I was sad to hear that Steve Jobs passed away. I’m a pastor of a church and I don’t normally write about business leaders. In fact, come to think of it, I’ve never written about the death of a business leader. But here I go, anyhow. Obviously, I did not know Steve but there were several things about him that impressed me.
First of all, he was one of those rare people who truly was instrumental in helping to bring a technological concept and product to the world that could honestly be considered revolutionary. I am thinking of the personal computer (although I know that he had a hand in some other innovative technological products, as well). We may have forgotten or may not know that when Jobs and Steve Wozniak were tinkering with primitive little PCs in someone’s garage back in the late 70’s, the concept was considered laughable. Somehow, Steve could see that there was great potential in what was then thought to be a silly idea. I think this is the kind of thing that the many people who call Steve a “visionary” are talking about.
I was also impressed and intrigued by the fact that Steve had a respect for and commitment to intangible and unquantifiable qualities in the business world, for example a quality like beauty. In the business world there is a very understandable desire to measure and quantify the things that relate to the bottom line. This makes perfect sense. As a result of this desire, those things that cannot be measured and quantified are considered soft and, perhaps, even inconsequential. Steve, however, believed that the elegant and beautiful design of a product was as important as its functionality. That isn’t always an easy idea to sell in the dollars and cents corporate world. (On the other hand, it is an easier idea to sell if you run the company.) I believe Steve’s respect for and commitment to intangible and unquantifiable qualities is part of what made Apple distinctive. And it seemed to work out fairly well for their bottom line, too!
And I was impressed with certain aspects of Steve’s way of thinking that I have read about and heard him talk about over the years. Again, I certainly didn’t know him, but from what I do know Steve seemed to think in innovative and unique ways about life and business and the important pursuits of his life. I listened to a speech that Steve gave in which he described the thinking behind the printing fonts that Apple made available, from early on, in its word processing programs. His thinking was interesting and original and unique.
It’s true that from things I’ve heard Steve say, I suspect I would not have always agreed with his thinking on some subjects, but that’s beside the point. The point that impresses me is the original and innovative quality of his thinking.
Steve is a legendary figure in the world of technology and business and, actually, pop culture, too. I pray for his family, close friends and the folks who work for his companies who will surely miss him greatly. The rest of us will miss him, too, because visionaries like Steve spice up our world. He was interesting, exciting, rare, and fun.
