During the second day of the 2011 National Black MBA Conference and Expo in Atlanta, Steve Jobs lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. In his many quotes pondering death and the art of innovation and creativity, he always captured the very essence of a purpose driven life. Those traites have made him a heroic figure, but his determination, strategic business acumen and creativity has immortilized him to Rock Star status. The following are two quotes from him published in Fortune magazine.
“We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent. Because this is our life. Life is brief, and then you die, you know? And we’ve all chosen to do this with our lives. So it better be damn good. It better be worth it.” – Fortune
“In most people’s vocabularies, design means veneer. It’s interior decorating. It’s the fabric of the curtains of the sofa. But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is the fundamental soul of a human-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers of the product or service.” – Fortune
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I have watched Steve Jobs 2005 Stanford commencement speech many times over the years. Like Oprah's famous 2007 Howard University commencement speech, it inspires me, and after a some sulking, gives me comfort when I've fallen flat on my face. The Bloomberg Television Game Changers: Steve Jobs documentary, takes you on the the journey of the evolution of a legend. That legend died today. The following captures his journey:
When Jobs was ousted from Apple, he struggled, and according to Venture Capitalist, Michael Mortz, was faced with a period full of adversity. Michael said "When people come back from adverstity, if they can return from adversity, they come back harder, sharper, and far more geared for the battle." Frankly, Steve Jobs came back with a host of lessons learned which he applied to his next efforts that transformed the way way we communicate. His early death has soltified his eternal iconic status. As such, he is a hero to some, case study to others and Rock Star to most. Steve Jobs (1955 - 2011)will forever be revered as one of the change agents of the 21st century.
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Commentary is the opinion of Stacie Rowell HUMBA c/o '98.
Source: Videos - Steve Jobs documentary aired on bloombergTV on 10/14/10.(posted on Computertwit's Youtube's channel)
