The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs (McGraw-Hill, October, 2010) reveals the 7 principles that are largely responsible for his breakthrough success; principles that have guided Steve Jobs for his entire career and, more important, principles you can adopt today to “think differently” about your company, product or service.

The famed New York Times columnist, Thomas Friedman, wrote a column in which he said America needs more jobs—Steve Jobs. He meant that innovation and creativity must be nurtured and encouraged to help the U.S and other countries emerge from the global recession. Everyone wants to learn more about Steve Jobs, yet very few journalists have identified the principles that drive Steve Jobs and his success. Until now, that is.

Steve Jobs has something to teach you about your career, your business, and your brand. He thinks differently about every aspect of business – from product design to marketing to communications. Here are the 7 principles responsible for Jobs’ breakthrough success.

Principle One: Do what you love.

Passion is everything. Innovation—which simply means—new ways of doing things that improve our lives---cannot flourish unless you are truly obsessed with making something better—be it a product, a service, a method or a career.

“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.” --Steve Jobs

Jobs has followed his heart his entire career and that passion, he says, has made all the difference. It’s very difficult to come up with new, creative ideas that move society forward if you are not passionate about the subject.

In 1972, Steve Jobs dropped out of Reed College in Portland after just one semester.

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to be bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful—that’s what matters to me.” --Steve Jobs

How to do find your passion? Passions are those ideas that don’t leave you alone. They are the hopes, dreams and possibilities that consume your thoughts. Follow those passions despite skeptics and naysayers who do not have the courage to follow their dreams.

Principle Two: Put a dent in the universe.

This speaks to vision. Innovation doesn’t take place in a vacuum. You need to know where you’re going, what the ultimate destination is, and you need to inspire others, evangelists.

“We’re gambling on our vision, and we’d rather do that than make ‘me-too’ products.” --Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs has never underestimated the power of vision to move a brand forward. In 1976, Steve Wozniak was captivated by Jobs’ vision to “put a computer in the hands of everyday people.”

In 1979, Jobs took a tour of the Xerox research facility in Palo Alto, California. There he saw a new technology that let users interact with the computer via colorful graphical icons on the screen instead of entering complex line commands.

 Steve Jobs set out with a vision to change the

world. What’s your vision for your product, brand, and your career?

Principle Three: Kick start your brain.

Creativity leads to innovative ideas. Jobs believes that a broad set of experiences expands our understanding of the human experience. A broader understanding leads to breakthroughs that others may have missed. Breakthrough innovation requires creativity and creativity requires that you think differently about…the way you think.

“Creativity is just connecting things.”

--Steve Jobs

The idea fell from a tree, literally. Steve Jobs had returned from visiting a commune-like place in Oregon located in an apple orchard. Apple co-founder and Jobs’ pal, Steve Wozniak, picked him up from the airport. On the drive home, Jobs simply said, “I came up with a name for our company—Apple.” Wozniak said they could have tried to come up with more technical sounding names but their vision was to make computers approachable. Apple fit perfectly.

“Part of what made the Macintosh great was that the people working on it were musicians, and poets, and artists, and zoologists, and historians who also happened to be the best computer scientists in the world.” -- Steve Jobs

Principle Four: Sell dreams, not products.

He thought customers don’t care about his product, his company or his brand. They care about themselves, their hopes, their dreams, their ambitions.So he do help them fulfill their dreams .

“The people who are crazy enough to change the world are the ones who do.”

—Apple Ad

When Jobs returned to Apple in 1997 after a 12-year absence, Apple faced an uncertain future. Jobs closed his presentation that year at Macworld in Boston with an observation that set the tone for Apple’s resurgence: “I think you have to think differently to buy an Apple computer. A lot of times people think they’re crazy, but in that craziness we see genius.”

Principle Five: Say no to 1,000 things.

“Innovation comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don’t get on the wrong track or try to do too much.” _ Steve Jobs

Principle Six: Create insanely great experiences.  

“People don’t want to just buy personal computers anymore. They want to know

what they can do with them, and we’re going to show people. – Steve Jobs

Jobs has made the Apple Store the gold standard in customer service 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.

Apple created an innovative retail experience by studying a company known for its customer experience—The Four Seasons. Apple Stores would attract shoppers not by moving boxes, but by “enriching lives.” The lesson—don’t move “product.” Enrich lives instead and watch your sales soar.

Principle Seven: Master the message.

“You baked a really lovely cake but then you used for frosting.” -- Steve Jobs

You can have the most innovative idea in the world, but if you can’t get people excited about it, it doesn’t matter. Steve Jobs is considered one of the greatest corporate storytellers in the world because his presentations inform, educate and entertain.

There are no bullet points in a Steve Jobs presentation

Steve Jobs thinks visually about presenting ideas, products, and information.

Simplicity: The Elimination of Clutter

In Apple’s design world, simplicity is the elimination of clutter. The same holds true for a Steve Jobs presentation.

Text and images are so much more interesting than bullet points alone.

Don’t let the bozos get you down

One more thing…

“We don’t need you. You haven’t gotten through college yet.”

“Get your feet off my desk. Get out of here. You stink and we’re not going to buy your product.”

“Your problem is that you still believe the way to grow is to serve caviar in a world that seems pretty content with cheese and crackers.”

“There’s no reason why anyone would want a computer in their home.”

“Don’t the let noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.”

 

“Dream bigger.”

Perhaps the ultimate lesson that Jobs teaches us is that innovation requires risk-taking and risk taking takes courage and a bit of craziness. See genius in your craziness. Believe in yourself and your vision and be prepared to constantly defend those beliefs. Only then will innovation be allowed to flourish and only then will you be able to lead an “insanely great” life.

Thank you !