Don’t Marginalize Steve Jobs By Calling Him A Genius

By Ed Faruolo

So, how can someone be marginalized as a genius? The two words just don’t belong together. We rely on visionaries and geniuses to see things that we can’t. To accomplish the impossible. To chart new courses for the betterment of all. Steve Jobs certainly did that… and more!

But to read all the tributes that have been rightly written I wonder if we are about to lose the greatest lessons that Steve Jobs provided. Lessons that will get lost forever in his death, sealed and entombed under the epitaph of “Here Lies A Genius Like None We’ve Seen In Our Lifetime And Probably Never Will Again!” Not a real Good For You thought is it?

Was Steve Jobs a genius? Probably, I don’t know how that gets decided. In hindsight his track record is impeccable and multi faceted. He humanized the computer industry, created new industries, and redefined a few other industries along the way. But to chalk it all up to genius is a real danger and risks us all in business from finding a little of the Steve Jobs in all of us.

To put it in its simplest terms (something Steve Jobs excelled at), he clearly understood what his customers desired even if they didn’t quite know it themselves. And he knew how to deliver in a manner that was consistently elegant generating a cult following that transformed to mainstream advocacy. Of course, no one person can accomplish that. He knew the inner workings of his business, like all the pieces of a clock. Pieces that had to mesh together, be synchronized and reflect the same quality standards visible in the end products and services. People were a key ingredient and he knew how to find the right ones.

However, to call all this genius takes real opportunity away from us all. Plus, it gives too many of us an out by thinking, “well, he was an exceptional human being… a once in a lifetime genius… we could never accomplish what he did…”

So, what is the Good For You learning that Steve Jobs left for us? We’ve all read about the incredible innovations, success stories, and also the learning from the Apple near death experience. But at the end of the day, what set Steve Jobs apart was his passion for serving and advancing his customers like no other in any company today. In addition, he had a love and passion for his company which was reflected in every one of his actions, statements, and standards he set every day, for himself and for the people who worked for him.

If those of us in business show a little bit more passion for our customers and a little bit more true love for our companies, we will see a little bit more Steve Jobs like success. And to do that… you don’t have to be a genius.

Author: Ed Faruolo: Ed is the former marketing head of 3 Fortune 500 companies and now runs his own marketing advisory company, VitaLincs, LLC. Ed can be reached at vitalincs@me.com