# The Steve Jobs Biography



## 54/102 CEF (27 Nov 2011)

Anyone read the bio on Steve Jobs?

I just finished it and its quite a read.

Some points

They got people when they wanted them - unlike our mil or civ recruiting process - especially relevant to reserves I think

They fired people when they had to - quickly - no BS Admin Review for him

They brought in technology quickly and dump it just as quick

Advertising - fast

HQ Level - very flat - no multi layer staffs to go through to get something done.

When I listen to various Transformation Briefings all I hear is its a shell game - a net zero exercise.

Steve Jobs was DEATH on Powerpoint slide timewasters - we love Powerpoint. Something is wrong here.

His mantra was talk to the decision maker vs read them pics and text.

If nothing else - get the book - read it and it is a good guide to getting stuff done fast.


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## aesop081 (27 Nov 2011)

54/102 CEF said:
			
		

> They got people when they wanted them - *unlike our mil or civ recruiting process *- especially relevant to reserves I think



That is comparing apples to baseball bats. We can't go around advertising "Wanted, journeyman infanteer with 6 years operational experience, French language an asset". We demand unique things from our people and we get them untrained, thus we will always have to do HR very differently.



> They brought in technology quickly and dump it just as quick



Unfortunately, the scales are different. We buy less of things that take much longer to develop and mature. It is hard to justify dumping a multi-billion program after just a few years to replace it with the newest & greatest. We are not in the business of making profits.


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## Fishbone Jones (27 Nov 2011)

:bowdown: All hail St. Steven


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## ModlrMike (27 Nov 2011)

I'm going to pass... I know how it ends.  >


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## Fishbone Jones (27 Nov 2011)

ModlrMike said:
			
		

> I'm going to pass... I know how it ends.  >


Oooooo. That's good 8)


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## 54/102 CEF (27 Nov 2011)

CDN Aviator said:
			
		

> That is comparing apples to baseball bats. We can't go around advertising "Wanted, journeyman infanteer with 6 years operational experience, French language an asset". We demand unique things from our people and we get them untrained, thus we will always have to do HR very differently.
> 
> Unfortunately, the scales are different. We buy less of things that take much longer to develop and mature. It is hard to justify dumping a multi-billion program after just a few years to replace it with the newest & greatest. We are not in the business of making profits.



You have several good points

Off the street trades like these below were seen in many crappy places in the last few years. 

Doctors - engineers with experience both mil and civ - legal - technicians on the civvy side - coffee servers to name a few. If you need a hard to find body - how's the Civil Service Personnel team working? Well ? 

As for profits

DND (not the Royal We you mention) is in the losing money business if the number of pi$$pot little bases and air strips we operate are any indication.

But thats just my view


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## aesop081 (27 Nov 2011)

54/102 CEF said:
			
		

> DND (not the Royal We you mention) is in the losing money business if the number of pi$$pot little bases and air strips we operate are any indication.



The number of bases we operate is not relevant to this. That's just another area where we cannot operate like a business. Take the fighter FOLs in the North for example. Any business that used facilities as -comparatively - little as we use the FOLs, would close them without thinking twice in order to save the operating costs. DND cannot act in this manner. DND cannot be thought of, and administered, as a corporation. 

SAR is another good one. If the aircraft sat on the ground not having done a single rescue in 3 years, would you sell them off and dispose of the personnel & units ? A business who had not used a one of its departments in years probably would.........


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## 54/102 CEF (28 Nov 2011)

I guess no has read the book


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## aesop081 (28 Nov 2011)

54/102 CEF said:
			
		

> I guess no has read the book



There is a greater chance of me being elected as president of the Russian federation than of me reading this book.


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## Hammer Sandwich (29 Nov 2011)

54/102 CEF said:
			
		

> ....Some points
> 
> They got people when they wanted them - unlike our mil or civ recruiting process - especially relevant to reserves I think
> 
> ...



From what I've read about him, he just sounded like a childish jerk who would have some idea, and with a wave of his hand, demand massive sweeping changes, regardless of how this would affect the thousands (hundreds of thousands?) of subjects under his reign.

He didn't do the work, he just berated people into doing it in his name, (and then of course, marginalized them).

From "_16 Examples of Steve Jobs being an unbelievable jerk_": http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-jerk-2011-10#he-fired-people-without-notice-8

..."When Steve had to make cutbacks at Pixar, he fired people and didn't give any severance pay. Pamela Kerwin, an early Pixar employee, pleaded that employees at least be given two weeks notice.

"Okay," he said, "but the notice is retroactive from two weeks ago."


Nice, Steve.
Thanks for all the crap no one needed...._(including the wank-fest of a book)_.


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## 54/102 CEF (29 Nov 2011)

Sorry I asked if anyone has read the book  

If you didn't you can probably overlook this amazing factoid as well

http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-07-28/tech/30049957_1_cash-balance-apple-debt-ceiling


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## Hammer Sandwich (29 Nov 2011)

54/102 CEF said:
			
		

> Sorry I asked if anyone has read the book


I'm not taking a pee on the book, (I haven't read it), I'm taking a pee on the _person_.

I don't care for how jobs ran his or (his associated ventures).

He was a tyrant.


That's why the company's worth so damn much....Should Apple turn around, and give it's profits back into the economy?....and support the "don't wanna work-welfare bums?"

Hell no!

It's a business.
It was born(e) as such, and should remain as such.

If you pool the global assets of EXXONMOBIL....you'd get alot of money as well.

I genuinely mean no disrespect, but how is "apple" supposed to provide a model for any corporation/organization?

I'm not seeing the light here.


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## Fishbone Jones (30 Nov 2011)

Hammer Sandwich said:
			
		

> From what I've read about him, he just sounded like a childish jerk who would have some idea, and with a wave of his hand, demand massive sweeping changes, regardless of how this would affect the thousands (hundreds of thousands?) of subjects under his reign.
> 
> He didn't do the work, he just berated people into doing it in his name, (and then of course, marginalized them).
> 
> ...



Just like Thomas Edison and Henry Ford


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## a_majoor (30 Nov 2011)

The few things we could take from Apple Inc. (besides the sexy IT hardware and software) are lessons on how to run a lean global supply chain and a flat headquarters structure capable of global operations.

Of course we have just seen what happens when a 4 "Leaf" General suggests sweeping reorganization and flattening of our Headquarters structure, so unless and until the pressure comes from the Minister (and he has balls of steel and the personality of Alexander III of Macedon) I doubt we will see substantive changes.


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## Hammer Sandwich (30 Nov 2011)

recceguy said:
			
		

> Just like Thomas Edison and Henry Ford



Too true.

But have people attempted to turn them into saints?


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