Steve Jobs : Great idea doesn't always translates into great product
Summary
TLDRThe speaker reflects on the misconception that a great idea is most of the work in creating a product, emphasizing the importance of craftsmanship and the collaborative effort of a talented team. By sharing a personal anecdote about polishing rocks, the speaker illustrates how teams refine and improve ideas through friction and shared passion, resulting in exceptional outcomes. The speaker also discusses the significant impact of having top-tier talent in a team, advocating for the pursuit of 'A' players to achieve the highest level of success.
Takeaways
- 💡 The misconception that a great idea is 90% of the work highlights the低估了 the importance of the execution and refinement process in turning an idea into a successful product.
- 🛠️ The transformation of an idea into a product involves significant craftsmanship, with the original concept evolving and adapting based on new insights and challenges.
- 🌟 The process of creating a product is akin to a team of talented individuals working together, each contributing their unique skills and perspectives to achieve a common goal.
- 🤖 The challenges of design and manufacturing include dealing with the limitations of materials, electronics, and the complexities of production processes.
- 🔄 The iterative nature of product development involves constant discovery and adaptation, requiring the integration of new problems and opportunities into the design process.
- 🌈 The magic of product development lies in the collective effort of a team, pushing boundaries and finding innovative ways to bring their vision to life.
- 👴 The story of the old man and the rock tumbler serves as a metaphor for the power of teamwork and passion in transforming raw, unpolished ideas into something beautiful and refined.
- 🏆 The significance of assembling a team of 'A' players who inspire and elevate each other's work, leading to an environment of excellence and high standards.
- 📈 The dynamic range between average and exceptional can be vast, especially in the realms of software and hardware, where the best can outperform the average by a significant margin.
- 🔎 The speaker's success stems from identifying and attracting top talent, and creating a culture that values and nurtures 'A' players to drive innovation and quality.
Q & A
What does the speaker describe as the 'disease' that hurt Apple after he left?
-The 'disease' referred to is the misconception that a great idea constitutes 90 percent of the work, and that simply sharing this idea with others is enough for them to bring it to fruition. The speaker emphasizes the importance of the craftsmanship and the iterative process involved in transforming an idea into a great product.
What does the speaker suggest is often underestimated in the process of creating a product?
-The speaker suggests that the tremendous amount of craftsmanship, the evolution of the idea, and the trade-offs that need to be made during the development process are often underestimated. These aspects involve understanding the limitations and possibilities of various materials and technologies, as well as the continuous learning and adaptation that occurs throughout the process.
How does the speaker describe the evolution of a great idea into a great product?
-The speaker describes the evolution as a process where the idea changes and grows, never coming out exactly as it started. This is due to the learning and understanding that occurs during the development process, as well as the need to make trade-offs and adapt to the realities of materials, technology, and other constraints.
What metaphor does the speaker use to illustrate the power of a team working on a project they are passionate about?
-The speaker uses the metaphor of a group of people polishing rocks together. Just as the rocks, when placed in a tumbler and left to rub against each other, come out polished and smooth, a team of talented individuals working together, sometimes with friction and noise, can polish each other's ideas and efforts to create something beautiful.
What was the speaker's early observation about the dynamic range between average and the best in various fields?
-The speaker observed that in most fields, the difference between average and the best is typically a two-to-one ratio. However, in software and some areas of hardware, this dynamic range can be as much as 50 to one or even 100 to one, indicating a much greater disparity in quality and outcome.
How did the speaker build much of his success?
-The speaker built his success by seeking out and hiring truly gifted individuals, known as 'A players'. He focused on not settling for 'B' or 'C' players, but instead aimed to create a team of 'A players' who would enjoy working with each other and raise the standard of the entire team.
What does the speaker mean when he says that the 'A players' don't want to work with 'B' or 'C' players?
-The speaker means that highly talented and dedicated individuals, or 'A players', are often不愿意 to collaborate with those who are less committed or skilled, as it can hinder their work and the overall quality of the product or outcome.
How did the Mac team differ from other teams according to the speaker?
-According to the speaker, the Mac team was unique because it was composed entirely of 'A players', who were extraordinarily talented individuals. These team members not only worked well together but also raised the bar for each other, leading to a self-policing environment where only more 'A players' were hired.
What is the significance of the speaker's story about the widowed man and the rock tumbler?
-The story of the widowed man and the rock tumbler serves as a metaphor for the collaborative and transformative power of a team. Just as the rough rocks become smooth and polished through the friction and interaction within the tumbler, a team of passionate and talented individuals can refine and improve their ideas through collaboration and conflict, leading to exceptional outcomes.
What does the speaker imply about the role of individual symbols versus team effort in achieving success?
-The speaker implies that while individuals can become symbols of certain achievements or ideas, true success is rarely the result of one person alone. It is the collective effort, the teamwork, and the synergy of many talented individuals working together that leads to the creation of great products and ideas.
How does the speaker describe the process of product development as it relates to problem-solving and opportunity discovery?
-The speaker describes product development as an ongoing process of keeping numerous concepts in mind, fitting them together in new and different ways, and continuously discovering new problems or opportunities. This process requires adaptability, creativity, and a commitment to refining and improving the initial idea.
Outlines
💡 The Illusion of the Great Idea
This paragraph discusses the misconception that a great idea is the bulk of the work. It emphasizes the importance of craftsmanship and the evolution of ideas during the product development process. The speaker shares insights on the challenges and trade-offs involved in turning an idea into a product, highlighting the need for continuous learning and adaptation. The metaphor of a team's collaborative effort in refining and polishing ideas is compared to the process of turning ordinary rocks into beautiful polished stones through friction and persistence.
