Applying Steve Jobs theory of "Stay hungry. Stay foolish." in business

Who doesn’t idolize Steve Jobs? The American business magnate and investor who played the chairman, CEO and co-founder for Apple is a man looked upon by most businessmen, especially the many budding entrepreneurs. The man has played a vital role in making Apple soar high than ever before.

Apart from wearing the same black tee on almost all occasions, there are many more interesting facts revolving around this man. A man of principles, driven by passion, Steve Jobs was much more than a CEO, he was a man of wisdom, experiences and moreover humility.

During his final message, Steve Jobs was heard giving a piece of advice to his audience that might sound confusing. “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” were his words of advice. Even though it left the crowd perplexed at first, it was only a little later that the whole world realized the infinitely-deep meaning the four words held within them.

Applying the principle of ‘Stay hungry. Stay foolish.’ to business has a lot of significance. Jobs wasn’t merely cracking a joke that would only bring out an echoing guffaw from the audience. He wanted to penetrate deep into the minds of his listeners.

Stay Hungry

These four words are thought-provoking and push us to go beyond limits. When he says ‘Stay hungry’, he wants us to be hungry for more, as to achieve more in our lives. Business is all about gain and loss. But a fall should never pull us down from flying high. Seek more from the people around you. Be it the boss or the employee, everybody has to strive towards raising the bar ahead for themselves and achieving it.

There is no room for the complacent in business. There is always more to explore and more to reach for. When you are hungry, you are curious for more. And that immediately gets rid of any chance of stagnation. And stagnation is not a word that goes in line with ambitious business.

Stay Foolish

This has great significance in today’s competitive world. When you are okay about being foolish, your ego isn’t hurt when a mistake of yours is corrected, also you never feel self-sufficient or act like the all-knowing. Know that everybody around you has something to teach you; wherein, the age, designation, or any other factors don’t really matter. Everybody has had their share of experiences in this world. Everyone lives a life different from yours. And that implies that we are all foolish in some way or the other.

Also, once we embrace the idea of being foolish onto ourselves, we waste lesser time regretting on the mistakes, we utilize our time to learn and explore more. It also empowers one to take risks and make unconventional decisions. It lifts the burden of worry. It makes us humbler.

Moreover, it points to the fact that taking stupid risks and throwing caution in the wind is imperative at times like Jobs did when he quit his college to pursue his goal.

Interestingly, when great personalities look back at their own lives, they have all had similar experiences. Success doesn’t come merely from academics. Sometimes you have to trust your intuitions and not hesitate to do things at the drop of a hat.