First of all, The
Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs by Carmine Gallo is incredibly inspiring.
After reading only the first few chapters I was already excitedly
recommending this book to friends and coworkers.
I really enjoy the chronicles
of Steve Jobs, but what sets this book apart is all of the other stories of
important people in business and their own ‘rites of passage’ through
innovation and leadership. Most intriguing to me is Jobs' first principle of
doing what you love. Honestly, most folks would view Jobs’s act of quitting
college and being a sort of vagabond in his early adult life as irresponsible
and rebellious. In all seriousness, I would be disgusted to see any young
person live like that. I would probably judge them and have preconceived
notions that they will never be successful. I know I am not alone in this way
of thinking, and I know that I would have considered any young person in such a
state to be lazy and immature.
The first few chapters of Gallo’s book have
given me an epiphany about how quickly we judge those who we don’t consider to
be going through the accepted motions of becoming a successful and responsible
adult. This whole idea of doing what you love is so often preached, but with
conditions. You should do what you love under the condition that what you love
is a socially acceptable norm. Carmine Gallo gives many examples of people who
followed their hearts and their intuition and became wildly successful and were
happy doing it.
“Have
the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what
you truly want to become,” says Steve Jobs.
Wow! How profound is that? I have always known, from somewhere deep inside,
that I have not yet found my place in the world. I always have a job, and I am
a loyal employee, often sticking it out at jobs for many years. I have worked
for my current employer for more than eight years. However, it has felt as if I
have only been biding my time. This brings me to another part of Gallo's book that really intrigued me. Carmine Gallo explains how important it is not to
settle. He shares and excerpt of an interview with Steve Jobs where Jobs
explains how success is directly correlated with perseverance and passion. I have literally
applied for more than 17 different positions at my current place of employment
and have only had a handful of interviews and one job offer. I could easily
give up and just settle for where I have been or where I currently am, but I
refuse. Just as Jobs has simply taken whatever situation he finds himself in
and pursues what he is passionate about, his path has always worked itself out
in his favor .
I used to get down on myself and think that I would never have the opportunity
to follow my passion for people, employee satisfaction and its relativity to quality
and production. I have watched people around me climb the management ladder,
and manage in ways that I am very oppositional to. I could let this get me
down, but I have refused. I completed my associate’s degree in the hope that it
would help me get promoted, but it didn’t. So, I got my bachelor’s degree in
the hope that it would at least get me another position in the company, and it
did. It isn’t a management position, but it is finally a different job. This
gave me hope, so I am now pursuing my master’s degree in the hope that it will
finally break that barrier into the management world for me. After reading the
story about James Dyson and how he failed 5,126 times before finally succeeding,
how could I possibly give up on my dreams of becoming a CEO? You see, I have the determination of those who succeeded before me, and I have my sights set on going up that ladder.
One of my other passions is in recruiting and what James Dyson had to say about
recruiting still rings in my ears. He said,
“The trouble is you have human
resource departments…this idea that when you take someone on, you take someone
on who’s had experience in your field.”
I am a true believer in that experience means something, but not everything. There is a more important quality for hiring the right person for a job: potential. Potential = qualities or abilities that may be developed and lead to future success or usefulness. Everyone has to start somewhere!
Carmine Gallo affirmed for me many of my own ideas and beliefs. If anything, I
have been inspired and motivated to continue to pursue my passion for
understanding people, and helping the business world to understand their
people, and not because the job has potentiality for financial bliss. I will do
it because I can do it, I understand it, and I like it.
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