Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson
1) You read about an entrepreneur:
- What about the entrepreneur did you most admire?
- I think what I admore most about Steve Jobs was his ability to create value. In other words, he made things that people never thought of or ever really needed and made the public feel like they were missing out if they didn’t get one. Although what I want to do as my profession is something that people do need when they are hurt (physical therapy), I find this so fascinating.
- What about the entrepreneur did you least admire? What surprised you the most?
- The thing I least liked reading about, and surprised me the most was how disrespectful Steve Jobs was to his employees and in his personal life in general. I’m sure the book generalized this horrible personality but to even think about someone being rude to the people who are helping make his dream come to life is really disappointing.
- Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?
- Steve Jobs faced multiple difficult issues in his lifetime and throughout his time in Apple. The most well known one was his battle with cancer which he claimed motivated him to work harder. Even when faced with the most difficult obstacle in life, he was able to persevere and create something beautiful.
2) What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?
- Determination
- Listened and understood what people needed from the technological world.
- Ability to charm the audience and buyers in order to sell his items (besides being a horrible person.)
- Visionary. Besides listening to what people wanted he also created items that people grew to need. He created value.
3) Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you.
- There was nothing confusing about this read. I really enjoyed it!
4) If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask?
- Was there ever a time that dropping out school scare you more than it felt liberating and inspiring?
- Did you ever not pursue an idea that at the moment did not seem like it would take-off and later on regret it?
5) For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion?
- I believe that Steve Job's definition of hard work would be contrary to what a lot of people think of when they hear those words. For Jobs, I believe hard work would be taking something you love and making it a reality (if it is an idea) or making it the best possible version of itself (if it's already a tangible object.)