Inside Steve's Brain | 
 enlarge | Author: Leander Kahney
Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover
Category: Book
List Price: $23.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  34 reviews
Sales Rank: 7716
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.2 x 5.4 x 1.2
ISBN: 1591841984
Dewey Decimal Number: 338.761004092
EAN: 9781591841982
ASIN: 1591841984
Publication Date: April 17, 2008
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Product Description
Steve Jobs has turned his personality traits into a business philosophy. Heres how he does it.
Its hard to believe that one man revolutionized computers in the 1970s and 80s (with the Apple II and the Mac), animated movies in the 1990s (with Pixar), and digital music in the 2000s (with the iPod and iTunes). No wonder some people worship him like a god. On the other hand, stories of his epic tantrums and general bad behavior are legendary.
Inside Steves Brain cuts through the cult of personality that surrounds Jobs to unearth the secrets to his unbelievable results. It reveals the real Steve Jobsnot his heart or his famous temper, but his mind. So whats really inside Steves brain? According to Leander Kahney, who has covered Jobs since the early 1990s, its a fascinating bundle of contradictions.
Jobs is an elitist who thinks most people are bozosbut he makes gadgets so easy to use, a bozo can master them.
Hes a mercurial obsessive with a filthy temperbut he forges deep partnerships with creative geniuses like Steve Wozniak, Jonathan Ive, and John Lasseter.
Hes a Buddhist and anti-materialistbut he produces mass-market products in Asian factories, and he promotes them with absolute mastery of the crassest medium, advertising.
In short, Jobs has embraced the traits that some consider flawsnarcissism, perfectionism, the desire for total controlto lead Apple and Pixar to triumph against steep odds. And in the process, he has become a self-made billionaire.
In Inside Steves Brain, Kahney distills the principles that guide Jobs as he launches killer products, attracts fanatically loyal customers, and manages some of the worlds most powerful brands.
The result is this unique book about Steve Jobs that is part biography and part leadership guide, and impossible to put down. It gives you a peek inside Steves brain, and might even teach you something about how to build your own culture of innovation.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 29 more reviews...
 There's certainly a great deal in there. October 7, 2008
Paradoxically, Steve Jobs continues to be one of the best known and yet least understood CEOs in recent business history. It is probably true that most of those who once worked or who now work at Apple Computer will learn more about Jobs as they read Leander Kahney's book than they knew previously. For years, they and others shared the opinions expressed in this brief excerpt from the Introduction:
"Jobs is a control extraordinaire. He's also a perfectionist, an elitist, and a taskmaster to employees. By most accounts, Jobs is a borderline loony. He is portrayed as a basket case who fires people in elevators, manipulates partners, and takes credit for others' achievements. [Alan Deutschman, The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, Pages 59, 197, 239, 243, 254, 294-95 and Jeffrey S. Young, icon: Steve Jobs, The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business, Pages 212, 213, and 254]. Recent biographies paint an unflattering portrait of a sociopath motivated by the basest desires - to control, to abuse, to dominate. Most books about Jobs are depressing reads. They're dismissive, little more than catalogs of tantrums and abuse. No wonder he's called them `hatchet jobs.' Where's the genius?" All or at least some of this is may be true and yet....
He is a "control freak" and yet "throughout his career, Jobs has struck up a long string of productive partnerships - both personal and corporate. Jobs's success has depended on attracting great people to do great work for him. He's always chosen great collaborators [as well as] "forged (mostly) harmonious relationships with some of the world's top brands - Disney, Pepsi, and the big record labels." Kahney also points out that "through judicious use of both the carrot and the stick, Jobs has managed to retain and motivate lots of top-shelf talent...and then given them the freedom to be creative and shielded them from the growing bureaucracy at Apple." As Jobs sees it, "My job is to create a space for them, to clear out the rest of the organization and keep it at bay."
I was especially interested in the material in Chapter 6 ("Inventive Spirit: Where Does the Innovation Come From?") because in dozens of recently published books about innovation, their authors' opinions vary (sometimes significantly) in terms of what it is and isn't, to what extent (if any) people can learn how to think innovatively, and whether or not innovation can be institutionalized. I was curious to know what Kahney's research (especially various interviews with Jobs and others) revealed about a company that is annually ranked among the most innovative companies in the world. For example, what's the system? Jobs once explained to BusinessWeek, "The system is that there is no system." When asked by Rob Walker (a New York Times reporter) if he ever consciously thinks about innovation, Jobs responded: "No. We consciously think about making great products. We don't think `Let's be innovative! Let's take a class! Here are the five rules of innovation, let's put them up all over the company!" Nonetheless, we are told, "Jobs has an almost mystical reverence for innovation." According to Jobs, it is Apple's "secret sauce" and helps to explain why Apple continues to produce blockbuster products such as the iMac, iPod, and iPhone but, Kahney adds, "there's also a long list of smaller, yet important and influential products" such as the Airport and the AppleTV. Innovation at Apple is a process with a mindset, not a project with a formula.
Given Jobs's obvious scorn for most efforts to "become more innovative," and there is no recipe to produce its "secret sauce," how to explain the company's "innovative spirit"? The answer to that question is too complicated to be summarized in a review such as this, nor can a complete answer be found in any one chapter of Kahney's book. However, a partial answer reveals a great deal about what's inside Steve's brain and how it becomes pervasive throughout the organization. First, Apple determines which markets to target and how to target each. Knowing who you are and what to do are obviously important but no more important than knowing who you aren't (and shouldn't attempt to be) as well as knowing what not to do. Also, Apple remains constantly aware of all new developments in the markets in which it competes (especially those in relevant technologies) and is always receptive to new ideas. It fully embraces the business model Henry Chesbrough so brilliantly discusses in his Open Innovation and then Open Business Models.
