“Good artists copy, great artists steals”

Steve Jobs the co-founder and the CEO of Apple, one of the highest grossing products around the globe. He is a very well-known man, as a technopreneur, an innovator and a strict boss. While Steve is being somehow brutally honest, it made him charismatic and influential. Though, he’s a man who sees things differently and a man who once talked about karmas and past lives, he was incomparable. Anyways, what really are the qualities that contributed Steve Jobs success all throughout his career? Or did he also have those career downfalls, what triggered it?

His Failure

Steve Jobs didn’t really consistently achieve success all throughout his career and as a technopreneur. He made some mistakes in his life and in his career. The saying “Nobody’s Perfect” implies to every single one of us it doesn’t excuse anyone. He had also experienced failures as a technopreneur.  

I see Steve as an impatient and egoistic person. Somehow he has this impatient attitude in him. There really are times that one has to wait patiently. You can’t always taste the feeling of being always on top. That impatient attitude of his has pushed his workers to the edge and that was one of the reasons he got kicked as the Apple’s CEO. And that ego of his has taken away his rationality on other things, over-thinking the range of his power for being the CEO.

He is a control-freak who likes to dictate things to everyone. He tends to get a hold of everybody. Even if you’re the boss you don’t really have to overestimate your power and control your employees like you little puppets. And also considering the fact that Steve is a very demanding perfectionist. Which is somehow he being a perfectionist constantly declining things that doesn’t suits his tastes or what he thought as something that don’t go along with the trend. He doesn’t want anything that isn’t fitting to his ideas. He became a very strict boss making his workers go against him. He overworked his workers pushing them to their limit by making them work beyond their working hours. He became a super demanding boss by ordering his workers to produce a lot more innovative ideas without even considering of giving them the time to rest.

Steve was blinded by success which has caused of his downfall or failure. His success really did cover up his sense. As what Bill Gates stated, “Success is a menace. It fools smart people into thinking they can't lose.” That’s what happened to Steve. He had, in some way, been blinded by his own success making him an egotistical person. He also has his visionary sense of self and determined refusal to do anything any other way than his own. Maybe he became egoistic and overestimated his self worth which resulted to his failure. Steve is somehow close-minded to things other than his own ideas.

His very obsession with defeating IBM has also contributed to his failure. Since, he was constantly affected with the progress of IBM for me it might have distressed his goals and objectives. I know that it is only fine to have considered some competition but his obsession into defeating IBM is way over the top. He should just have considered IBM as a fellow competition and then he just have to get on with his true target or his goal.

A person realizes something when he or she experiences failures. Experiences shapes an individual and it is that particular individual’s job as to how he or she will react from it. Failures are a matter of challenges in your life and it’s you who decides how you will respond from it. Steve Jobs is one of those individual. He gained experienced and worked his way through it. Once you experience failure it doesn’t really mean the end, if you see it differently it means there is another opportunity out there for you. Think positively and never let failures get into your head because it will just push you even deeper.

His Success

There are a lot of factors that contributed to the success of Steve Jobs. As what Steve Wozniak said, “He always saw things differently; he saw the meaning of the universe”. Steve Jobs really is one of a kind. He is somewhat different; in his outlook in life, the way he understand things and how he looks into things.

A very business minded person and an opportunity grabber. He was a very business minded person because in any way he always takes risks and can always find the right set of tools. Steve has taken a lot of risks just to become successful. He had once placed a large amount of money to achieve success once more by the time when he was ousted as Apple’s CEO. And Steve has found the right set of tools which will help him achieve success within the industry, which then gave him the second time of being part of Apple. Also, he was an opportunity grabber, once he sees that there is a great chance of his product to be recognized then he will take every opportunity he can get. I guess I can consider Steve as one of those people that once they put their mind to it they will keep on pursuing that path until they can achieve what they always aimed.

One of the good points with Steve is that he is good with speaking. He is a master of words which persuades others to keep on listening to his talks. He can convince and influence others to do his bidding. He was good with marketing and advertising his products. The products he’d made can convince the local to try and buy it. Marketing your product is hard since you have to look on to what the majority wants or needs but to him it was like a talent. He can somewhat influence the public to have a taste of their product. Steve is also a very honest person. Even though his honesty can sometimes be misunderstood, that made him to be a man who’s somehow straight-forward. Those qualities of his can also make or create a very loyal team.

He is a smart man and is innovative. Steve is a very smart man who is good in innovating. His innovated ideas are now spreading across the globe like a virus. His works are now widely known and are considered the greatest innovations. Innovating is not an easy task because there are a whole lot individual’s are having their own ideas formulated. But, Steve, amongst all had that certain something in him who has helped him think of ideas which are once impossible to plausible and achievable.  

