Steve Jobs was obsessed with innovation.
But his true superpower was project leadership.
6 lessons from Jobs every project manager should know:
But his true superpower was project leadership.
6 lessons from Jobs every project manager should know:
At $150M, "Project Purple" was big, even for Apple.
Steve rejected 5 different concepts and 100s of mockups.
It took 2 years of iteration before Steve gave the OK for the formal project.
Lesson: don't go all-in on every idea, test & experiment.
Steve rejected 5 different concepts and 100s of mockups.
It took 2 years of iteration before Steve gave the OK for the formal project.
Lesson: don't go all-in on every idea, test & experiment.
Imagine a project sponsor as driven and inspirational as Steve:
• Provides a clear mission
• Devotes half his time to one project
• Notorious for his high quality standard
• Crystal clear feedback, priorities & resources
Lesson: find a sponsor as driven & capable as Steve.
• Provides a clear mission
• Devotes half his time to one project
• Notorious for his high quality standard
• Crystal clear feedback, priorities & resources
Lesson: find a sponsor as driven & capable as Steve.
The iPhone accounts for half of Apple's revenue: $500M per day.
But that's only part of the picture.
It kickstarted many other products in Apple's ecosystem, from Apple pay to the Airpods.
Lesson: think beyond the product - create ecosystems to transform your business.
But that's only part of the picture.
It kickstarted many other products in Apple's ecosystem, from Apple pay to the Airpods.
Lesson: think beyond the product - create ecosystems to transform your business.
Steve felt that the iPhone was the future of the company.
So he pulled a dream team together, regardless of what they were working on.
iMac design legend Jony Ive.
Software SVP Scott Forstall.
Anyone you want, full-time.
Lesson: build the best team, not the available team.
So he pulled a dream team together, regardless of what they were working on.
iMac design legend Jony Ive.
Software SVP Scott Forstall.
Anyone you want, full-time.
Lesson: build the best team, not the available team.
From the start, the launch deadline was clear: Macworld 2007.
The hard deadline united teams & provided unmatched focus.
"The next mockup in two weeks, or be reassigned."
And they knew Steve was not joking.
Lesson: under pressure, you can do 10 years of work in 2.
The hard deadline united teams & provided unmatched focus.
"The next mockup in two weeks, or be reassigned."
And they knew Steve was not joking.
Lesson: under pressure, you can do 10 years of work in 2.
Create your own Project Purple:
• Experiment before going all-in
• Find your own Steve as sponsor
• Build an ecosystem, not a product
• Get the right people, not the available
• Use a tight deadline as your team's enemy
And don't forget a mysterious name!
• Experiment before going all-in
• Find your own Steve as sponsor
• Build an ecosystem, not a product
• Get the right people, not the available
• Use a tight deadline as your team's enemy
And don't forget a mysterious name!
Thanks for reading!
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I'm on a mission to make one person a better project manager every day.
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📲 What team are you on? iPhone or Android?
If you liked that, you'll love what's up next.
I'm on a mission to make one person a better project manager every day.
Follow me @polak_jasper and never miss a thread about project management or leadership.
📲 What team are you on? iPhone or Android?
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But we can't go deep.
Every Tuesday in my newsletter, we double-click on one idea to help you become a better project manager.
Manage work and lead people.
Join 7,691+ other project leaders today for free!
projectleaders.io
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