It should also be noted that Apple is always receptive to new or better ideas wherever they are and appropriates whatever serves its purposes. Jobs agrees with Picasso that good artists copy, great artists steal. "And we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas." Then there is Jobs's concept of the digital hub, best explained within the narrative, in context. (Please see Pages 185-188.) Based on what Kahney shares in this book, there are two principles on which the success of the company in all areas and in all markets continues to depend. First, hire only those who will contribute "insanely great" ideas that will enable the company to create "insanely great" products. Also, create a culture of constant creative confrontation. "Day to day at Apple, Shawney explains, "meetings with Jobs can often be arguments - long, combative arguments. Jobs relishes intellectual combat. He wants high-level discussion - even a fight - because it's the most effective way to get to the bottom of a problem. And by hiring the best people he can find [and then retaining them], he ensures the debate will be at the highest level." If a "bozo" somehow survives the rigors of Apple's unorthodox interview process, she or he does not last long and those responsible for hiring that person are viewed with ridicule, if not contempt.
Few people at Apple meet with Jobs but everyone knows what those meetings are alike because most (if not all) other meetings at Apple also resemble a crucible that is expected to generate precious metals in the form of insanely great ideas, the best decisions, etc. Clearly, Jobs determines the style and sets the tone for interaction at Apple. He wholeheartedly believes that "good" is the enemy of "great" and thus has zero tolerance of anyone and anything that falls short of his "insanely" high standards. It should be added that talent alone is seldom sufficient. Jobs also demands - not expects - that people at Apple be warriors, eager to engage in combat to "win" arguments with associates. Intellectual combat is a key ingredient in Apple's "secret sauce" and Jobs is the company's master chef. Despite the efforts of most employees to avoid him, there is always the chance of encountering him unexpectedly in a hallway, elevator, rest room or parking lot. He will immediately grill them about what they are doing, how they are doing it, etc. Although some have described Apple as a "regime of terror," it continues to be an almost pure meritocracy.
In this book, Kahney provides an extended tour inside Steve's brain. What is it like in there? Obviously, the Apple culture is an extension of Jobs's personality and style. To me, it resembles a minefield, a lush garden filled with beautiful flowers and plants, a fireworks display, a demolition derby, a six-year old's birthday party, a torture chamber, a vast green meadow, a shooting gallery, and a state fair. I urge you to take your own tour with Leander Kahney. I promise that it will never be dull. With Steve Jobs, nothing ever is.
Refreshing View on Steve Jobs Work October 6, 2008
The book "Inside Steve's Brain" is not your officially authorized biography of Steve Jobs, but a collection of business principles that Steve Jobs follows (and a description of some of his quirks).
The fact that this little book is neither written by Steve Jobs, nor reviewed or authorized by him, work in favor of this text and gives another spin to his work. While the "official" books on his live and his impact on Apple concentrate on a review of historical events and the results on the company or on products, this book puts a focus on how Steve Jobs works, what his business principles seem to be and how they effected the company, the products and the people surrounding him.
The focus is clearly on Apple, and on his second stint at this company. The years before 1997 or his work at NeXT or Pixar are only covered very briefly and no insight is given into his working at these companies.
Overall, I liked the book and I also think that the form of putting together mostly "secondary" information (quotes, interviews with coworkers, etc.) works in favor of it.
 Kinda dumb September 8, 2008
I got this one out of the library. I suppose it's worth a quick read, but I certainly wouldn't pay for it. If you're even moderately familiar with the received wisdom about Apple and Jobs, you'll find this all very familiar. Sure, there are a few anonymous insiders revealing trivial new details, but mostly these do nothing but add to old stories. Hey, Steve's kind of a mean jerk! "Yes, that's true," said a nervous Apple employee, who wouldn't give his name for fear of being fired.
"Inside Steve's Brain" was clearly hastily written and sloppily edited. There are quite a few typos, and it's so repetitive. I got tired of seeing the same phrases repeated over and over, and anecdotes from early in the book would reappear unchanged in later chapters. That's frustrating in a book that already feels very padded at 300 pages.
Each chapter ends with some bullet point suggestions for how you can channel Steve's Brain in your own work. These are so dumb I stopped reading them: literally they come down to "be smart!" "have a vision!" "drive your employees to do their very best work!" I got the impression that the editor insisted that the book have some sort of business-book component, and this was simply the quickest way to add it.
I strongly recommend instead the thoroughly hilarious book by "Fake Steve Jobs" called Options: The Secret Life of Steve Jobs
Great tips and easy to read but... September 5, 2008
We got this book to read and discuss as part of a Book discussion we have every once in a while where I work.
The book is nice and well written. Funny where it needs to be. However, it seems that the author is just too in love with Steve. I know the man can inspire a lot of people, but the fact that he was basically licking his boots at some points was kind of annoying (to me at least).
If you decide to filter this out, this is a good read-and-then-sell book.
An Interesting Look Into Apple September 3, 2008
My Mother-in-law was given a ipod a while back ago. She is not computer literate so she gave me the ipod to download some sermons and music on it. But I have started using it for myself (I will ask for forgiveness later). Apple seems to be on the cutting edge of technology and style. I love the new iphones, but cannot afford one. It seems that apple represents cool and hip these days. This book gives an inside look into the inner workings of Apple. Jobs seems to have multiple issues and control problems, but there is little doubt that he can be creative and run a company. In fact, Apple was dying before he came back on board. When he did, he turned the company around and started making a ton of money again. The reason I read this book was to learn about the image of a company or product. To me, the image of the church is important. One of the major agendas that I have in Waynesboro is to create a positive image of the church in the community. I would love to hear people's thoughts on this concept. The book did not really help with image control, it was more for those who love Apple. But overall it was a interesting book for people wanting to dig deeper into the Apple world.
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