When the Stars of Innovation and Creativity got Aligned for a Magical Period in Time

"The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do" -Apple

There are legends. There are legacies. But there can be only one Steve Jobs. Most of you may know him from the creator of Ipad, Ipod or Iphone. But the fact is that the man actually revolutionized seven industries: personal computing, animated movies, music, phones, tablets, retail stores and digital publishing. He will therefore be forever remembered with the likes of Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Walt Disney.

This post is to list down all the important management lessons derived from his timeline which I read in HBR and to contribute my share of homage to Steve Jobs. One of the best thing I learned about him was that he used to think that normal rules didn't apply to him. I know such thought can be a ferocious weapon if gotten into wrong hands but Jobs used it wisely. Jobs's mentor (Mike) advised him three principles in life which were empathy, focus and impute. Impute in management means to establish a person's personal experience or emotion with the product. Following are his most important lessons extracted from his life :-

1. Focus

2. Simplify

3. Take responsibility 

4. When behind, Leapfrog

5. Put products before profits

6. Don't be a slave to focus groups

7. Impute

8. Push for perfection

9. Tolerate only "A" players

10. Engage face-to-face

11. Know both the big picture and the details

12. Combine the humanities with the science
13. Stay hungry, stay foolish


Once Jobs in his adolescence was building a fence in his backward with his father. His father told him to take as much care with the back of the fence as to do with the front. Jobs said "Nobody will know about the back of fence". His father replied "But you will know". A true craftsman is more concerned with the passion of perfection rather than saving resources for personal benefits. So go for perfection and everything else will follow themselves.

Job's 2005 Stanford Commencement Speech

Endnotes

1. Reference from Harvard Business Review. Walter Isaacson brought forth these important lessons from Job's life and is the writer of biographies of Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein.

2. I'd recommend to get a copy of HBR (april edition) to read the full article.

Almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. - Steve Jobs

Rise above Fear and Face your Demons!

Of all the grim creatures in the world, why did Bruce Wayne chose a bat to personify himself in fighting crime? Strangely enough it is the same creature that had haunted him through out his young life. This nightmare began the day young bruce was attacked by bats when he fell in a tunnel and then the torture got unbearable and relentless each passing day. The haunting memories constantly degenerated his soul. He had to get rid of these torments. He had to break free. To become a free man. To bask in the glory with immortals. So what did he do to overcome his deepest fear?...................he became his own deepest fear.

Just like Bruce, we all have our demons from the past. These conniving beasts take many shapes for e.g car accident, place, event, death, tragedy, injustice, subjugation, molestation and for some people..............abandonment of that one person. One moment you are a free person, and the next you are thrown to the mercy of horrific beasts, to thier indulgence. These demons don't physically rip you apart. That would be way too lenient. But rather they emotionally torture you your entire life and maintain a prison for your mind. Some can't even recognize their torture and are left to believe that perhaps this is what life's all about. To live in fear. To be devoured. To be perished into nothingness.

Go ahead and start blaming all those who contributed to your enslavement. No use in regretting what is done. Perhaps done for a reason oblivious to you. It doesn't matter who did what to you. What matters is what do you do to yourself. I read somewhere that nobody can hurt you without your consent. I'm here to tell you that nobody lives in fear without his/her consent. Because the day you travel to your darkest death valley where your demons reside, you won't find ugly looking monsters.................you'll find yourself. The truth is that there are no demons. It's just you. It was your decision to cage yourself. You are the creator. You are the annihilator.

Some people go AWOL and get themselves submerged to the mundane affairs of life. Well how's that working out for you people? In order to master your fear, there is no other option but to face them head on. To look in your fear's dark dark eyes. To take all the pain, melancholy and gloom it gave you and use it against it. To unleash yourself and give them a taste of their own medicine. And then finally to embrace and become one with them. I know you're too scared to do it. Too insecure or perhaps too weak. But are you? You must understand that regardless of your circumstances, you still have and always will possess the greatest power THE ALMIGHTY ever gave you.........the power of choice. Learn to use it and don't choose to live in fear. Choose to be free. To ascend and then transcend. And trust me when I tell you that it's the only kind of life worth living.

