Steve Jobs, Consulting and Customer Success
Steve Jobs once gave this epic talk where he stressed the importance of taking responsibility for our ideas and seeing them through.
Here’s how this powerful lesson can help you learn and grow for the better:
Lessons from Steve Jobs
Success often comes from owning your actions.
And the key is to learn from your mistakes and take responsibility for what happens next.
The example Steve Jobs gives is about the job of Consulting.
He believed that “coming and making recommendations - and not owning the results is a fraction of the value and a fraction of the opportunity to learn and get better.”
To him, it’s not enough just to make suggestions.
You have to stick around for a long period of time and see and live the results of your actions.
He thought that without owning your ideas, you cannot fully understand the situation, let alone the outcome.
To explain his point, he went a step further and compared Consulting to looking at “a picture of a banana” but without tasting the fruit—you miss out on the whole experience:
And when it comes to Customer Success, he believed companies should start with “the customer experience and work backward to the technology”, and not the other way around:
This approach is based on his idea that products and services should make people's lives better and create unforgettable moments for life.
And that’s the mindset we want in Customer Success.
It means building strong relationships, delivering on your promise, going the extra mile, learning from mistakes, taking action fast, and so much more.
Just like owning ideas in Consulting, you should own your relationships with customers.
Moreover, Steve Jobs didn’t just sell products—he sold experiences.
He made sure everyone at Apple cared about the customer’s experience above anything else.
This belief then extended to Customer Success, where he focused on giving people the best experience that would keep them coming back and asking for more.
And That’s It
These principles of taking ownership and prioritizing the customer experience are a timeless lesson for everyone.
So let’s keep building on the shoulders of giants like Steve Jobs and OWN IT.
And as he famously said:
“Stay hungry, stay foolish.”
Your success depends on it.
-Hakan.
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