9 Brilliants Successful [ Decision Making ] from the founder of the First Trillion-Dollar Company 

Steve Jobs Notes Image 

Steve Jobs once said:

"Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do."

9 more golden nuggets on decision-making from the founder of the first trillion-dollar company:

1. Efficiency:

Jobs was known for his autocratic decision-making style. He believed in making decisions fast - valuing efficiency over collaboration.

“When you innovate, you make mistakes. It's best to admit them quickly and get on with improving other innovations.”

2. Clear Priorities:

Knowing what matters most to you makes all decision-making far easier. For Jobs:

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful... that’s what matters to me.”

3. Trusting Intuition:

Don't fear the unknown.

"You can't connect dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. 

 

You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever."

4. Cutting Corners:

Jobs knew excellence was a habit.

"When you're a carpenter making a chest of drawers, you're not going to use plywood on the back, even though nobody will see it.

For you to sleep well at night, the quality has to be carried all the way through."

5. Get Rid of Your Ego:

We often cling to a viewpoint in fear of admitting we were wrong. But shedding your ego leads to the most growth.

“I’ll admit that I’m wrong a lot. It doesn’t really matter to me too much. What matters to me is that we do the right thing.”

6. First Principles:

Never blindly accept anything you're told. Always ask why.

“The answer you invariably get is, ‘That’s just the way it’s done.’

"Nobody knows why they do what they do. Nobody thinks about things very deeply in business, that’s what I found.”

7. The Shortness of Life:

Whenever you're scared to take a big leap: recall death.

"Remembering that you're going to die is the best way to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.

You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

8. Simplicity:

In a world of noise and distractions, the ability to concentrate on a few things that truly matter is a huge advantage.

"One of my mantras—focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex; you have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple."

9. The Power of Collaboration:

Interdependence, not independence, is key to success.

"My business model is The Beatles: They were four guys that kept each others’ negative tendencies in check; they balanced each other.

And the total was greater than the sum of the parts."