Steve is a very wise and intelligent individual. He is wise in a way that he can find something out of the little things. And an individual who is wise enough to outwit others when he can seem to think of a new idea and can plan out beforehand. His intelligence about others things can’t also be put aside. He seemed to think beyond than just in the forefront. He uses his intelligence efficiently that most of it gave him great results.

He also has great focus for work. Having focused on what to work on what to set aside is one of the good points you can see in Steve. Separating the things that need to be achieved and done now to the things that have to be put to a stop. Filtering out the considered distractions away from the goals and what their real objective is. This attitude has paid off seeing that their product is beyond quality.

He is also undaunted, always perseveres and is persistent. Steve has always been the person who isn’t afraid in dealing things which can somehow worry others. Even by the time he was ousted in Apple he didn’t give up instead he looked for another opportunity. He also perseveres, having failed for a lot of times but is still continuing to pursue that industry. That persistent attitude has indeed contributed to his success, even after undergoing a lot of ups and downs; he is one heck of a persistent man. Steve also has this independent attitude. This attitude has contributed to his success. Picking him up after getting kicked in his position in Apple, building a new company and investing to another branch of the industry has showed his independence. He has invested a large amount of money which can bring him down deeper or can pull him up once again. His undaunted attitude really did pay off after a series of events he came back to Apple and resumed to shaping the world once again.

He is creative and imaginative. He can manage his workers well. He encourages his workers to think more, be more creative and imaginative. His ways of being creative and imaginative can be seen now. The products they have been selling for the past years have proven that his creativenesses with the help of his workers are amazing. Their products is said to be one of the most purchased and is one of the highest grossing companies, till the present.

Indeed, Steve Jobs is a real technopreneur. Even in his failures there are times that you can’t blame him for acting that way since his actions are for the better of the company. He is also a very effective boss seeing as to where Apple stands now. His business mind brought Apple to the top and it has gained the attention of the public which is what Steve has always intended. There aren’t a lot of people who thinks and acts the way he does. But, when you get to know his story it really is awe-inspiring. For us, which is in the field of technology his words and story can become a great inspiration. The quote “good artists copy, great artists steals” has a great impact to those who are in the ICT Industry. It has described how things work in the ICT Industry and has mirrored the works of the people leading the industry as of today. Steve Jobs’ legacy will change our lives forever.

Me as a technopreneur?

In this moment I see myself as just a seed. I don’t really think of myself as a real technopreneur as of the present. I’m still a seed that still needs to be watered and looked after, provided with the proper amount of sunlight and is planted where you can find the richest amount of soil for nutrition.

Being planted or placed in the richest amount of soil for nutrition is like being placed in a crowd which has the ability to provide the right amount of knowledge.  The nutrition will set as knowledge which will help one grow into a good technopreneur. Having a place to be able to absorb knowledge is a great opportunity considering the fact that I’m still learning. There might be limits and some cutting edge but once an opportunity opens up that would be the right time to grab a hold of it. Provided with the right amount of sunlight would seem like being given with the exact quantity of learning.  Gaining the exact quantity of learning will help one understand how this industry works. It’s like giving or providing me the proper understanding and the right learning experience that will greatly benefit me in the future.  The experiences I have obtained today is not comparable to those who’s even considered to be a regular leveled technopreneur but with the right amount of learning experience it would be a considerable leverage. Today even if you are only a student if you have the knowledge, talent and proper leverage you can compete to people with titles or even professionals, because as of today you can grab knowledge anytime and anywhere. Having watered and looked after, seems that I would still need to be observed and mentored but not literally being spoon-fed. Getting a mentor would definitely help someone develop, into an effective technopreneur. It would mean a lot to have someone monitor your progress and someone to coach you. It would really make a difference.

The Best Personalities to Make the Best Entrepreneurs

Personalities are unique as the people who own them. They range from demanding to meek, cunning to creative, and some people embody multiple personalities. At some points they might be demanding and other points they simply sit back and let others take control. When it comes to being an entrepreneur or a business owner personality can make a major impact on the business. So, is there a perfect personality type for an entrepreneur to have in order to become great?

A focused personality

I believe an entrepreneur should have a confident, ambitious and driven personality. They need to be focused, not just on the task at hand but also the bigger picture. Entrepreneurs also need to stay positive to be able to deal with both the highs and lows of creating projects and running a business. Above all, entrepreneurs need to stay tough and not let the hard knocks, pitfalls or comments from others get them down. They should be resilient and flexible and be prepared for change. Decisions should be made using smart business acumen and not emotions. Entrepreneurs should also try and remain a little humble despite the success they may achieve along the way.

