The Steve Jobs Way

iLeadership for a New Generation

By: Jay Elliot, William L. Simon

Narrated by: Christopher Hurt

Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins

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)

mehh

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Neutral. I'm not into the [mac vs. pc] or the [iphone vs. android] battles and there was enough nauseating pro-apple / anti-non apple babble that it turned me off.

A Tribute to A Great Visionary!

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

I did not read the print version but loved this audio!

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

Steve Jobs was an amazing visionary & inspiration for thinking out of the box & not being dissuaded by mediocre minds that were afraid to challenge the status quo.

What about Christopher Hurt’s performance did you like?

Mr Hurt's narration of particular situations were appropriately stressed in his voice intonations. At times, he made these subtly humorous & one could miss it if not paying close attention.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was feeling very angry at the Board's decision to oust Jobs after having accomplished soooo much for Apple. Okay, so he was a bit brash, but so what? look at the results he accomplished! My heart broke for him but was laughing very hard at his comeback 10 years later! So who had the last laugh there?

Any additional comments?

A must-read for innovators & think-out-of-the-box types. Awesomely inspirational!

Inside view of Jobs's business strategies

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If they care about Steve Jobs, yes. This is not a biography. If you are looking for a biography, look somewhere else. Additionally, the author stopped working with Steve Jobs in the 1980s, so most of the book is about Jobs's early career. The author admires Steve Jobs, but perhaps a bit too much. I am skeptical of whether the strategy Apple has used would be successful is most circumstances, but the author almost never has anything negative to say about Steve Jobs. This seemed a bit weird to me, as nobody is perfect. Anyway, this book provides a great view into how Jobs worked.

Also, the author thinks iPhones are better than androids. I beg to differ. Apple may have a more interesting co-founder, but their mobile OS is just not as good.

inside scoops on Steve Jobs

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book as it revealed lots about Steve Jobs' whole life and his style.

Who was your favorite character and why?

pretty much starring Jobs though the writer was important and likeable, too

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

nope

Any additional comments?

made me admire Steve even more than I did before

Steve rocks

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

Yes, I liked to hear the story rather then read it.

What did you like best about this story?

Well, everything. Im a Steve Jobs fan so my review is subjective. Present me with any Steve story and it's difficult for me not to like it.

Which scene was your favorite?

The ones where the author speaks about his relation with Steve and some anecdotes.

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

Steve's way.

Any additional comments?

Again, I am a fan of Steve Jobs and Apple. If u like his life, opinions and view of life and business, I think u'l like it like me. If not, u anyway may find it interesting.

a man who actually worked with Jobs

Unlike most other books about Steve Jobs (I have read or listened to most of them), this one is written by someone who has actually worked with him. Bringing out a more human side of Jobs. Prior to this book, from movies like Pirates of Silicon Valley and other biographies (like iCon and the 2nd coming of SJ), I've always thought of Jobs as an egotistic monster in the early days of Apple, this book painted a different kind of young Jobs, filled with good intentions and high minded ideas, and states that it was actually Jobs himself who decided to leave Apple instead of being fired by the Apple board. I find Mr. Elliot's approach of tying Steve's action with his iLeadership best practices points slightly distracting. Still overall, I highly enjoyed this book, and recommend it to all who is really fascinated about Steve Job.

A must for entrepenuers

This a very well written book, and awesomely read by Mr. Hurt. Every chapter is a learning experience for your business. I've been entertained by anecdotes and been applying them for my business every day.

Leadership 0 - Steve's career 1

This reading kept my interest all the way through except for the last 20 minutes. I’m not an Apple fan by a long shot, but I do appreciate the lives of winners. This book was interesting from the aspect of Steve’s highs and lows in his career and how charisma, persistence, a sharp mind and lady luck can create a Midas persona. It really didn’t address any leadership nuggets except Steve’s particular style which would be hard for anyone to mimic.

The last 20 minutes is where the book takes a turn for the worse. Mr. Elliot shifts gears and expounds on his own ventures after he is detached from Steve’s hip – all of which are failures. I’m not sure what he’s trying to prove by including this in his book except that maybe it is utterly impossible to emulate Jobs’ entrepreneurial leadership. If you are looking for a different perspective into Steve Jobs, then this is a good book to listen to. If, on the other hand, you are looking for some amazing leadership tips and tricks from a master, you will be disappointed.

On a side note, this book was purchased before Steve’s death and I listened to it after his passing.

Steve the person

Demystifying the man named Steve Jobs. The personal account gives refreshing insight into Steve, what he believed in and why he successfully created and run an inspiring company.

Perfect complementary book for Steve Jobs

I listened to Steve Jobs on Audible unabridged. I listened to Steve or Isaac talk all through Steve's life. Here we have Jay Elliot telling the same stories up through 2010 as in the Steve Jobs book with a different prospective. It's nice to see that they do agree and they also disagree on the stories. This book gives us a fresh prospective on Steve Job's stories. We also get to see that not everyone has the same opinion of Steve Jobs. We also see that some of the advances Apple made we're by chance in several cases just pure chance.