Excellence to Eminence

What Steve Jobs taught us

Values: Excellence, Openness and Trust, Innovation, Empathy and Compassion, Leadership

OK, so I’m jumping on the bandwagon a bit, but it’s hard to not stop and think about how Steve Jobs changed our world. From his inspirational quotes, to the poignant comments by people, it’s pretty easy to see what kind of affect he had. Jobs inspired people to overcome obstacles, encouraged college students to be innovative and dream big, and connected people from across the globe with technology – as President Obama said, most people found out about Jobs’ death on a device he invented.

As I’ve listened to the coverage over the last two days, one quote in particular stands out to me: “I want to put a ding in the universe.”

It’s nice to think about what it would be like to make a life-changing discovery, from the latest technology innovation, to a cure for cancer. And arguably, as a part of one of the greatest research universities, each one of us IS playing a role in those types of discoveries. Sometimes, it’s hard to connect what we do on a daily basis to the ways the university is changing the world, but we each play a vital role in everything that is going on at Ohio State. Remembering that we’re a part of changing the world can inspire us to strive toward even greater things, individually and collectively.

Yet while Steve Jobs was a great innovator, he was something much more important. He was a husband, a father, a son, a colleague, a friend. And, my guess is the effect he had in those roles has a lot more meaning than the effect he had on those of us who never met him. This makes me stop and think about how I'm changing the world for those who are closest to me. Am I there for them when they need me? Am I respectful when we don't share the same opinion? Do I support them when they come up with a crazy idea? If Jobs didn't encourage others to take risks, be creative, and demand excellence - and he didn't build strong relationships with people who could help him succeed (is this starting to sound like a culture retreat?) - we wouldn't have iPods, iPhones and iPads. He first had to change the world closest to him. From there, it grew exponentially. 

So I ask you, how are you going to leave a ding in the universe?

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