A strong and independent personality

I have owned a home-based PR/marketing company for 10.5 years now. I think the right kind of personality for being an entrepreneur is one that is strong and independent. As a sole proprietor, the success or failure of the business is completely dependent on my efforts. In addition to working on behalf of the clients on board and tasks at hand, you have to constantly be aware of the need to grow the business and set aside time to network and look for the next client. It’s a wonderful experience to be your own boss and enjoy the fruits of your labor, but the spirit to persevere is of absolute necessity! A friend recently gave me a good quote to live by as an entrepreneur: “Fail often.”

A determined, ornery chameleon personality

The best type of personality for an entrepreneur or business owner to have is what I call “a determined, ornery chameleon.” You need to be ornery enough that you can’t stand working for others and taking orders from people when you know you could do it better yourself. You need to be chameleon enough to hide your ornery side from your customers – those you need to treat like gold, even the few you can’t stand. You need to be determined and persistent enough to not quit when it gets tough, and to always be determined to find solutions when problems arise – as they inevitably will. This trifecta of personality traits will serve you well.

Being a self-starter

I would say an entrepreneur needs to be one that is a self-starter, very long term focused, and not moved easily by every wind or whim. You need to be able to not take “no” for an answer, and you need to be able to believe in what you are doing, that it will work, and that it is right. You need to be okay with losing many customers and deals on the way to getting your first few. You need a thick skin, and you need to be a good planner, a realist that is not dissuaded by several years of just scraping by in the process of growing your business enough to make a living at it.

One personality doesn’t cut it

I don’t think that any one personality is “right.” Sure you have to be a little bit crazy to plunge head first in to the risky pool, but it’s more about knowing your own strengths and weaknesses and building a team that compliments you. All too often entrepreneurs bring on people that are too similar to them and they wind up with problems of group think and affirmation bias. It’s better to bring on people that are different than you, who have different skills. And try to make sure you have advisors or team members that fit your customer profile! Last, having a team that is varied in point of view and skills can lead to conflict, so you have to learn how to make conflict a constructive part of your team dynamic. We used the Thomas Kilman Conflict module. It’s all about revealing your personal conflict style and learning how to work with people who have different conflict styles.

Dynamic, passionate and adaptable

I believe the three personality traits of successful entrepreneurs are: dynamic, passionate, and adaptable. Dynamism has a double meaning: 1) the ability to shine dynamically with others, and 2) the ability to bring a dynamic skill set to the table so that you are multidimensional in your approach and what you are able to achieve. As for passion, entrepreneurs should love what they do and let it show. The public face of an entrepreneur needs to be encouraging and passionate to challenge the status quo. Others respect purpose, passion, and genuine caring. Lastly, many experts will say that entrepreneurs should be firm in their vision. While I agree that entrepreneurs should have a clear overarching vision, I believe it is vital to be adaptable to shift strategies and plans based on real-time learning.

Being a visionary

Entrepreneurs are visionaries. We are imaginative, innovative, independent thinkers who love a challenge and love to challenge the existing standards. However, truly successful entrepreneurs must have a keen sense of business practicalities in order to turn their vision into reality. We are driven by mission, not money, but we also know how to create opportunity and make it happen. Entrepreneurs are not just dreamers but dreamer-doers.

A mix of extrovert and introvert

Many people believe that extroverts make better entrepreneurs than introverts – it’s not necessarily true. To align our definitions: extroverts gain energy by sharing ideas in a group and lose energy working alone. Conversely, introverts like to evaluate situations and consider alternatives thoroughly; losing energy when forced into exchanges where instant choices must be made. In my experience, both types can be effective as entrepreneurs – as long as they surround themselves with people of the opposite style. The high-risk entrepreneurs are those who surround themselves with people like themselves (e.g., a sales-oriented entrepreneur who hires other sales personalities, or a technical genius who hires other technical gurus). Effective entrepreneurs must be understand their strengths and their people’s strengths. Since each strength has a corresponding shadow side, they must consciously build a team that has complementary strengths is be successful in the long term.

Having a resilient personality

Resilience: Entrepreneurs who thrive accept the potential for failure and embrace failure when it happens. The root of their strength is that they don’t necessarily see themselves or their partners as failures as much as they do the idea or execution. Their focus is on learning and adjusting as opposed to wallowing in self-pity or seeking out scape goats. They always find a way to get back on track quickly, which means they have little time for playing the blame game.

