Assignment 13A - Reading Reflection No. 1

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Steve_Jobs_Headshot_2010.JPG

Steve Jobs

1) You read about an entrepreneur:

• What surprised you the most?

I was very surprised that Steve Jobs was not a very nice person. He clashed with many people throughout his career. He was not often kind or empathetic and didn't seem to care about hurting other people's feelings. He either thought other people's ideas were amazing or "shit", there was no middle ground. 

• What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?

I most admired Steve Job's vision and work ethic. The thing that helped him overcome his character flaws and succeed was his incredible vision. He never took no for an answer and pushed the limits of what others thought was possible. He demanded perfection in his products. He worked incredibly hard to make a difference in the world. He didn't care about making tons of money. Jobs biggest desire was to change the world through his products and build a company that would stand the test of time. He succeeded in doing this with Apple and Pixar. How many entrepreneurs can say the started two world changing companies?

• What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?

I least admired the way Steve treated other people. He was insensitive, and didn't often take other people's advice. He abandoned his first child for the first few years of her life, but would later make amends. He seemed to live in an alternate reality most of the time that people referred to as his "reality distortion field". This caused him to not see what was best for the business at times, but it also helped him to create technology no one else thought was possible.

• Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?

Steve Jobs encountered quite a bit of failure. After the huge success Apple experienced with their personal computer, the Apple II, they hit hard times. Jobs even ended up getting ousted from Apple. He decided to create a new company called Next. Next was not a success. They were eventually acquired by Apple, and that is how Steve Jobs once again came to work for Apple, the company that he cofounded. Jobs learned a lot from these failures, and when he came back to Apple he helped to revive the company and came up with ideas for revolutionary products like the iPod, iPhone, iMac, and iPad.

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

Steve Jobs was definitely a visionary. He had a talent for knowing what the next big thing would be. He dreamed big and worked hard to achieve those dreams. He made sure he was surrounded by "A" level talent. He was very intuitive about knowing what the next big technological innovation would be, and he made sure Apple was the first to produce it. 

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

The only thing that confused me was the fact that Steve Jobs wasn't a very nice person much of the time, which I didn't know before. I don't know many people who can treat people badly and still be extremely successful. He knew how to build people up and well as he knew how to tear them down. He did respect very talented people and treat them better. He only wanted to be surrounded by the best of the best. Maybe in a weird way, his hard-to-handle personality helped him succeed because he didn't put up with mediocre people or ideas.

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

I would ask him if he had any regrets. He dedicated his life to his work and left little time for anything else, including family. I wonder if he regretted that.

I would also ask him what he thought the next big innovation would be. I'm sure if he were still alive, he would be working on the next big thing. I wonder if technological innovation will slow down now that he is gone, or if someone will be able to take his place.

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

Without a doubt, he believed in working hard at things that you are passionate about. He loved what he did and dedicated almost all of his free time to working at Apple and Pixar. He had a dream of changing the world, and because of his vision, hard work, and dedication, he made that dream a reality.