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Failure, as we’ve all heard, is the first step toward success. Failure provides us with experience and an opportunity to learn. Everyone fails at some point in their lives, but only a few people are able to cope and make the decision to never give up.
Steve Jobs was noted for his obsessive perfectionism in the early days of Apple. Jobs insisted on final approval of every detail of the initial Macintosh computer, which took nearly three years to develop. This quest for excellence led him to fire skilled colleagues without hesitation for not adhering to his design principles, as well as destroy nearly-completed projects that didn’t satisfy his criteria for beauty.
While it’s true that his meticulous attention to detail and unwavering commitment led the company to produce some of the world’s most attractive (and greatest) technology items, his leadership style was less than admirable at first and had negative consequences for people who worked there. Jobs was eventually fired from the firm due to his temperament and an internal power struggle with CEO John Sculley over philosophical differences. This episode, in Jobs’ opinion, was catastrophic.
Things that one should learn from his early failure:
Although Steve Jobs is no longer with us, the products he helped design and the principles he taught throughout his life have had a profound impact on the globe. Jobs showed us as a developer that it’s difficult for a leader to be successful if they’re too reckless or firm in their beliefs.
Young technological businesses that should be working much more seriously on proving their main product offers, rather than polishing them right out of the gate, often fail due to this excessive pursuit for perfection. Leaders must take risks along the road, pushing for the business results they want to see while also acknowledging that failures may occur.
Jobs, for example, did not let his initial failure at Apple define his life. He went on to learn from his mistakes, start other firms, and finally return to help Apple reclaim its former glory. Accepting his failure provided him with the motivation to keep moving forward.
“I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter into one of the most creative periods of my life,” — Steve Jobs
The transformation did not happen quickly; it took Steve 12 years to realize how to be a better leader as well as an individual. His greatest failure in life was leaving Apple, but it was also the best thing that could have happened to him. It offered him the opportunity to consider what was most important to him in life.
Jobs did not transform into a winner until he accepted his failure. It allowed him to mature as a person while also allowing him to advance as a businessperson.
His experience serves as a reminder that setbacks only add to the sweetness of final victory.
Things that Turned Job’s Setbacks into success:
The influence of Steve Jobs on your life cannot be overstated. His innovations are likely to have influenced practically every part of life, including computers, movies, music, and mobile phones. Jobs taught me as a communications coach that a presentation may indeed inspire. Jobs’ greatest legacy for entrepreneurs is the set of values that guided his success.
1. Pursue your passion:
“People with enthusiasm can change the world for the better,” Jobs once stated. “I’d grab a job as a busboy or whatever till I discovered what I was really enthusiastic about,” he replied when asked what advice he would provide to aspiring entrepreneurs. That’s how important it was to him. It’s all about enthusiasm.
2. Make a blemish on the universe:
Jobs believed in the importance of having a clear vision. “Do you want to spend your life selling sugar water or do you want to change the world?” he popularly questioned then-Pepsi President John Sculley. Keep your focus on the big picture.
3. Connect the dots:
Jobs once remarked that creativity is the ability to connect disparate elements. He was implying that persons with a diverse collection of life experiences are more likely to notice things that others do not. Until he invented the Macintosh, he took calligraphy classes that had no practical application in his life. Jobs visited India and other parts of Asia. He majored in design and worked in the hospitality industry. Don’t distance yourself from the rest of the world. Bring together thoughts from many sectors.
4. Say no to many things:
Jobs was just as proud of what Apple didn’t do as he was of what the company did. In 1997, when he returned to Apple, he took a firm with 350 products and cut it to ten in two years.
Why? So he could label each product with the “A-Team.” What are you refusing to do?
5. Create experiences that are completely unique:
Jobs was also looking for new ways to improve the customer service experience. When Steve first proposed the Apple Store concept, he said it would be unique because instead of merely moving boxes, the stores would enrich people’s lives. Everything about walking into an Apple store is designed to enrich your life and build an emotional bond between you and the Apple brand. What are you doing to make your consumers’ lives better?
6. You have a good understanding of what you’re saying:
It doesn’t matter if you have the best idea in the world if you can’t articulate it. Jobs was the finest corporate storyteller in the world. Rather than merely making a presentation, as most people do, he informed, educated, inspired, and delighted the audience all in one.
7. Instead of selling stuff, sell dreams:
Jobs captivated us because he genuinely cared about his customers. He recognized that if tablets were too intricate, they would not pique our interest. What’s the result in the end? On the front of an iPad, there is only one button. It’s so easy to operate that even a two-year-old can do it. Your clients are uninterested in your product. They are concerned with themselves, their aspirations, and their hopes. Jobs showed us that helping clients achieve their goals will win them over.
There’s one story that I believe best encapsulates Jobs’ time at Apple. Jobs was once contacted by a company executive who needed help reimagining the Disney Store. What’s his advice? Dream a little bigger. That, I believe, is the best advice he could give us. See the genius in your madness, believe in yourself, believe in your vision, and be ready to defend your beliefs at all times.
Also read: College and Career Ready: Soft Skills Are Crucial
Frequently Asked Questions:
What if someone is not able to recover from failure?
Every thought is created in our minds. If we want a successful life we should learn to recover and extract experiences from our every failure.
Does every failure turn out to be a success?
Yes, if a person really wills he or she can definitely cope, learn from their mistake and try again until success.
