I’m not one to to believe everything Steve Jobs said was gospel.
But, damn, he has a way with words.
Here he is at the MIT School of Management in 1992 talking about consulting as a career.
He was in a down period at this point in his life.
He’ d been fired by Apple and was struggling to make his new NeXT Computer startup work.
He was hungry.
I should know.
He phoned me (a cub-reporter for a techie magazine) just a few weeks later (the transcript is here: https://robdkelly.com/about/ ) to talk to me about an article I was writing about NeXT.
I think this “hungry” period for Steve caused him to do his best thinking.
I’ll add this video to the “Best Steve Jobs Videos/Documentaries” article I plan to do one day (I’ve got about 8 Jobs videos I love).
Watch “Steve Jobs on Consulting”
You can watch it for free on YouTube by clicking the video embed above.
The full speech at MIT (69 min.) is here.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 91/100
- IMDB Rating: nsa
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: na
Release Date: Spring of 1992
Steve Jobs Quotes on Consulting (and other highlights)
Jobs’s talk about consulting opens up with a funny quote:
“How many from consulting?
Oh, that’s bad.
You should do something. No, seriously…” (0:11–0:22)
1. Criticism of Consulting as a Career Path
Superficial Understanding of Businesses: Jobs critiques consulting for lacking depth in understanding businesses due to the absence of long-term ownership or responsibility for outcomes.
Quote:
“Without owning something over an extended period of time, like a few years where one has a chance to take responsibility for one’s recommendations, where one has to see one’s recommendations through all action stages and accumulate scar tissue for the mistakes… one learns a fraction of what one can.” (0:32–0:56)
— Steve Jobs
Limited Value in Broader Exposure: Jobs acknowledges that consulting provides exposure to various industries but argues that it lacks the depth necessary for substantial learning.
“What you do get is a broad cut at companies, but it’s very thin.” (1:20–1:23)
— Steve Jobs
2. The Importance of Accountability and Learning Through Experience
Scar Tissue as a Learning Tool:
Jobs emphasizes that true growth comes from experiencing the consequences of one’s decisions and overcoming mistakes.
“One has to see one’s recommendations through all action stages and accumulate scar tissue for the mistakes and pick oneself up off the ground and dust oneself off.” (0:42–0:51)
— Steve Jobs
Ownership as a Key Driver of Learning:
He believes that taking responsibility for outcomes allows deeper, more meaningful learning compared to making recommendations without implementation.
Quote:
“Coming in and making recommendations and not owning the results, not owning the implementation… is a fraction of the value and the opportunity to learn and get it better.” (1:00–1:15)
— Steve Jobs
3. Challenges of Being a Consultant
Job Insecurity During Hard Times: Jobs points out the precarious nature of consulting roles, framing consultants as “variable expenses” who are vulnerable during economic downturns.
Quote:
“You’re also a variable expense, and in hard times, you find yourself…” (2:07–2:09)
— Steve Jobs
Thanks for reading!
Rob Kelly, Chief Maniac, Daily Doc