Two themes run across the dense and well-timed Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson that came out last fall.
The unfaltering focus and dependable insensitivity of Jobs, so, having just finished it myself, I’ve been left trying to find causality: did those two qualities make him a better CEO and Apple a better company?
For focus, I believe it’s unquestionable: make fewer products and make them better. It’s the complete opposite of the market share angle of, say, spaghetti sauces. The second has me more uncertain, particularly when the success of Jobs is seen as motivation to drive employees to the edge.
Continue reading Focus and causality: two lingering lessons from Steve Jobs biography
