7 Secrets to Steve Jobs Success

The years I spent at Intel in the Microprocessor Design team in the late 80s were also the years that the basic building blocks for the technology world as we know it today were being built in various shops around the Silicon Valley.Intellectual giants and charismatic leaders like Andy Grove, Larry Ellison, Bill Gates, and Scott McNealy were amongst those leading the charge in the building of this new world. One of the greatest thrills for a young, wide-eyed geek engineer like me were the opportunities to meet these great men and I will value those brief encounters with them including the one with Steve Jobs, when I was amongst a group from Intel that heard him essentially tell us that Intel made crappy microprocessors.


In the late 80s, the name of Steve Jobs was whispered in hushed tones as the man who could’ve been king—Steve was seen as a spent force—reputation damaged by epic flops of Lisa and Newton, finally resulting in him becoming a casualty of a brutal board war with his investors and John Sculley.Apple was at that stage a company that had fought a war against the formidable Microsoft/Intel/IBN combine and lost. But the dynamics of the Silicon Valley are different. There are no permanent successes and no permanent failures. A decade and half later, Jobs was reborn and reigned as king of the new tech world and icon of innovation and cool while the erstwhile Mr Cool BillGates and Microsoft looked tired, boring and complex.


(i). Do What You Love, No Matter What It Happens to Be
"Don't settle ... as with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it," is what Jobs told Stanford University graduates in a commencement address in 2005. Gallo says cook-turned-talk show host Rachael Ray embodies this advice.
"Rachael Ray did what she loves," Gallo says. "She was giving cooking lessons at Macy's, for nothing! She was giving free cooking classes because she loved what she did."


(ii). 'Put a Dent in the Universe'
"Put a dent in the universe simply means that you have to have a big, bold, clear, concise vision. I like to say that your vision should -- fit in a Twitter post," Gallo says. Gallo referred to John F. Kennedy's "man on the moon" declaration: "We will put a man on the moon and return him safely to Earth by the end of the decade."
"John Kennedy, in 1961, had a clear, concise vision. If Twitter had existed that day, he could have tweeted it," he says.


(iii). 'Say No to 1,000 Things'
Simplifying his business was key to Jobs' success, Gallo says.
"In 1997, when he returned to Apple, Apple was close to bankruptcy. He took 300 products and condensed them to 10, within a two-year period," he says.


Simplicity also extended to Jobs' personal style, says Robert Cringely, who worked with Jobs since 1977.


"In latter years, he decided he would wear the same outfit every day, so that he, you know, didn't have to think about it, no one had to think about it, there were no decisions," Cringley says.


(iv). 'Kick Start Your Brain' by Doing Something New
Doing new things helped Jobs, in the word's of Apple's own slogan, "think differently."
"The inspiration for the Apple store came from the Four Seasons. That's why when you walk into an Apple store you will not find a cashier. You'll find a concierge. Walk to the back of the store and there's a bar. It doesn't dispel – dispense alcohol, but it dispenses advice," Gallo says.


(v). 'Sell Dreams Not Products'
Jobs famously explained that the iPhone was not just a phone but a lifestyle.


(vi). 'Create Insanely Great Experiences'
"For Jobs, it wasn't just about selling 29 million iPads this summer but entertaining the customer at the same time," Gallo says.
Whether you run a multi-billion dollar tech company or a pizza parlor, innovation, he says, "means creating an experience for your customer."


(vii). 'Master the Message'
Gallo says Jobs wasn't born a naturally gifted presenter -- he was visibly nervous during his first live television interview in the 1970s -- but he improved over time.
"In 2007, he actually gave what I consider the greatest presentation I've ever seen -- the introduction of the iPhone," he says.


Others can learn from Jobs' secrets, Gallo says. Consider, he says, asking yourself what Jobs might do in a given situation.


"When you start asking yourself what would Steve do, it's a high bar to reach," he says. "But it's worth reaching."