The power of sharp choices: lessons from Steve Jobs

The power of sharp choices — what we can learn from Steve Jobs about strategy and focus

It has now been fourteen years since Steve Jobs died. Yet its influence still feels tangible every day.
Not just in Apple's products, but especially in how the company thinks, chooses, and innovates.

Jobs was more than a visionary founder. He was someone who was able to embed his personality, values and beliefs in the culture and strategy of one of the most successful companies in the world.

And that success is no coincidence.
Because when a strategy really works, that's reflected in the result.
What you don't usually see, however, are the painful choices that preceded it.

Focus is not what you do, but what you decide not to do

Jobs said it early in his career:

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When Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, he found an organization that had lost its direction. Apple produced dozens of products, including computers, peripherals, and software, but with no clear focus or differentiation.

His response was radical.
He canceled almost the entire range of products. No more endless rows of models. No fight with IBM or Microsoft on every front.

Instead, Apple opted for simplicity and familiarity:
a limited range of products, perfectly designed for consumers and professionals alike.

That strategic focus became the basis for Apple's rebirth.
And ultimately for the ecosystem that connects billions of people today.

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Strategy is daring to make choices

What Apple did back then is exactly what many organizations are struggling with today.
Not because they have no vision, but because they have trouble with select.

Real strategy isn't about wanting to do everything that's possible.
It's about determining what matters most. And therefore also about what you no longer do.

In our OGSM approach (Objective, Goals, Strategies, Measures) we see that every time:
The strength of a good strategy lies in making real choices explicit.

What do you go for?
What do you stay away from?
And do you dare to keep that up even when things get exciting?

Choices attract

When Jobs tried to persuade Pepsi CEO John Sculley to join Apple, he asked him:

“Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life,
or do you want to change the world?”

A simple but brilliant question.
Because sharp choices don't just draw direction — they also attract people.

Not just customers,
but also employees, partners and talent.

By choosing what you stand for, you create clarity.
And by choosing what to stay away from, you create quality.

The lesson for organizations today

At a time when anything seems possible, focus is perhaps the hardest choice of all.
But it is also the most valuable.

Whether you're a growing company or a public organization with a social challenge: strategy starts with the courage to choose.

Steve Jobs showed that simplicity is not a limitation, but an accelerator of impact.
And that a sharp strategy not only provides direction,
but mainly frees up energy in the organization.

In short:
If you want a strategy that works, dare to choose.
Because it's only when you know what you're not doing anymore that there's room for what's really important.

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Want to get started with sharper choices yourself?

Do you want to get started making sharp choices for your company or organization yourself?
→ [Download the OGSM Template]

Or do you want to know how OGSM helps your organization make choices and translate them into supported plans in implementation?
→ [Schedule a call with an OGSM expert]

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