5 Things Your Medical Practice Can Learn from Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs changed the way we work, play and interact with technology. He was a brilliant man, a master orator, and a leader who always demanded the best from his team and himself.

His legacy is not just in the products he leaves behind, but in the knowledge, he shared for years. Here are some of our favorite Steve Jobs quotes, and how they apply to running your practice – and your life – more successfully.

Leadership
“This is not a one-man show. What’s reinvigorating this company is two things: One, there’s a lot of really talented people in this company who listened to the world tell them they were losers for a couple of years, and some of them were on the verge of starting to believe it themselves. But they’re not losers. What they didn’t have was a good set of coaches, a good plan. A good senior management team. But they have that now.” — BusinessWeek, 1998

The best managers get the most out of their team. Some people may be downtrodden or apathetic for whatever reason, but elite leaders make them believe in themselves and take ownership of their careers. Empower your people.

Career
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” — Stanford commencement speech, 2005

You probably spend more waking hours at work than anywhere else, so you should find satisfaction in what you do. Think about why you chose a career in health care in the first place and focus on doing a job that makes you proud.

Customer Satisfaction
“There’s nothing that makes my day more than getting an e-mail from some random person in the universe who just bought an iPad over in the UK and tells me the story about how it’s the coolest product they’ve ever brought home in their lives. That’s what keeps me going.” — AllThingsD Conference, 2010

You should always care about the patient experience. Delivering a better patient experience will make your job more rewarding, make your patients happier and help your practice grow.

The Future of Technology
“The most compelling reason for most people to buy a computer for the home will be to link it to a nationwide communications network. We’re just in the beginning stages of what will be a truly remarkable breakthrough for most people – as remarkable as the telephone.” – Playboy, 1985

“The desktop metaphor was invented because one, you were a stand-alone device, and two, you had to manage your own storage. That’s a very big thing in a desktop world. And that may go away. You may not have to manage your own storage. You may not store much before too long.” — Wired, 1996

Steve Jobs was always looking toward the future and how technology would change the way people interacted. He anticipated the Internet in a 1985 interview and the rise of cloud computing in 1996. He always ran his company and create products with an eye toward the future.

Think about how electronic health records, cloud computing, and devices like iPads will affect how health care is delivered. Be a practice that thinks about the future and embraces technology to advance your practice and improve the experience for your patients.

Connecting Health Care 
“These technologies can make life easier, can let us touch people we might not otherwise. You may have a child with a birth defect and be able to get in touch with other parents and support groups, get medical information, the latest experimental drugs. These things can profoundly influence life. — Wired, 1996

When health care utilizes technology to better connect patients, physicians, specialists, pharmacies, and labs, the cost of care will decrease and the quality of care will increase. Use the best tools available to connect with and provide care to your patients. Never stop looking for ways to improve.

For someone who spent so much time creating amazing technology, Steve Jobs never forgot the importance of people. Thanks for everything, Steve.

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