Why Steve Jobs Actually Had An Incredible Impact on the World

In the debate, I was placed on the side that disagreed with the statement that Steve Jobs was the primary cause of Apple's success. While it was a difficult argument, I would say we did a fine job. However, it is indisputable that Jobs did change the world. His leadership skills are indeed questionable, but present nonetheless.

One of his traits that was present throughout the biography is the reality distortion field. His ability to see things not as they were, but how he wanted them to be. This drove others to succeed by forcing them to believe in themselves to meet the extreme deadlines he somehow usually managed to make. From this "condition" came "a charismatic rhetorical style, indomitable will, and eagerness to bend any fact to fit the purpose at hand" (Isaacson, p. 118). The fact that Jobs had his own reality caused him to be innovative, coming up with new business techniques such as Apple University and Apple's simple and sophisticated marketing philosophy of empathy, focus, and impute. Both of these ideas summed up what Apple was really about, in terms of the consumers and employees.

Another characteristic that Jobs had was his talent for reading people and saying just the right thing to convince them to do what he wanted. My two favorite examples of this are when he asks Sculley "Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world?" (Isaacson, p. 154) and when he convinces an engineer to cut 10 seconds off the boot time in order to save not one life, but one hundred lifetimes per year. One definition of power is the ability to persuade others to do what they otherwise wouldn't. Power is an integral component of being a leader, and it is an element that Jobs was very familiar with.

So while both of those are important, how does is relate in the context of the world? The idea that Jobs had to keep things simple branched out and allowed his products to be utilized by a myriad of consumers. Michael Noer's story about the illiterate six-year-old Columbian boy who just inherently understood how to work the iPad speaks volumes. Jobs made his devices usable by anyone, regardless of literacy, age, or nationality. What struck me the hardest was when Jobs said, "We're just one world now." (Isaacson, p. 528) His products aren't just for one specific group, but to share with the world where everyone can use the same commodities.

Jobs was crazy. He may not have had everything together with his family, education, or anger management. Regardless, where is passion truly was, his leadership created products that impacted the world. Obviously he did something right.