Books to Get You Thinking

On October 5, 2011 Steve Jobs the enigmatic and dynamic technology innovator and business entrepreneur whose name was synonymous with Apple’s Mac line of computers as well as the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad lost his long struggle with cancer. Best known for his creativity and passion for merging engineering and aesthetics together, Steve Jobs transformed and made an indelible mark across a full gamut of industries- music, personal computers, tablet computing, telecommunications, animated movies and digital publishing. The products he helped design have captured the imagination of millions all over the world, and sparked an interest in technology among his users and a whole generation of young people. This week’s picks for our column focus on Steve Jobs the person, his passions, his personal style of management and innovation and the impact he had on his company and beyond. The lessons that we can draw from his extraordinary saga are especially relevant at a time when so many businesses are struggling to stay competitive.

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

Walter Isaacson, who has been both the Chairman of CNN as well as Managing editor of Time Magazine, is well known for his outstanding biographies on Benjamin Franklin, Einstein and Henry Kissinger. Releasing on October 24th is his newest work on Steve Jobs, a comprehensive look at the life and the multi faceted personality of this enigmatic figure that is due to be released just three weeks following Job’s untimely demise. Isaacson has based his books on more than forty interviews that he conducted over the course of two years with Steve Jobs as also interviews with colleagues, competitors and friends. The book aims at giving readers a glimpse into the extraordinary life of Steve Jobs, his vision, his passions and his dreams that helped mould his particular brand and style of business management and helped Apple, the company he co founded become one of the highest valued companies in the US.

The Steve Jobs Way: iLeadership for a New Generation by Jay Elliot and William Simon

The book, authored by Jay Elliot former Vice President of Apple, gives an insider’s perspective into the unique style of management and leadership that identified Steve Jobs both at Apple and during his years at NeXT. The book provides a glimpse into Job’s personal journey as well as the evolution of Apple as a company covering both his personal triumphs as well as failures that came along the way. The author talks in depth about the different aspects that characterized the way Jobs approached organization, marketing, product design and creativity that led to the spectacular success of his technology innovations and made Apple into a formidable company. Jobs had a unique and rare blend of passion, creativity, vision and obsession with detail which was in large measure the foundation of his success as an innovator and entrepreneur who was able to define a whole company and an entire industry.

iCon Steve Jobs: The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business by Jeffrey Young and William Simon

A riveting biography of Steve Jobs based on anecdotes and perspectives from a wide range of people from Silicon Valley and Hollywood who worked and interacted with Steve Jobs during his career. The book reveals the multi faceted personality of Steve Jobs, his pursuit of perfection and creative genius that resulted in his extraordinary success as an American business icon but also his many idiosyncrasies and that sometimes alienated him from others. The authors give readers the inside stories behind many landmark moments in Jobs’s career – the legendary founding of his company in his garage, the launch of the first Mac machine, his ouster from Apple in 1985 his disappointments and failures at NeXT, his dramatic comeback in 2000 and the runaway success stories that followed with the launch of the iPod, iPhone and iPad.

The innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs: Insanely Different Principles for Breakthrough Success by Carmine Gallo

The author, a business journalist whose writings have appeared in Bloomberg Business, Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Forbes interviewed a host of CEOs, entrepreneurs, consultants, and teachers to try and capture the essential mindset of Steve Jobs, and what made him such a successful innovator and global business icon. Gallo identifies seven different principles of innovation and backs them up with quotes from Steve Jobs that echo his philosophy and vision. Perhaps Steve Jobs’s one leading principle that guided his actions is summed up in his own words, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower” and finally "My goal wasn't to die the richest man in the cemetery. It was to go to bed at night saying, we've done something wonderful."- Steve Jobs. Through the pages of the book readers get a chance to step into the world of a creative mind, a life defined by passion and purpose that redefined the way we look at technology.

- Nita Mathur