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The Steve Jobs Way  By  cover art

The Steve Jobs Way

By: Jay Elliot, William L. Simon
Narrated by: Christopher Hurt
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Editorial reviews

The most intriguing bit of contemporary technological history is easily the rise of Apple Computer, and so of course, the most fascinatingly controversial person in that history is CEO Steve Jobs. A company doesn’t grow so large so quickly without stepping on a few toes, making the story of Steve Jobs’ rise, fall, and return to power at Apple a hotly debated topic among industry geeks as well as ordinary consumers. Particularly with the publication of William L. Simon’s unauthorized best-selling biography, iCON Steve Jobs, which notoriously skewered Jobs as a cutthroat overachiever, the debate over whether the “Stevian” style of leadership is worth emulating has become increasingly polarized.

Jay Elliot, former Senior Vice President of Apple who was responsible for corporate operations and overall business planning, reported directly to Steve Jobs during the company’s original boom and its subsequent renaissance. He is therefore in a unique position to dig into the truth behind the mythic man, and does so with the gleefulness of someone who has long been “drinking the Kool-Aid” of how awesome the Apple working environment is. Steve Jobs’ management style and his legion of loyal customers have often been compared to a cult, and Elliot has firmly bought in. In many ways, the subtitle for this book ought to be “A Staunch Defense of Micro-Management”. From his understanding of Jobs’ nit-picky methods as “attention to details” to his dismissal of innovations made during Jobs’ temporary absence from Apple, Elliot’s positive spin never wavers.

At first, it seems surprising that William L. Simon co-wrote this book. As the listen progresses however, similarities between The Steve Jobs Way and iCON become clear. The anecdotal evidence is largely the same for both books, and the main distinction is that Simon previously used these stories to vilify Jobs, whereas Elliott and Simon’s joint effort here glorifies Jobs. When it’s merely a matter of tone that separates these two perspectives on the same history, the choice of narrator is particularly important.

Christopher Hurt is a very solid choice, as most of his voice work is in classics and nonfiction. What could have been a very shallow and sugary take becomes in Hurt’s audio a beguiling and ultimately fairly persuasive portrait of a misunderstood guru. Entrepreneurs looking for insight will enjoy a very sensible-sounding listen, while Apple devotees will still feel that Hurt is on their side. He is careful to keep both feet on the ground, even when the text itself seems to be veering into the territory of simply singing Jobs’ praises. The Steve Jobs Way successfully tips the scales back against the recent spate of Jobs-bashing, but it’s the way Christopher Hurt takes this Apple love-fest with a grain of salt that makes it a worthy listen. —Megan Volpert

Publisher's summary

In iLeadership, Jay Elliot gives the listener the opportunity of seeing Steve Jobs as only his closest associates have ever seen him, and to learn what has made him - and the mystique of his management style - capable of creating tools so extraordinary that they have remade three industries and have transformed the way we create, consume, and communicate with each other.

Jay Elliot worked side by side with Steve as Senior Vice President of Apple and brings us his deep insider perspective of Steve's singular iLeadership style - which encompasses four major principles: product, talent, organization, and marketing.

Jay shares the lessons that come out of Steve's intuitive approach to show how the creative and technological brilliance of iLeadership can be utilized to drive breakthroughs in any organization, irrespective of size.

©2011 Jay Elliot and William L. Simon (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“There have been so many books about Steve Jobs but none that have the vantage point of an insider like this one. The narrative is very engaging and I could not stop reading.... Jay has done a fantastic job to provide insights that we all can use from the man who has inspired two generations of entrepreneurs.” (Naeem Zafar, Lecturer, Entrepreneurship, University of California Berkeley, Haas School of Business)
"Steve Jobs is a revolutionary leader and thinker who has been written about by many people. But for the first time, in The Steve Jobs Way, Jay Elliot brings a deep, insider perspective of Steve Jobs' unique leadership style, which has forever changed our everyday lives and the world around us.” (Howard Behar, former president of Starbucks Coffee International and author of It's Not About the Coffee)
“Christopher Hurt gives an outstanding narration of this insider’s analysis of Steve Jobs’s one-of-a-kind leadership at Apple. Hurt’s casual gravitas is perfect for an analytic business biography; he’s superb at using his vocal tone and phrasing to emphasize crucial points.” ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about The Steve Jobs Way

