Steve Jobs is beloved – he is also the reason for Apple’s success. He’s an icon.
Steve Jobs just left his post as CEO of Apple today (he will continue on on the Board of Directors), but his departure and subsequent stock price plunge of 6-8% that lasted 24 hours or so got me thinking.
If you want to do anything really well and be recognised for it, you must also be an icon. Are you iconic?
An iconic entrepeneur gets this status after paying her dues. Lots and lots of dues.
Being iconic comes when you’re a winner, at the top of your game – successful. Not everyone sees the road to get there, though, is fraught with mistakes, missteps, and failures. An icon always has battle scars.
Zuckerberg has the Winklevoss twins; Steve jobs has the old board of Apple itself; Bill Gates needed Steve Jobs to get him motivated to be an icon, and in spite of its fall from the top in recent years, Microsoft continues to be a multi-billion dollar company.
Being iconic starts with picking a path and sticking with it even when, and especially when, everyone thinks you’re crazy.
If no one’s disagreeing with you or trying to hold you back, you’re not an icon. Yet.
