Leading Apple With Steve Jobs
Management Lessons From a Controversial Genius

Jay Elliot was hired personally by Steve Jobs, just in time to accompany him on the last of his historic visits to Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center, the visits that changed the course of computing. As Senior VP of Apple, Jay served as Steve's right-hand man and trouble-shooter, overseeing all corporate operations and business planning, as well as software development and HR. In Leading Apple with Steve Jobs, Jay details how Steve managed and motivated his people?and what every manager can learn from Jobs about motivating people to do the best work of their lives.

Steve Jobs used the phrase "Pirates! Not the Navy" as a rallying cry?a metaphor to "Think Different." In the days of developing the Macintosh, it became a four-word mission statement. It expresses the heart of Apple and Steve. The management principles that grew out of that statement form the backbone of this book.

• Explains how to find talented people who will understand your objectives and be able to make a contribution to that effort
• Lists traits that can determine whether a person will be so committed to the vision that they will provide their own motivation
• Explains how to ensure that your employees hold an allegiance to the captain and to his/her shipmates, and also possess the ability to come up with original, unique ways to approach a problem, and be self-guided with a strong sense of direction

Leading Apple with Steve Jobs will shift your thought paradigm and inspire you to assemble and lead innovative teams.

Preface Why I Wrote This Book ix

Chronology xiii

1 A Ding in the Universe: Everything Starts with an Inspiring Vision 1

2 Steve’s Business Philosophy and Values 15

3 People Who Know More than You: Choosing and Leading Your Lieutenants 29

4 Steve’s Secrets for Selecting Great People 41

5 Unusual Interviewing Techniques 53

6 To Protect Innovation, Create a Company within a Company 61

7 “No More Crap Products”: Creating Excellence 73

8 More on Product Strategy: Design Is How It Works 85

9 Entrepreneurial Confidence and High Standards 93

10 Employee Owners: Rewarding the Product Stakeholders 99

11 The Apple Workplace: Fostering Creativity 107

12 When Selling Becomes More Important than the Product 121

13 “And One More Thing”: Looking into the Distance 139

14 Flowers at His Doorstep: The Heritage of Steve Jobs 149

Notes 161

Acknowledgments 165

Index 167

JAY ELLIOT was a senior member of the original Macintosh development team and helped Steve Jobs develop the overall Mac design inspired by Xerox PARC. Becoming Senior Vice President of Apple reporting directly to Steve, Jay ran all corporate operations, including business planning, IT, facilities, and HR, for Apple worldwide. As a mentor to Steve, Jay was able to impart the management principles Jay had learned at IBM and Intel, which helped Steve build Apple into a multibillion-dollar company.