Open and down to earth

Every business is different and it takes a lot of different personalities to cover everything, but for me being approachable is so important! I think Shear Enterprises, LLC has seen such incredible growth over the last few years because we are open, down to earth people. Our employees and customers alike know they can come to us and we will listen. Putting people at ease with genuine knowledge of our product and the people who represent it creates a trust level. I love what I do and I love to connect people and meet new people- you never know what magic may come of those relationships if you ignore the opportunities out there! Being in front of the camera in Hollywood for years and touring as a stand-up comic, I met a LOT of different kinds of people… Those experiences have been a great foundation for me to build a business and the relationships that make it grow. Serious business doesn’t have to look so serious!

Having the right personality at the right time

To run a business, you have to be a strange set of corresponding extremes. You have to be incredibly enthusiastic in your ideas and when the time is right you have to hit that switch and walk away uninterested. You have to be cautious to protect your interests but you also have to be out there and doing something new with the potential to loose your hat. You have to be organised and methodical but somehow have space to allow yourself to breath and cultivate ideas. You have to sell to every friend or family member you have but avoid talking business so you don’t get asked for discounts. You will find yourself on vacation, working harder then you did at your desk last week, to make up for the poor wifi. And for every second that you hate it. You have to love it just that bit more because its yours to hate. If you can’t be stern in your actions, find something new. Its black and white, no middle grey. Be both extremes at the right time or fail.

An analytic personality

The best CEO’s I’ve always modeled myself after are very analytic. They base decisions off of true data and less off gut instinct. This does two things. One, it gives business decisions a basis for comparison and two, it gives the employees something to understand. The reason I like the analytically approach is because it takes the emotion out of the equation. Emotion clouds judgment. That’s not to say I can’t be excited about new ideas or upset when problems arise. It’s just once those emotions pass, the data is how I go about taking the next steps.

Being an eternal optimist

The most successful entrepreneurs I know are eternal optimists. As an entrepreneur myself, I have to watch my optimism as it can get me into trouble. I have certain “realists” that I trust to keep me grounded. If I can convince these cynical friends of mine that an idea will work, I am almost guaranteed a winner. Another personality trait that stems from eternal optimism is the ability always move forward. When things aren’t going the way I want to, I picture myself just continuously putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward. If you stop to wallow in your mistakes or savor your victories too long, you get stuck. Entrepreneurs are always moving on to the next big thing. So I guess another personality trait of the successful entrepreneur might be a touch of attention deficit disorder.

There are a lot to learn and a lot to discover it just needs hard-work, perseverance and the will to do so. I might not be a real technopreneur yet, but, time flies and a lot of things happen even in the span of a few days. Things change and people change, may it be good or bad. Everyone might progress or retrogress, and might be able to develop something with the right determination and resolve to learn, because anything is possible. And, I’m willing to take a risk, be as hard-working as I can and I’m open to learning new things.

Choosing Career Paths…

At this moment, I haven’t decided whether I would choose the career path the same as Steve Jobs. But, choosing the same path as Steve Jobs is the highly probable choice that I will choose. Why?

Steve Jobs is a very inspiring individual. As you can see, he have been through a lot of experiences and managed to be a top tier technopreneur. I guess I was moved by his story and became an aspiring technopreneur of this age. What Steve Jobs has done to the ICT Industry is his legacy after his passing, but it will definitely be remembered by everyone. His works, innovations and ideas has marked this century. He always thinks for the better of their products, anything within their product should always be approved, a very meticulous man indeed. I admired his character, he might have that negative quality in him but one can’t deny his potential and how great his works are, works which he considered as art.  No one can really be perfect enough not to have dark sides in him/her; you are not God, then again a life of a perfect person is boring because there is no thrill at all, there won’t be any excitements. Life would be a series of cycles, a loop that never breaks unless proven false.  

