Leading Apple With Steve Jobs: Management Lessons From a Controversial Genius

How close were you and Steve Jobs? Describe your relationship.

I worked directly for Steve from 1980 to 1986 , both as Chairman of the Board of Apple and as the head of the Macintosh group. I went to the Board of Directors around Sculley to protest them throwing Steve out of Apple, which he greatly appreciated. We kept in touch over the next 20+ years and I visited him weeks before he passed away

What is the most valuable leadership lesson you learned from Jobs?

To focus in on the product and the user. Everything you do in the organization is about that, also create markets, follow them and stay the course.

Why did you decide to leave Apple in 1986?

John Sculley and I did not see eye to eye and since I had gone over his head to the Board in Steve’s favor, he decided that he wanted me out. He then, as he did to Steve, fired me.

Briefly describe what it was like to work at Apple in the early days?

Apple was the classic start-up, who ever got their first made the coffee. The atmosphere was electric with excitement about building new products and the success of current products, the Apple II and the Mac. Everyone was highly motivated and politics did not exist.

You compare Jobs to other corporate executives and say that Jobs was like a rock star…please explain.

Steve Jobs had a totally different language, he would quote Bob Dylan at shareholder meetings. He was completely motivated by the great products, share prices and finances did not matter to him. As the young entrepreneur - he was the face of Apple, brash, young and exciting. He carried that same spirit into the company.

Jobs started as an entrepreneur, what piece of advice would a young Jobs share with a struggling entrepreneur today?

Make sure you are doing something that you have great passion about and you are not in it for the money. Be the biggest user of your product, not for someone else. Stay the course and find great people around you, the first 10 people you hire have to be the best people you will ever hire and they need to have the same spirit you have.