The day you'll master your illusive demons, you'll know what relief is.........what life is. Like someone took the weight of the world off your shoulders. It's the day you won't stop giving mock smiles to your fears. The day you'll realize that this is only the beginning. The day you'll realize your true strength. They day you'll realize that there is a much higher purpose at stake. And hopefully it's the day you'll start doing........what needs to be done.

Go visit your fears and rise above it

Endnote

1. I know all of what I've written is much easy to write than to practically do it and that it will take hell more to overcome fear . But I can only show you the door, you're the one who has to walk through it.

2. Dying bruce's father final words to bruce were and I quote "Don't be afraid".

Our fears have haunted us for far too long......time has come to haunt them back.

   

illusion of Justifications

Why are there bad people on God's green earth? Why do they do what they do? Don't they feel any remorse or pity? Have they no decency or empathy? Such people most of the times bypass the moral criteria and fall in the deep rabbit hole of logical fallacy. Nobody wants to admit that he/she is a bad person and that it's alright to commit diabolical acts. So in order to commit an unethical act, what most people do this that they acquire a sort of proxy to channel their justification cause without justification, it becomes very difficult to commit an unethical act for a sane person. Consider the following faulty justifications :- 

1. Displacement of responsibility is that process when one blames his/her unethical behavior on the other for e.g " I took the bribe because my boss said to do so".

2. Diffusion of responsibility is that process when a person commits unethical act and no one is being held responsible for e.g "We all take bribe, that's the way we do business here"

3. Advantageous comparison is that process when one compare's his unethical act to someone's whose level of unethical behavior is greater for e.g"I only do drugs while my friends do drugs, alcohol ,gambling and fornication".
4.Self-advantages comparison is that process when one justifies his evil act by committing good one's also for e.g "I know it was bad of me to hit a person with my car and run away but am not such a bad person as I give donations and help the needy one's also"

5. Attribution of blame is that process when one blames his/her unethical act because of someone else's behavior for e.g " My co-worker called me some abusive words so that's why I repeatedly beat him with an inch of his life".

6. Euphemistic labeling is that process of using sugar-coated words in order to justify their heinous crimes for e.g Terrorist sounds bad but freedom fighter is much more justifiable.
7. The "nobody's perfect" acquittal is that trap in which one justifies by saying that some unethical acts are ok since nobody's perfect for e.g "I know I cheated but everyone have their weaknesses and nobody's perfect". It's true that nobody's perfect but make an effort to eliminate your weaknesses and don't just sit on your arse like a spoiled brat and do nothing about it.
8. Masquerade of Greater Good is that deception which can be exploited by moral people even. In this process one commits evil/unethical acts and claims to do so for greater good for e.g" Since that leader is a corrupt and atrocious person therefore it deems prudent to have him assassinated so that the public can be spared."

Not always justification is required to commit unethical acts as I commit such an act of piracy (will post about it) and have no justification for it. Also there are those short-sighted people who don't perceive their immoral acts as immoral and continue to do so for the sake of short-term pleasure against long-term deterioration.

Endnote

1. Reference from "Effective Leadership (3rd edition)" by "lussier/Achua". Points 4, 7 & 8 are self generated.
2. Do share if you have more justification points to add.
3. I mostly fall for point 7.

There can never be any justifiable justification for immoral acts

All that I've seen Mean's nothing To me Without You

I have seen the rise and fall of ocean waves, lovers unable to look away from each other, black clouds with cool breeze, utterance of first word by toddler, giant rainbow after long awaited rainfall, a child helping an elderly to cross the road, persistence of circle of life, blossom of red roses, time healing wounds, ants walking with discipline, philosopher submerged in deep deep thoughts, dolphins moving along a ship, children enjoying merry-go-round, man getting down on his knees and proposing, best friends hugging each other, a stranger sacrificing his life for the other, the sun rising, a very poor disabled man thankful towards life, shooting of a star, students celebrating their graduation, twilight forming on a beautiful day, corrupt people pleading guilty even if they could have escaped, eagles soar above the sky, mother embracing her child, people fulfilling their purpose in life, forgiveness, passion, prudence, jubilation, enlightenment, protection, awesomeness, perseverance, glamour, aesthetics...................but all that I've seen mean's nothing to me without you.

Inspired by this song

Endnote

1.This post is purely fiction and has no dedication.