Seven innovation secrets of Steve Jobs

“Innovation is a new way of doing things that results in positive change,” writes Carmine Gallo, author of a new book called The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs: Insanely Different Principles for Breakthrough Success (McGraw-Hill). Innovative businesses and entrepreneurs drive the kind of job creation needed to power us out of the lingering economic doldrums. And nobody does innovation better than Apple in the second Jobs era. Yet his methods have been difficult to reduce to a simple formula. As Jobs himself once told an interviewer, imitators often end up being “like someone who’s not cool trying to be cool. It’s painful to watch.” Gallo says the key is to think more broadly than a reductive, step-by-step process would allow. “Innovation is often confused with invention,” he writes. “Not everyone can be an inventor, but anyone can be an innovator.” See also our slideshow based on Gallo’s previous best-seller, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, and don’t miss our brief history of Apple.

1. Do What You Love
Follow your passion and do work that excites you.

2. Put a Dent in the Universe
Surround yourself with people who share your fervor.

3. Kick-Start Your Brain
Embrace a broad set of experiences, and find the things that connect them.

4. Sell Dreams, Not Products
Aim to fulfill hopes and ambitions, not to sell widgets.

5. Say No to 1,000 Things
Eliminate unnecessary features in a ruthless pursuit of essential ones.

6. Create Insanely Great Experiences
Superb service and high-quality products pay off.

7. Master the Message
Tell your story in a way that gets people fired up.

Edward Cone, http://www.baselinemag.com/