Steve Jobs and the Seven Rules of Success Steve Jobs and the Seven Rules of Success

BY CARMINE GALLO | October 14, 2011|

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Steve Jobs' impact on your life cannot be overestimated. His innovations have likely touched nearly every aspect -- computers, movies, music and mobile. As a communications coach, I learned from Jobs that a presentation can, indeed, inspire. For entrepreneurs, Jobs' greatest legacy is the set of principles that drove his success. Over the years, I've become a student of sorts of Jobs' career and life. Here's my take on the rules and values underpinning his success. Any of us can adopt them to unleash our "inner Steve Jobs." 1. Do what you love. Jobs once said, "People with passion can change the world for the better." Asked about the advice he would offer would-be entrepreneurs, he said, "I'd get a job as a busboy or something until I figured out what I was really passionate about." That's how much it meant to him. Passion is everything. 2. Put a dent in the universe. Jobs believed in the power of vision. He once asked then-Pepsi President, John Sculley, "Do you want to spend your life selling sugar water or do you want to change the world?" Don't lose sight of the big vision. 3. Make connections. Jobs once said creativity is connecting things. He meant that people with a broad set of life experiences can often see things that others miss. He took calligraphy classes that didn't have any practical use in his life -- until he built the Macintosh. Jobs traveled to India and Asia. He studied design and hospitality. Don't live in a bubble. Connect ideas from different fields. 4. Say no to 1,000 things. Jobs was as proud of what Apple chose not to do as he was of what Apple did. When he returned in Apple in 1997, he took a company with 350 products and reduced them to 10 products in a two-year period. Why? So he could put the "A-Team" on each product. What are you saying "no" to? 5. Create insanely different experiences. Jobs also sought innovation in the customer-service experience. When he first came up with the concept for the Apple Stores, he said they would be different because instead of just moving boxes, the stores would enrich lives. Everything about the experience you have when you walk into an Apple store is intended to enrich your life and to create an emotional connection between you and the Apple brand. What are you doing to enrich the lives of your customers? Related: 10 Things to Thank Steve Jobs For 6. Master the message. You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you can't communicate your ideas, it doesn't matter. Jobs was the world's greatest corporate storyteller. Instead of simply delivering a presentation like most people do, he informed, he educated, he inspired and he entertained, all in one presentation. 7. Sell dreams, not products. Jobs captured our imagination because he really understood his customer. He knew that tablets would not capture our imaginations if they were too complicated. The result? One button on the front of an iPad. It's so simple, a 2-year-old can use it. Your customers don't care about your product. They care about themselves, their hopes, their ambitions. Jobs taught us that if you help your customers reach their dreams, you'll win them over. There's one story that I think sums up Jobs' career at Apple. An executive who had the job of reinventing the Disney Store once called up Jobs and asked for advice. His counsel? Dream bigger. I think that's the best advice he could leave us with. See genius in your craziness, believe in yourself, believe in your vision, and be constantly prepared to defend those ideas. Related: Remembering Apple's Steve Jobs

