Steve Jobs' Real Influence

The above logo is from Polaroid during the 1970s. The second logo is from Apple in the 1980s. 

They look similar — and it wasn’t by happenstance.

But Apple also wasn’t trying to steal anything from Polaroid, except its curiosity for invention from co-founder Edwin Land. 

Land was one of the childhood heroes of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. He was an amazing leader with an innovative mind. He was naturally curious, dropping out of Harvard at 19 to explore his inventions. 

He went on to revolutionize the photography business, developing the instant camera that made Polaroid a leader in the industry. 

Land knew the need for instant photos and invented a camera that didn’t require sending pictures to a photo lab for development. He integrated the darkroom process within the camera. 

In a 1970 promotional film called “The Long Walk,” Land is dressed in a tie with an overcoat and reaches into his coat to pull out his wallet. He said it was his dream of being able to use a device as small as a wallet to take pictures instantly.

He envisioned a camera that you would use as often as your pencil. Land had this vision in 1970. Smart phones didn’t become an everyday part of life until some 30 years later. 

Jobs was quick to realize early in life that Land was someone he could learn from, even though they didn’t meet until years later. 

Land once said, “Market research is what you do when your product isn’t any good.”

“Every significant invention, must be startling, unexpected, and must come into a world that is not prepared for it,” he added. 

Both men understood that the consumer is typically the last one to know what the consumer really wants, and built their respective companies on this premise.

Both were perfectionists, both were obsessed with design.

Jobs learned from Land about the art of selling his products. All of Jobs’ launch techniques and storytelling of the product came from Land, who understood the importance of how to correctly launch a product. 

Both men had failures, both men were ousted by their companies for declining stock prices, and both men never stopped being curious. 

Jobs’ use of Land as a role model is really the critical part of the story. He studied Land for his benefit, once saying “Not only was he one of the great inventors of our time but, more important, he saw the intersection of art and science and business and built an organization to reflect that.” 

Jobs didn’t need to get a degree from Reed College. He received a more valuable education from studying Land. 

We all need to find someone who can help us become more creative, someone who strives for excellence, then mold their ideas into our situation. 

We cannot expect to improve in our profession if we are not studying the best, past or present. 

Why does the Army still study Alexander the Great or Napoleon? Because they were innovators who thought differently and solved problems divergently. 

If we don’t study others, we will never have our breakthrough movement.

When Jobs finally met Land, he described it as “Like visiting a shrine.” 

Find someone to study, find someone to learn from — and watch your creativity soar. 

The Daily Coach Network is a vetted membership community of sports executives, business leaders, and coaches who learn together and support each other to improve their teams' performance.

Here's a community insight from The Daily Coach Network on building a high-performance culture: You can't just import a culture from somewhere else. A new team member = a new culture. Your team culture needs to be established first and then blended into the broader organizational culture.

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