The Pursuit of Excellence: The Payoff
The Pursuit Of Excellence: The Payoff
’Excellence’ is defined in the Oxford dictionary as superiority, the quality or state of being outstanding or extremely good (Oxford University Press 2012). What did Steve Jobs, Larry
FOCUS & VISON
“Focus is the first and most important element of excellence, Focus is the core of excellence, the center of the circle, the hub of the wheel of excellence”, (Orlick, 2008). Steve Jobs realized the great importance of focus and when he returned to lead Apple in 1997, he fixed that company by cutting all except a few core products. His basic focus caused his Apple team to work intensely to perfect and create just a few truly great products. He possessed incredible strength and the full power of focus. Along with his intense focus there was a dedication to simplicity not only in the end-product but also with the team at the home office. Steve Jobs’ products were his motivation. And his motivation was not profit. He demonstrated how to challenge his focus during the development and manufacturing of the Apple computers. Later, this was further emphasized with the development of his team and spearheaded the development of some of the unique electronic products on the planet, such as iMacs, MacBooks, iPhones, iPods and most recently iPad. In addition, many years ahead of its time, his vision and passion for futuristic products, such as making a computer as small as a book, (Isaacson 2011, Chapter 9).
INNOVATION
“Some leaders push innovations by being good at the big picture; others do so by mastering the details. Jobs did both relentlessly.”