jobs changed as an individual in his Apple-1 vs Apple-2 stint.
Situations from these two periods are analyzed by contrasting behavioural traits, leadership qualities and management styles, to show how he handled them differently and grew as an individual, innovator and visionary.
Interesting, new anecdotes are quoted to highlight how Job’s matured and learned to grow, empower and sustain a unique creative culture in a rapidly innovating and expanding empire, inspite of few continuing personal foibles.
Intertwined histories
I found it fascinating to get an up-close look at the evolution of the PC industry by reading backstories of some of the fascinating innovations of the past few decades, and importantly the efforts & failures that preceded them.
Job’s life is intertwined with that of few other stalwarts who have a lot to impart on their own and it was great to read about his interactions with them, including Bill Gates, Ed Catmull, John Lasseter, Bob Iger and Tim Cook.
An interesting aside was the Pixar story and how Job’s crazy, unlikely bet proved a game changer, crucial in salvaging his career at its lowest, providing him with a platform for the miraculous bounce back, in true movie style.
The takeaways
For one looking at learnings from Job’s story, there are several from the book. For a good summary, one needn’t look further than his widely shared Stanford Commencement speech, wherein he emphasizes 3 takeaways:
- You can only connect the dots backward. Trust your gut and move forward, it will never let you down.
- Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. You’ve got to find what you love, gather yourself up and keep moving again.
- Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Have courage to follow your heart and intuition.
An interesting book overall, do check it out.