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Good story

It was nice to hear about Steve Jobs life from another person who worked so closely with him. Obviously he doesn't point out very many mistakes of Jobs but does a good job overall with telling us how Apple got started and what happened along the way at a very high level.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great Testiment to a Great Man

What made the experience of listening to The Steve Jobs Way the most enjoyable?

The laughs and lessons that are told through obstacles.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Steve Jobs Way?

Hes attention to detail

Which scene was your favorite?

His return to Apple

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

No is not an answer.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Very weak: Get the Walter Issacson book instead

Written by an HR guy. Filled with MBA generalities and grievously lacks the specifics that distinguished Steve Jobs. Author took one of the single most fascinating stories of our time and almost made it tedious.

Another limitation is that the author feels the need to praise Jobs' genius in every other paragraph and to shield us from any negative information. We know he was a genius. What we want is insight to his thought process and details.

Get the Walter Issacson book instead.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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I loved this book!

I am an HR Manager and I loved this book! In fact I listened to it twice. I would highly recommend this book, especailly if you want to hear another view on Steve Jobs.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent account by a close associate of Jobs

This account of Steve Jobs and his approach to business was written by a close associate at Apple. It is generally laudatory and forgives Steve for some of his more troublesome characteristics -- excessive abrasiveness, fanaticism in areas that probably didn't deserve it -- but it also summarizes Steve's "way" of doing business clearly. The book would be helpful to anyone in the product development business and very interesting to general readers. It is an excellent companion to the definitive biography by Walter Isaacson.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Okay

The book is okay. It's a little over the top in praise of Steve Jobs. I think it would have been much more interesting and helpful had the author been a bit more realistic about Mr. Jobs weaknesses.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed, easy listen, informative

Would you consider the audio edition of The Steve Jobs Way to be better than the print version?

did not read print version

What did you like best about this story?

Provided a great insight to Steve Jobs and his leadership skills

Which scene was your favorite?

Jays personal contact with Jobs throughout their careers

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I was inspired by the entire book

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Outstanding

I reviewed about 20 audiobooks before selecting this one. It takes a lot to keep me engaged four hours of listening. This book is well written in weaves in excellent Steve Jobs leadership characteristics in a way that you can relate to you if you run a business.. Well worth multiple listings

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    5 out of 5 stars
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I became a Steve Jobs fan!

If you could sum up The Steve Jobs Way in three words, what would they be?

Enlightening, Engaging, Enlightening

What other book might you compare The Steve Jobs Way to and why?

None at this time

What does Christopher Hurt bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I felt that Christopher Hurt narrated the story very well. It brought the story to life and enabled me to gain insight to someone I haven't had a lot of information about before this - and didn't really want to.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

None.

Any additional comments?

I really became a Steve Jobs fan after this story! This was amazing considering I never wanted to own an Apple product before. I know own an iPAD and am looking at a notebook purchase. This was a great story about a complicated man.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Wonderfully done Mr. Elliot

What did you like about this audiobook?

Elliot does a really good job of connecting us with the principles of management that really made Apple and his own successes. Great listen and, I thought, better than Steve's official biography from that standpoint. Jay really sheds light into the leadership aspects, as well as delivers a back ground look at the beginnings of the industry that introduced us to what we never knew we needed until they made it. Not pedantic.

It was a fun audio book. Informative and worth the money.

How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

Yes.

Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

Wonderful delivery.

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

Nothing.

Do you have any additional comments?

Pirates. Not the Navy.

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