High performers have a fundamental appreciation of the company’s purpose.

Steve Jobs differentiated company process from its “content,” the stuff that the company exists to make. While process is important, there’s not usually a repeatable pattern to innovation. When something works, there’s often an impulse to try to crystalize it into something that can make more success. The trouble is that success comes from a clear understanding of purpose and a relentless pursuit of that alone. To that end, great employees are difficult to manage because they are way more driven to accomplishment than purpose, and this makes them not marginally more valuable than others but multiple times more valuable.rH5


  1. Jeff Haden, “27 Years Ago, Steve Jobs Said the Best Employees Focus on Content, Not Process. Research Shows He Was Right,” March 9, 2023, https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/27-years-ago-steve-jobs-said-best-employees-focus-on-content-not-process-workplace-research-shows-he-was-right.html. (See notes.)