STEVE JOBS — ICON

What makes an icon?

William Shakespeare. Pablo Picasso. Mozart. MLK. When we ponder the word icon, we think of such people. They made such huge leaps in society through their professions that we look to them for inspiration.

In 2018 it only makes sense to include Steve Jobs in this group of illustrious individuals.

Steve Jobs was more than just a man in a turtleneck and jeans worn in the 90’s.

He was more than what some assumed him to be. Narcissistic, holier-than-thou, a bit too harsh with others.

But that only reflects his attitude as an independent thinker, an artist, a man. It cannot be stressed how smart he was, how much thought he placed in his work.

From his parents’ basement in 1976 to one of the biggest and most identifiable companies in the world, his story is the type that others can only dream of. What I took out of Jobs’ folio of work in particular was his attention to detail and effective leadership, key qualities for success in the modern world of business.

It seems evident that most people around Jobs knew he was destined for glory. Whatever he may have found himself working on, they knew the capabilities he possessed.

It only takes listening to his voice to tell that he was smart. Really smart. The kind of smart you don’t see every day.

In his biography written by Walter Isaacson, a former executive of CNN and TIME, he mentions that Jobs displayed exceptional knowledge in just the fourth grade. Further noting in the biography, “Now that it was clear, not only to himself and his parents but also to his teachers, that he was intellectually special, the school made the remarkable proposal that he skip two grades and go right into seventh; it would be the easiest way to keep him challenged and stimulated. His parents decided, more sensibly, to have him skip only one grade.”

Such evidence represents a deep insatiable hunger for knowledge. Learning helped him to evolve every day, challenging himself to new heights and only wanting to seek more.

But the knowledge he possessed isn’t the kind you see in genius programmers, such as counterpart Steve Wozniak. Wozniak built the Apple 1 himself, a new piece of technology that changed the way computers were made. Irrespective of this, it garnered the success and attention due to the brilliance of Jobs, through wheeling and dealing to make it a hit.

In an information technology sense, Wozniak was indeed smarter than Jobs, but through history it is evident that he became Scottie Pippen to Jobs’ MJ (for those familiar with the Chicago Bulls).

In his world, innovation was key. The awareness of the market and how to best appeal to consumers was something Steve Jobs had a knack for.

Not only known for his intelligence, Jobs was a world-renowned leader, someone who was born to be followed. His return to Apple marked a momentous point in tech history, as the company began producing a wave of culturally and technologically significant products that would change life itself. From the iMac to the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad, one man led an operation to return Apple to tech dominance and thus become the most profitable company in the world.

His personality wasn’t without its flaws.

Isaacson also notes in his biography, “there’s the “Good Steve”, and then there’s the “Bad Steve.” As much as he could inspire, he could equally destroy.

From run-of-the-mill employees to mogul Elon Musk, many have noted him to be quite the jerk. God knows how many disgruntled employees have experienced the wrath of one Steve Jobs and taken mostly positive points from working at Apple.

Despite this, the man knew how to produce results.

Through a keen eye towards detail and absolute perfection, Jobs needed to make sure every product released by Apple was the best it could be, and required others under him to apply themselves in such a manner. That was one of the plethora of reasons that made him so valuable, and made other stakeholders recognise his importance.

He never demanded respect, he earned it.

It has been more than 5 years since Steve Jobs’ unfortunate passing, and one thing has become apparent. His imprint on the technology scene grows larger with every passing moment, when one steps back and recognises his importance to not just technology, but culture, art and much more.

Jobs’ thirst for success and revolution has not only changed the lives of many, but the entire world. Thus, not only was he a visionary, but an icon.