I have always
looked at Walt Disney as an inspirational figure in my own life. Walt Disney
was innovative and his dreams and ideas still shape culture and entertainment.
For a while now I have compared Steve Jobs to Walt Disney. Funny that
Pixar would not be here if it was not for Steve Jobs and Walter Elias Disney.
Steve Jobs has had
a major impact on our lives and most everyone feels his impact daily. He
impacted computers, movies, music, TVs, and your mobile phone.
The cornerstone to
Steve Jobs' success was what is called “Steve Jobs 7 Rules for
Success/Innovation.” Here is my take away from his principles and hopefully
they can be used to unlock the dreamer in all of us.
1. Do What You Love. Passion in life is everything. If you are
not passionate about what you do you are wasting your time. Steve Jobs said,
“People with passion can change the world for the better.” Jobs also once said
this, “I would get a job as a busboy or something until I figured out what I
was really passionate about.” Passion is that important and I address that in
this blog post
2. Put A Dent In The Universe. Vision is crucial. Without vision a people die. There is one thing
that you can never loose sight of, and that is a clear vision. Steve Jobs
wanted a computer that could be used personally everyday, which spurred the
creation of The Macintosh. I am currently writing this from a MacBook. Never
loose vision.
3. Make Connections. "Creativity is connecting things.” -Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs believed
that people with a broad set of life experiences can and will see things that
no one else does. Jobs believed that you shouldn’t live in a bubble, that you
can connect ideas from different fields. Did you know that Steve Jobs took a
calligraphy course? What would seem to have no practical application would
actually spur creativity on the Macintosh, the first computer with beautiful
fonts!
4. Say NO to 1000
Things. This is two fold. Say no to over expanding yourself and do what you can
do great. When Jobs came back to Apple in 97 the company had 350 products. In
two years they would only have 10 products and the best talent could focus on
making those things great. Jobs also said no to clutter and wanted simplicity.
Simplicity is what makes Apple products so popular. On an iPad there is only
one button on the front and there is no built in keyboard on a iPhone. Anything
that would clutter the user experience was eliminated.
5. Create Insanely
Different Environments. When he
first came up with the concept for the Apple Stores, he said they would be
different because instead of just moving boxes, the stores would enrich lives.
Everything about the experience you have when you walk into an Apple store is
intended to enrich your life and to create an emotional connection between you
and the Apple brand. The Apple Stores make more money
per square foot than most any other retailer including many luxury brands and
they’re packed morning to night. The average stores sees 17,000 visitors
a week!
6. Master The Message. You may have the best idea,
best product whatever. If you cannot communicate your ideas it really doesn’t
matter. Like Walt Disney, Steve Jobs was a master storyteller. Instead of simply delivering a presentation like most
people do, he informed, he educated, he inspired and he entertained, all in one
presentation.
7. Sell Dreams, Not Products. An idea
that Walt Disney and Jobs share. Jobs and Disney captured our imagination
because they understood the customer. Jobs knew that if a tablet was too
complicated we wouldn’t buy. Thus we have an iPad, so simple a toddler could
use it. Customers don't care about products. They care about themselves, their
hopes, their ambitions. Jobs and Disney taught us that if you help your
customers reach their dreams, you'll win them over.
To sum it up, DREAM
BIG! See genius in your craziness, believe
in yourself, believe in your vision, and be constantly prepared to defend those
ideas.