There are good results when someone decides to go to the same path as Steve Jobs. Some might end up with the same fortune and some might not. I think I’m not yet prepared to be like him. I still lack the will and determination. I am yet to understand what my true potential is. As of the moment I am trying to figure out my strengths and weaknesses. Everyone has potential and strength that they use when facing life challenges and achievements. I on the other hand haven’t completely figured out my strengths and I do know I won’t be able to figure it out if I won’t take a leap of faith. I don’t think I have the guts to do something I haven’t prepared. I always knew in myself that I want to be always in control in everything that concerns myself. That is why I’m not good with surprises. I need to know everything or have an idea about something so that I won’t be dumbfounded when faced with something unfamiliar. And that is where I and Steve Jobs have that difference because he wants to be in something moving or something weightless. I on the other hand would prefer working under a lot of pressure and when I’m faced with too many mountains to cross. I am more of a challenger rather than the champion. I like to win over contests or a race. I like to cross over untested waters, ironic isn’t it? However, I really find it soothing when I have a lot of work to do and I’ve finished everything on my own, feels like an accomplishment more like a milestone. But, that’s where we also differ because I still have that ideology that I can do things on my own and at the same time I know that I can’t finish something without the help of others. Steve Jobs have a partner but I don’t and I know that having a partner is very essential and a game changer. Since they will be you partner in crime and the person who will be the constant reminder and the person who will help us stand up when we fall down.

So before I decide to follow the path of Steve Jobs I’d rather improve myself first and moderately place the same thinking as his. Since I am open to following the same path I would like to have a better understanding with things. I want to have more knowledge and to gain more information concerning the industry so that I will not have any trouble facing giants. I like to be prepared when I will start to play on the same field. We can’t really deny that first times or first tries are usually rejected but with a champions mentality there’s no doubt you will have a concrete confidence. And with a concrete confidence you won’t have doubts when you are speaking about your visions or ideas to others. From what I can see I doubt my potential and I lack confidence. I don’t usually take risks but if I felt that tug in the heart that I can do anything, there’s no doubt that I am more than willing to take a leap of faith. I am more than willing to cross that boundary between being an employee versus being an employer.

However, when taking the same career path comes with great burden. Sometimes life will make give you the hardest challenges. Leaving you with a lot of choices where you can’t avoid deciding. You may have to choose between your family and work. But I do believe that a person who knows how to manage his/her time will be able to manage and balance his/her work and personal life. If you know how to handle the pressure at work and at home then do so. I think that managing both will be hard but I would never result into leaving one behind. It might be too selfish but I think that if you are determined and you know the difference between the two then there’s no need to choose. If you choose to keep both then work hard to keep it. I will, if ever the comes that I will face with the same choices. You just need to have dedication and management skills so that you’ll be able to separate both lives.

If I would ever follow his path I wouldn’t follow his ways with his people. Even if his attitude toward his employees were to make them follow him I could think of different ways to make them follow me. I’d rather be a leader than to be a boss. I’m more of the humility type of person. I don’t like to boss around people I’d rather ask favors. However I can’t take the fact that there are times when you have to act like a boss. Because there are people who will only follow those who shows supremacy. There are people who would follow a leader who shows authority and superiority. But I think being a good leader and a boss you just have to mix it right and balance both. Act superior and at the same time show humility, be a great leader. Because gaining the trust of your employees would definitely tip the balance of failure and success in business.

If I ever follow the path of Steve Jobs I will have to decide whether you’ll be an Artist or a Great Artist. Either of the two is not good when you view it based on ethics. But if you are determined to end up like Steve Jobs then pick one and be the best out of it. However I remember Dado Banatao saying, “I’d rather call it innovation rather than invention.” And in all honesty most products are innovations. People ended up copying the idea and innovating it, producing a different product. Most people are considered innovators nowadays rather than inventors because we come up our ideas from previously invented ideas. But being an innovator doesn’t mean that you can’t be like Steve Jobs. You just have to choose wisely, become absolutely the same as Steve Jobs or not. The decision will always be up to us. Decide to be one or to just act like one. However I’m more interested of being an inventor rather than an innovator so that I will hold something legitimately an idea of mine. Something that I can be proud of since I started that thing. And most of all, there will come a time when my own works will be the one that they will innovate. I have always dreamed to make something different or should I say I want to make a difference. I always wanted to have a distinct achievement that can help in the progress of humanity.

There might be a lot of difficulties to face, the same as what Steve Jobs have been through but by making an effort sooner or later it’ll pay a lot. I want to be able to do something or innovate something that will be remembered, recognized and will become another inspiration to others. I won’t deny that failure is just around the corner waiting but one should just accept it as a challenge and just keep on moving forward. The competition might be hard but there is always an opportunity. If a door closes, there will always be another door that opens and if windows are the only thing that’s left then pass through it, what could possibly go wrong? What I have learned from Steve Jobs is to never limit your horizon, the world is round and life doesn’t stop for anybody it’s either you go with the flow or get left behind. You will always end up deciding it’s either be a GOOD ARTIST or be a GREAT ARTIST.

Source:

http://hear.ceoblognation.com/2013/03/11/the-best-personalities-to-make-the-best-entrepreneurs/