Apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs Drew Inspiration From Beatles On Building Great Teams: ‘They Were Four Very Talented Guys Who…’

In a 2003 interview, Apple Inc.’s late co-founder Steve Jobs revealed that his strategy for building successful teams was inspired by an English rock band, The Beatles.

What Happened: While appearing on CBS’s 60 Minutes Overtime, Jobs compared the dynamics of the Beatles to effective business teams. He spoke about how the band members balanced each other’s weaknesses, leading to a synergy that resulted in innovative work.

“My model of business is the Beatles…they were four very talented guys who kept each other’s kind of negative tendencies in check…the total was greater than the sum of the parts and that’s how I see business,” Jobs stated.

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He went on to say that similar to the Beatles, whose collective work was far superior to their individual contributions post-split, significant achievements in business are also the result of teamwork rather than individual effort.

“They did truly brilliant innovative work and when they split up they did good work but it was it it was never the same,” he said.

The Apple co-founder added that he is a firm believer in the power of a well-rounded team to achieve remarkable success, a principle he applied at both Pixar and Apple.

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Why It Matters: Jobs’ team-building strategy was not the only factor that contributed to his success. His marketing acumen played a crucial role in Apple’s turnaround in the late 90s, as he focused on the values he wanted Apple to represent rather than pushing product details to potential buyers.

The legendary tech mogul’s attention to detail was another key aspect of his leadership style. As per reports, he used to dedicate “hour after hour” to the minutiae of product design at Apple, believing in “God being in the details.”

Jobs’ legacy continues to influence Apple’s current CEO, Tim Cook, who admired Jobs’ expectation of innovation and creativity from every department in the company.

In an interview last year, Cook said, “One of the things I loved about him was he didn’t expect innovation out of just one group in the company or creativity out of one group,” adding, “He expected it everywhere in the company.”

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Photo courtesy: Flickr