🌟 The Power of A-Players
The speaker shares his philosophy on assembling a team of top-tier talent, or 'A-players', and the resulting dynamic. He explains that when A-players collaborate, they enhance each other's work and are motivated to maintain a high standard,排斥 'B and C players'. This self-policing culture leads to a concentration of exceptional talent, which in turn fosters innovation and excellence. The Mac team is cited as an example of such a team, comprised of extraordinarily talented individuals who worked together to achieve outstanding results.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Great Idea
💡Craftsmanship
💡Evolution
💡Trade-offs
💡Teamwork
💡Passion
💡Dynamic Range
💡A-Players
💡Innovation
💡Product Development
💡Talent
Highlights
The misconception that a great idea is 90% of the work and the remaining effort is in execution.
The importance of craftsmanship in transforming a great idea into a great product.
The evolution of ideas as one learns more and faces trade-offs during the development process.
The necessity of balancing 5,000 concepts in the design and creation of a product.
The daily discovery of new problems and opportunities as part of the product development process.
The magic of the process lies in the team's ability to adapt and innovate continuously.
The metaphor of a team's collaborative effort as similar to rocks polishing each other to create beautiful stones.
The significance of a team genuinely believing in what they are working on.
The early observation at Apple about the vast difference in quality between average and the best.
The dynamic range between average and the best being much larger in software and hardware than other aspects of life.
The strategy of building success by finding and working with truly gifted 'A' players.
The self-policing nature of 'A' player teams, where they only want to work with and hire other 'A' players.
The creation of pockets of 'A' players that propagate excellence and high standards.
The Mac team as an example of a group of extraordinarily talented 'A' players working together.
Transcripts
one of the things that really hurt Apple
was after I left John Sculley got a very
serious disease and that disease I've
seen other people get it too it's um
it's the disease of thinking that a
really great idea is 90 percent of the
work and then if you just tell your all
these other people you know here's this
great idea then of course they can go
off and make it happen
and the problem with that is is that
there's a just a tremendous amount of
craftsmanship in in-between a great idea
and a great product and as you evolve
that great idea it changes and grows it
never comes out like it starts because
you learn a lot more as you get into the
subtleties of it and you also find
there's tremendous trade-offs that you
have to make I mean you know there are
there are just certain things you you
can't make electrons do there are
certain things you can't make plastic do
or glass do and and and as you get into
or factories do or robots do and as you
get into all these things designing a
product is keeping 5,000 things in your
brain these concepts and fitting them
all together in in kind of continuing to
push to fit them together in new and
different ways to get what you want and
every day you discover something new
that is a new problem or a new
opportunity to fit these things together
a little differently
and it's that process that is the magic
and so we had a lot of great ideas when
we started but what I've always felt
that a team of people doing something
they really believe in is like is like
when I was a young kid there was a
widowed man that lived up the street and
he was in his 80s he's a little
scary-looking and and I got to know him
a little bit I think he might have paid
me to cut his lawn or something and one
day he said come on into my garage I
want to show you something and he pulled
out this dusty old rock
tumblr it was a motor and a and I in a
coffee can and a little you know band
between them and and you said come on
with me we went out to the back and we
got some just some rocks some regular
old blue rocks and we put them in the
can with a little bit of liquid and a
little bit of grit powder and we closed
the can up and he turned this motor on
he said come back tomorrow and as kin
was making a you know racket as the
stones went and I came back the next day
and we took we opened the can and we
took out these amazingly beautiful
polished rocks the same common stones
that had gone in through rubbing against
each other like this create a little bit
of friction creating little bit of noise
had come out these beautiful polished
rocks and that's always been in my mind
my metaphor for a team working really
hard on something they're passionate
about is is that it's through the team
through that group of incredibly
talented people bumping up against each
other having arguments having fights
sometimes making some noise and working
together they polish each other and they
polish the ideas and what comes out are
these really beautiful stones so it's
hard to explain and it's certainly not
the result of one person I mean people
like symbols so I'm the symbol of
certain things but it really is it was a
team effort on the Mac now in my life I
observe something fairly early on at
Apple which I didn't know how to explain
it then but I thought a lot about it
since
if you most things in life the dynamic
range between average and the best is it
most two to one
all right like if you go to New York
City and you get an average taxi cab
driver versus the best taxi cab driver
you know you're probably gonna get to
your destination with the best taxi cab
maybe 30% faster you know in an
automobile what's the difference between
an average and the best maybe
20% the best CD player in an average CD
player I know 20% so 2 2 1 is a big big
dynamic range in most of life in
software and it used to be the case in
hardware to the difference between
average and the best is 50 to one maybe
a hundred to one easy ok
I've very few things in life or like
this but what I was lucky enough to
spend my life in is like this and so
I've built a lot of my success off
finding these truly gifted people and
not settling for B and C players but
really going for the a players and I
found something I found that when you
get enough a players together when you
go to through the incredible work to
find you know five of these eight
players they really like working with
each other because they've never had a
chance to do that before and they don't
want to work with B and C players and so
it becomes self policing and they only
want to hire more eight players and so
you build up these pockets of a players
and it propagates and that's what the
Mac team was like they were all a
players and these were extraordinarily
talented people
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