Reading Reflection No. 1

1) Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson

• What surprised you the most?
• It was surprising that Steve Jobs was adopted and so very influenced by his adoption parents, particularly the creativity of his dad. Steve admired his dad's creativity and was inspired by the sleekness and attention to detail his dad showed in working on various projects around the house. It was surprising to know he started that innovation at such a young age. 
• What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?
• I admire Jobs' commitment to artistry and his ability to combine useful technology with artistic design. Before Apple was created, Jobs' was learning about design and typography, and I admire his ideas to combine the two into a product. 
• What about the entrepreneur did you least admire?
• I least admire Jobs' treatment of his employees and those who were around him on the team that grew Apple as a company. The book describes this as a significant stain on Jobs' reputation.
• Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?
• Yes, Jobs' faced moral failures and failures of integrity in his personal life. Early on in Apple's history, Jobs dealt with a pregnancy of his girlfriend which he did not handle well. It was the first major example of him alienating people in his personal life while working as an entrepreneur and trying to focus on growing the business. He faced this problem by eventually admitting his mistakes and providing financial support for the wife and the kid.

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

- Steve Jobs had a few competencies, including: creativity, determination, artistry, commitment to a core mission, understanding the consumer and their behavior, as well as recognizing the need for simplicity/userability in products. Many entrepreneurs have the foundational skills need in technology or science to be able to make their products work, but Jobs emphasized the promotional and presentation aspects of his product that played to the consumer's habits and core needs, as opposed to other companies that don't tailor their products at all. 

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

- It was confusing to understand the dynamic of Jobs' relationship with Steve Wozniak. One was more technical minded, the other more business minded, but how did they balance those competing personalities well enough to succeed?

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

- What would you do differently if you were envisioning the direction of apple from the beginning?

- In what ways can Apple products make more of an impact on connecting the world than they already do?

I would ask these questions because it is important to think about what can be improved, even though Apple is already a very influential company. I also would like to know areas that other companies can potentially serve in or market areas that other businesses will be trying to enter because of Apple.

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

- I think Steve Jobs' opinion was that hard work is necessary to make visions become reality. And that hard work comes at a cost, often to social relationships, which is necessary and acceptable. I somewhat share this opinion. Work is definitely a component to making visions a reality, although there is a limit to how much hard work can do without the personal talent and resources to achieve this reality. Furthermore, I do believe it comes at a cost, but it is not always worth the cost, especially in regards to personal relationships.