I was sad when I learned Farrah Fawcett had died. In my youth, she was a symbol borne of an iconic poster, great hair, and a really bad TV show. Princess Diana had that smile. The death of each (and many other notables) make you pause. If you’re a business owner, the death of Steve Jobs made you think.
The difference is akin to the divide between a good movie and a great one. A good movie will make you think back on great scenes and smile. A great move stays with you. It may even alter your perspective.
The business life of Steve Jobs was a great movie.
I’ll leave the litany of achievements to others. I want to focus on the lessons. There are others, but I’ll mention three that every entrepreneur should adopt as a mantra:
- Clarity of purpose. Why do you do what you do? What makes you…you? If someone could take your logo from your restaurant, law firm, or landscaping company, slide someone else’s in there and there would be no difference, you’re doing something wrong.
- Discipline of how you do it. Once you figure out who you are, it must permeate everything you do in a way that’s true to your vision. I mean everything from your office space to how you advertise job openings.
- Consistency. Your brand must transcend your products or current offerings. Can anyone doubt that Apple achieved this?
You see, his passing notwithstanding, the last thing Steve Jobs would want an entrepreneur, innovator, brand manager or business owner to do is rest.