As we kick off the New Year, leaders, entrepreneurs and
business owners are looking for new and innovative ways to grow their brands.
Who better to turn to than one of the most innovative leaders of our time—Apple
CEO Steve Jobs? Through first-person
interviews with Apple employees, experts, and analysts, as well as Steve Jobs’
own words over the past thirty years, I discovered that there are 7 principles
largely responsible for Jobs’ breakthrough success. These are described in my new book, The
Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs, and they are principles that I will discuss
in blog posts over the coming weeks.
Briefly, here are the principles that anyone can use to “think
differently” about their service, product or brand.
1.
Do what you love.
Steve Jobs once told a group of employees, “People with
passion can change the world for the better.”
Jobs has followed his heart his entire life and that passion, he says,
has made all the difference. It’s very
difficult to come up with new, creative, and novel ideas unless you are
passionate about moving society forward.
2. Put
a dent in the universe.
Passion fuels the rocket, but vision directs the rocket
to its ultimate destination. In 1976, when Jobs and Steve Wozniak co-founded
Apple, Jobs’ vision was to put a computer in the hands of everyday people. In 1979, Jobs saw an early and crude
graphical user interface being demonstrated at the Xerox research facility in
Palo Alto, California. He knew
immediately that the technology would make computers appealing to “everyday
people.” That technology eventually
became The Macintosh, which changed everything about the way we interact with
computers. Xerox scientists didn’t
realize its potential because their “vision” was limited to making new
copiers. Two people can see the exactly
the same thing, but perceive it differently based on their vision.
3. Kick
start your brain.
Steve Jobs once said “Creativity is connecting things.” Connecting things means seeking inspiration
from other industries. At various times,
Jobs has found inspiration in a phone book, Zen meditation, visiting India, a
food processor at Macy’s, or The Four Seasons hotel chain. Jobs doesn’t “steal” ideas as much as he uses
ideas from other industries to inspire his own creativity.
4. Sell
dreams, not products.
To Steve Jobs, people who buy Apple products are not “consumers.” They are people with hopes, dreams and
ambitions. He builds products to help
people achieve their dreams. He once
said, “some people think you’ve got to be crazy to buy a Mac, but in that
craziness we see genius.” How do you see
your customers? Help them unleash their
inner genius and you’ll win over their hearts and minds.
5. Say
no to 1,000 things.
Steve Jobs once said, “I’m as proud of what we don’t do
as I am of what we do.” He is committed
to building products with simple, uncluttered design. And that commitment extends beyond products.
From the design of the iPod to the iPad, from the packaging of Apple’s
products, to the functionality of the Web site, in Apple’s world, innovation
means eliminating the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.
6. Create
insanely great experiences.
The Apple store has become the world’s best retailer by
introducing simple innovations any business can adopt to create deeper, more
emotional connections with their customers. For example, there are no cashiers in an Apple
store. There are experts, consultants, even geniuses, but no cashiers. Why?
Because Apple is not in the business of moving boxes; they are in the
business of enriching lives. Big
difference.
7. Master
the message.
Steve Jobs is the world’s greatest corporate
storyteller, turning product launches into an art form. You can have the most innovative idea in the
world, but if you can’t get people excited about it, it doesn’t matter.
Simply put, innovation is a new way of doing things that
results in positive change. Innovation is attainable by anyone at any
organization, regardless of title or position.
Make innovation a part of your brands’ DNA by thinking differently about
your business challenges.
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