10 Secrets of Successful Leaders

BY KARA OHNGREN | October 17, 2011|

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Eleanor Roosevelt once said, A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader, a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves. But, becoming a great leader isnt easy. Successfully maneuvering a team through the ups and downs of starting a new business can be one of the greatest challenges a small-business owner faces. Leadership is one of the areas that many entrepreneurs tend to overlook, according leadership coach John C. Maxwell, whose books include The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (Thomas Nelson, 1998) and Developing the Leader Within You (Thomas Nelson, 1993). You work hard to develop your product or service. You fight to solve your financial issues. You go out and promote your business and sell your product. But you don't think enough about leading your own people and finding the best staff, Maxwell says. It turns out, the skills and talents necessary to guide your team in the right direction can be simple, and anyone with the determination can develop them. Heres a list of 10 tips drawn from the secrets of successful leaders. 1. Assemble a dedicated team. Your team needs to be committed to you and the business. Successful entrepreneurs have not only social and selling smarts, but also the know-how to hire effectively, says leadership trainer Harvey Mackay, who wrote Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive (Ivy Books, 1995). A colossal business idea simply isn't enough. You have to be able to identify, attract and retain talent who can turn your concept into a register-ringing success, he says. Related: What's Your Leadership Style? (Quiz) When putting your team together, look for people whose values are aligned with the purpose and mission of your company. Suzanne Bates, a Wellesley, Mass.based leadership consultant and author of Speak Like a CEO (McGraw Hill, 2005), says her team members rallied around each other during the worst part of the recession because they all believed in what they were doing. Having people on your team who have tenacity and a candid spirit is really important," she says. 2. Overcommunicate. This ones a biggie. Even with a staff of only five or 10, it can be tough to know whats going on with everyone. In an effort to overcommunicate, Bates compiles a weekly news update she calls a Friday Forecast, and emails it to her staff. My team is always surprised at all the good news I send out each week, Bates says. It makes everyone feel like you really have a lot of momentum, even in difficult times. 3. Dont assume. When you run a small business, you might assume your team understands your goals and mission -- and they may. But, everybody needs to be reminded of where the companys going and what things will look like when you get there. Your employees may ask, Whats in it for me? Its important to paint that picture for your team. Take the time to really understand the people who are helping you build your business. Entrepreneurs have the vision, the energy, and theyre out there trying to make it happen. But, so often with their staff, they are assuming too much, says Beverly Flaxington, founder of The Collaborative, a business-advising company in Medfield, Mass. Its almost like they think their enthusiasm by extension will be infectious -- but its not. You have to bring people into your world and communicate really proactively. 4. Be authentic. Good leaders instill their personality and beliefs into the fabric of their organization, Flaxington says. If you be yourself, and not try to act like someone else, and surround yourself with people who are aligned with your values, your business is more likely to succeed, she says. Related: Tips on Loyalty and Leadership

Every business is different and every entrepreneur has her own personality, Flaxington says. If youre authentic, you attract the right people to your organization -- employees and customers. 5. Know your obstacles. Most entrepreneurs are optimistic and certain that theyre driving toward their goals. But, Flaxington says, its a short-sighted leader who doesnt take the time to understand his obstacles. You need to know what youre up against and be able to plan around those things, she says. Its folly to think that just because youve got this energy and enthusiasm that youre going to be able to conquer all. Its much smarter to take a step back and figure out what your obstacles are, so the plan that youre putting into place takes that into account. 6. Create a 'team charter.' Too many new teams race down the road before they even figure out who they are, where theyre going, and what will guide their journey, says Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One-Minute Manager (William Morrow & Co., 1982) and founder of The Ken Blanchard Cos., a workplace- and leadership-training firm. Just calling together a team and giving them a clear charge does not mean the team will succeed. Its important to create a set of agreements that clearly states what the team is to accomplish, why it is important and how the team will work together to achieve the desired results, says Blanchard, who is based in Escondido, Calif. The charter provides a record of common agreements and can be modified as the business grows and the teams needs change. 7. Believe in your people. Entrepreneurial leaders must help their people develop confidence, especially during tough times. As Napoleon Bonaparte said, "Leaders are dealers in hope." That confidence comes in part from believing in your team, says Maxwell, who is based in West Palm Beach, Fla. I think of my people as 10s, I treat them like 10s, and as a result, they try to perform like 10s, he says. But believing in people alone isn't enough. You have to help them win. 8. Dole out credit. Mackay says a good salesperson knows what the sweetest sound in the world is: The sound of their name on someone else's lips. But too many entrepreneurs think it's either the crinkle of freshly minted currency, or the dull thud of a competitor's body hitting the pavement. Many entrepreneurs are too in love with their own ideas and don't know how to distribute credit, Mackay says. A good quarterback always gives props to his offensive line. 9. Keep your team engaged. Great leaders give their teams challenges and get them excited about them, says leadership expert Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Free Press, 1989). He pointed to the example of a small pizza shop in a moderate-sized town that was killing a big fast-food chain in sales. The big difference between the chain and the small pizza joint was the leader, he says. Every week he gathered his teenage employees in a huddle and excitedly asked them: What can we do this week that weve never done before? The kids loved the challenge. They started texting all their friends whenever a pizza special was on. They took the credit-card machine to the curb so passing motorists could buy pizza right off the street. They loaded up a truck with hot pizzas and sold them at high-school games. The money poured in and the store owner never had problems with employee turnover, says Covey, who is based in Salt Lake City, Utah. 10. Stay calm. An entrepreneur has to backstop the team from overreacting to short-term situations, says Mackay, who is based in Minneapolis. This is particularly important now, when news of the sour economic environment is everywhere. The media has been hanging black crepe paper since 2008, he says. But look at all the phenomenal companies and brands that were born in downturns, names like iPod, GE and Federal Express. Related: Richard Branson on Thinking Big