Transcription
Steve Jobs was a master of controlling unpredictable situations, and he did this through the use of body language. Amazing, incredible, extraordinary! Through the use of humor. "They looked so good, you kind of want to lick them." And of course, through the use of reality distortion. Reality distortion, the reality distortion vehicle, the reality distortion field. He would bend reality, and they would accomplish it.
So, let's look at three examples of how Steve Jobs managed unpredictability and direct confrontation across his career. Remarkable, unbelievable, phenomenal, awesome, terrific magnificence! Life is always unpredictable, but it's really how you manage that uncertainty that can really set you apart. And Steve Jobs took this concept to another level with his use of body language.
Just take a look at this example from the 1980s, where Jobs and his inner circle are discussing the schedule for a product at a company retreat. "I don't think price is going to change the schedule that much. I think the real risk is in the technology. It's not in the cost." "There's another option. You can go to the spring of '88." "Yeah, we could, but the problem is if we do that, then..." "No, that's not the worst thing. The worst thing is ever... the world isn't standing still. So by the spring of '88, well, we want color now. The technology window sort of passes us by, and all the work we've done, we throw down the toilet. We start over. And you know, since we proved we can't do something great in 18 months, why should we believe we could do it, you know, a year later when it comes to that date?" "Affecting the design of the product, that's when we get into a rat, real deep. Because if we are unrealistic about this day, we make design decisions that we then have to go over, reiterate, throw out, start all over again. And you told us yesterday, we have a past, and unfortunately, some of us can't get rid of that past."
This is Joanna Hoffman, Steve Jobs' head of marketing, and one of the few people who wasn't afraid to confront Jobs directly. "Let's go back and take another look. Watch closely as he's challenged." He immediately shifts, nods, and then breaks eye contact. It's a question Jobs doesn't want to answer or even entertain. In fact, Jobs usually maintains strict eye contact with his audience and engages the crowd when he speaks, instead of looking to the ground or over their heads. And so, he begins to defuse what is a very legitimate question, first by nodding impatiently, and then by breaking eye contact altogether. And Hoffman knows exactly what Jobs is up to. "I don't care what you say. Reality distortion is is reality distortion, and it has its motivational value, and that's fine, and I think it has a very strong point and a very important value. However..."
But is ultimately powerless to stay on topic because Jobs diverts or distorts attention away from the question. "I remember a past where we put out a list this long about the software that was going to ship with our product. As you recall, the list was formidable, and we all thought we could do it in 12 months, 15 packages." First with his stance, then with his gaze, and then by denying the answer altogether, by completely changing the subject. "So maybe what we ought to do, though, is say, see, I think we have to drive a stake in the ground somewhere. And I think if we miss this window, then a whole series of events come into play. We can't sell enough units in '87 to pay for our operating costs. Okay? You know, word gets out that we're not doing that well. A lot of the credibility starts to erode." And this is something Jobs would do throughout his career, and it became known as reality distortion.
But his use of it, and his use of body language, was to become even more subtle. Just 10 years later, in an even more confrontational situation. Our second scenario takes place in 1997, at the Worldwide Developers Conference. Jobs has just returned to Apple as an advisor and begins to field public questions from current Apple employees. And watch how he handles the following question. "Yes, Mr. Jobs, you're a bright and influential man. Here it comes. It's sad and clear that on several accounts you've discussed, you don't know what you're talking about. I would like, for example, for you to express in clear terms how, say, Java in any of its incarnations addresses the ideas embodied in OpenDoc. And when you're finished with that, perhaps you could tell us what you personally have been doing for the last seven years." [Music]
"You know, you can please some of the people some of the time. But one of the hardest things when you're trying to affect change is that people like this gentleman are right in some areas. I'm sure that there are some things OpenDoc does, probably even more, that I'm not familiar with." And here's where Jobs takes things to another level. Let's go back and take another look. After a long pause, Jobs decides to defuse the very personal question by first acknowledging that the questioner is right. "People like this gentleman are right." Here, he's immediately won back the crowd by showing that he's not taking the question too personally or getting upset.
But Jobs still has a lot more to do, because all eyes in the room are still very much on him and his reactions. In fact, looking at his body language, Jobs is still very uncomfortable. His head is down, he remains seated, and his arms are crossed in a protective position. But now, watch as he stands up, crosses the room, and begins to completely regain control of this potentially harmful situation. As he crosses the room, he gives half his back to the questioner and opens his body towards the other half of the room, with firm hand gestures and open palms that display enthusiasm and certainty, and get people excited about the future of Apple. And only five minutes later, he's completely turned the tables around.
"Some mistakes will be made along the way. That's good, because at least some decisions are being made along the way. And we'll find the mistakes, we'll fix them. And I think what we need to do is support that team." Turning a negative into a complete positive, and proving in the process that he's worthy of returning to Apple, something that would become a reality just a few months later. And the rest, as they say, is history. "Mistakes we made. Some people will be pissed off. Some people will not know what they're talking about. But it's, I think it is so much better than where things were not very long ago. And I think we're going to get there."
Thanks for watching, and I hope you enjoyed this content. Stay tuned for more stories in the coming weeks. And if you spotted anything about Jobs' body language, please share in the comments below. Amazing! It's amazing, beautiful, wonderful, phenomenal, great, incredible, amazing, incredible, extraordinary, phenomenal, unbelievably great!