Assignment 27A - Reading Reflection 3

My Book: Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson

1) You read about an entrepreneur:

• What surprised you the most?
• What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?
• What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?
• Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?

The thing that surprised me the most about Steve Jobs was his tenacity when faced with some form of adversity. He dealt with a lot of stress regarding his troubles with the board of directors of Apple when he was CEO, which according to the biography caused his mental health to deteriorate. At one point, he was forced out of being the CEO of Apple, something which would break many people's spirits. However, I am surprised that he was able to bounce back from this, invest in Pixar (to the point of owning 50.1% of the company), and turn it into the giant it is today. He was able to get himself reinstated as the CEO of Apple, something which many people would fail massively at.

I most admire his sheer intelligence when it comes to business. He was someone who knew exactly what the customer wanted, and how to provide it, to the point where created what is now one of the most profitable companies on the planet. He is someone who has been very wealthy since a young age, having utilized his skills effectively and in a good manner.

However, according to the biography, it cannot be said that his personality was always likable. He was a very demeaning and rude person to his employees, which stems from his immense desire to succeed. He is someone who obviously took the business very seriously, but did so at the cost of being nice to others, and in general a good person.

As stated previously, when faced with adversity and failure, Jobs was even more motivated to succeed in his other ventures, which eventually brought him back to a position of success in his main venture - Apple.

2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited? 

The biography mentioned that Steve Jobs is extremely intelligent when it comes to anything business - from design decisions to business presentations to motivating others in his workplace to accomplish what needed to be done. He is certainly someone who had the skills necessary to succeed as the CEO of a multi-billion (now trillion) dollar company. The way he presented his products to the world changed the way phones are seen forever. He truly did begin the smart phone era.

3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.

I was confused with how they portrayed Steve Jobs as really the only driving force in Apple, when it was really many of his coworkers that also helped to succeed. It seems as if the biography is equating being CEO with being the leader, which is not always the case.

4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why?

What do you think about the current status of Apple, having become the first trillion dollar company? I would want to know his thoughts about his company now being the biggest in the world, and how things have changed from what he ever could have imagined.

Do you think that being harsh to motivate your other employees was a necessary evil? I thought of this after watching the movie Whiplash, in which an insanely rude and demeaning music teacher verbally and physically abuses a student, but in the process, turns that student into a new prodigy in music. I would want to know whether Steve Jobs thinks that this is a necessary evil.

5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?

Steve Jobs definitely thought hard work is a necessity, and the biography reports him as having forced him and his employees to spend countless sleepless nights working on producing products. I agree that the abilities you have and how hard you work using them is what sets you apart from all others.