In my last post I talked about movies, which is arguably odd for the CMO of a business process outsourcing company… So this time I’m going to double down and offer a film review! For those of you who don’t know, I’ve lately become slightly obsessed with documentary films. Mostly, they’ve been about famous athletes (Senna), or food (Jiro Dreams of Sushi), or how we’re almost certainly doomed by the way we produce food (Food Inc.) or by the way we produce energy (Gasland). Some, like (The Greatest Movie Ever Sold) have been loosely about business. Last night I finished watching a documentary: “Steve Jobs, The Lost Interview” that knocked my marketing socks right off.
It’s the most simple, least produced of all the documentaries I’ve watched lately – literally a lost interview from 1995 that was never seen in its entirety. But wow, does it pack some punch. Remember, this is an 18 year old interview, but the leadership questions and management approaches and challenges are exactly the same prevailing topics I hear bantered around today. It’s almost eerie how prescient Steve Jobs is. Even his thoughtful pauses are fascinating.
Over the course of the 69 minute Q&A, Jobs covers quite a bit of ground ranging from the historical to the philosophical, but I was particularly taken with these areas:
- He talks about innovation and the importance of building a culture capable of recognizing and capitalizing on opportunities.
- He stresses that a great idea isn’t 90% of the battle – it’s the hard work turning ideas into a products.
- He describes the (positive) effect of friction in developing products, and the importance of hiring A-players.
- He talks about leadership and vision and not getting hung up on “being right.” He says it’s ok to make mistakes and change your mind.
- And on top of all that he predicted the future of “the web!”
I’ve thought quite a bit about most of these topics in my role at CDS Global, and in many cases, naively imagined that I was breaking new ground. CDS Global is the undisputed leader in our business process outsourcing space, but we’re always working to innovate and improve. Especially in the face of dramatic changes in the industries we serve, we want to be in a position to provide thought leadership and revolutionary alternatives to publishers and nonprofits and utility companies and eCommerce providers – and many more! Of course it’s all easier said than done, but it’s nice to know that fabled and iconic business leaders have wrestled with exactly the same fundamental questions and topics. It’s also nice to have some of my own thoughts and opinions validated by Steve Jobs – even if they were actually his thoughts and opinions in the first place!
Do yourself a favor and check out the movie.
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