It must have been a very difficult board meeting. Two men who were, and had been, good friends were suddenly against each other, and it seemed like each one was trying to get the other one out of the company. One had started the company and had invited the other who had made a distinguished career for himself working with Pepsi, to come over and join him at Apple. In fact, his line to him was: "John, are you going to be selling sugar water for the rest of your life?" John Sculley was at that time with Pepsi. But when Steve Jobs walked into the executive committee meeting, Sculley was at the other end of the table, and both of them were there to try and get the other out. As events happened and turned out, Jobs was the one who lost out at that meeting. He was ousted from a company that he had started. Sculley actually confronted Jobs and the executive committee and gave them an ultimatum. He said, "It's me or Steve! Whom do you vote for?" To Jobs' surprise and shock, everybody voted for John Sculley.
In his writings, Walter Isaacson says that Steve Jobs bolted from the room. He was given an absolutely irrelevant title of Chairman with really no responsibilities – an office that Steve Jobs said was like 'living in Siberia'. And Steve Jobs, at that point, just didn't know what to do. He felt betrayed, alone and like the world had collapsed and he had nothing left to do. Yet, two friends showed up, knocked incessantly on his door till he opened it and in walked Andy Hertzfelt and Bill Atkinson. They played a record for him, knowing that he loved Bob Dylan's songs. They played the new album that was out at that time, 'Empire Burlesque', and somehow worked with him. They stayed with him and they managed to get other friends around him.
Steve Jobs was not one to be kept down. He slowly turned around and began to get that fire and zeal back into his eyes, body and his mind. At the age of 30, he was worth $100 million. He had ideas that were just flowing through him, and within a very short time, he had an idea for his next company. Paul Rand was the one he went to, to get him to design a logo for him. He tells Paul Rand, who was at that time the 'dean of Corporate Logos,' to give him a couple of options on the logo. Paul Rand told him very clearly, "I'll charge you $100,000 and give you one design, and you pay me whether you like it or not." Steve Jobs liked that kind of person, that kind of dealing, and he gave him the job. In fact, they fought over the logo. Next was the name of the company and Rand had put the name 'Next" in a cube with 'e' as a lower case letter. Steve Jobs wanted it to be a capital letter, like the rest. But Rand wouldn't budge, and finally Jobs accepted it.
But you can get an idea as to Steve Jobs and his frame of mind, and how particular he was about the things that he was passionate about. It reminded me that we need to have fire in us. We need to have passion. We need to be sure of what we want and what we don't want to be able to negotiate life. When Paul Rand told him, "I'll design your business card for free," and when he designed it, he put Steven P. Jobs. The full stop after P was in the next space and Jobs said, "No, I want it underneath the loop of the P." they fought about that too, but this time Rand gave in; that was how picky Steve Jobs was. But, he managed to start NeXT and then got back on track.
The thing that grabbed my attention as I read through all of this was the role that the two friends played. They came to his house when he was sitting on the ground and moping. He knew that he had been beaten; he had been ousted from the company that he had started. His world had fallen apart. Two friends bring a Bob Dylan record and play it for him. That's what we need – good friends around us.
Lars Wilhelmsson in his book, 'Making Forever Friends' says, "Friends are a must. We must have friends and be friends to be fully human and alive." In fact, Dr. James Lynch, in a book written almost 40-odd years back called 'The Broken Hearted' says, "Loneliness is the #1 cause of illness and death in America." I'm not sure what the present statistics are. He said, "Lonely people not only live unhappier lives, but they die sooner than those who enjoy warm relationships."
It made me think about myself, about you reading this post. Do we have friends who would be there for us when we hit the bottom, when it seems like there's nothing left? When we are not able to see ahead and the way seems obscured?
Scripture says, "Two are better than one, for if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him that is alone when he falls, for he has not another to help him up." So true! At times, when we are down, we need friends, or a friend who can come by and just be there for us, lift us up, offer a word. But, that's something that must happen long before the crisis occurs. We need to take the time to cultivate good friends and friendships. For that, we need to do that much before any kind of crisis happens. And not just have many friends, people who we like and say the things that we want to hear. As Scripture says in Proverbs, "A man of many companions may come to ruin." Shallowness and emptiness can overtake us if we spend all our time with an outer and middle circle of friends. But we need close friends, those who will stick by us when the chips are down or falling.
Paul Tournier says, "No one can develop freely in this world and find a full life without feeling understood by at least one person."
Andy Hertzfelt and Bill Atkinson picked up a new Bob Dylan album 'Empire Burlesque' and they brought it to their dejected, despondent friend. Who knows what that hour or two meant to Steve Jobs, but it enabled him to get up off the mat and say, "Let's move on! At 30, I've still got ideas; I'm brimming with them. I've got to do something with my life."
I wonder whether we are taking the trouble to develop good friends. I wonder whether we need to allow good friends into our lives. Maybe today you're down; you're on the mat. And there are friends who are trying to get through to you, but you are stonewalling them. Maybe it is time to open the door, let them in. be vulnerable, listen to the music and know that life hasn't come to an end, not while we still have breath. My prayer is that if you are in the crisis, you will let your friends in. if you're not, make sure that you have the friends who will stand by you in times of crisis.
May I pray with you? Almighty God, thank you for Your Word, and thank you above all, that You are our best friend. And thank you that You never let us go. You are always with us. But Lord, help us also to develop good friends around us, who can speak into our lives in times of difficulty. And help us if we are in crisis right now, to just see the friends who are trying to enter into our spaces and our lives, and let them in, for they have a role to play in this part of our lives. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
• Walter Isaacson, "Steve Jobs." P.200-220.
• Dale E. Galloway, "The Fine Art of Getting Along With Others." P.127-130
• Scriptures: Ecclesiastes 4:9-10; Proverbs 18:24
• Lars Wilhelmsson, Making Forever Friends." Quoted in Dale Galloway's book.
• Dr. James J. Lynch, "The Broken Hearted," Quoted in Dale Galloway's book.
• Other names quoted: Andy Hertzfelt, Bill Atkinson & John Sculley.
No comments:
Post a Comment