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New book calls Apple's Steve Jobs a "hypomanic"

updated 09:50 am EDT, Wed July 20, 2005

Jobs a \"hypomanic\"


John Gartner, who studied successful businesspeople in his recent book, "The : The Link Between A Little Craziness and A Lot of Success in America," says that the most successful entrepreneurs are "somewhat manic in their single mindedness." Apple CEO Steve Jobs comes to mind. Gartner says Jobs formally acknowledged the importance of evangelism in business when he made Guy Kawasaki Apple's "Mac evangelist" in the early 1980s. "Jobs also embodied the hypomanic's dark side, and was ousted from the company in 1985 due to his mercurial management style," explains Fortune writer Louise Witt. "To Gartner, describing someone's behavior as manic was more than an easy label—it described a specific type of behavior. Maniacs have grandiose visions and high energy, and are risk-taking and impulsive. A hypomanic shares some of the same characteristics of a manic depressive, but he doesn't suffer from a psychiatric disorder." Hypomanics "don't think outside the box, because they don't even see the box," Gartner says.


by MacNN Staff

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  1. I WAS the One

    Grizzled Veteran

    Joined: Mar 2003

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    07/20, 11:22am | report spam | Reply |

    Say What???

    WTF is this guy talking about?

  1. crayola

    Junior Member

    Joined: Jul 2003

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    07/20, 12:18pm | report spam | Reply |

    Re: Say What???

    he talkin' bout Steve bein a crazy foo'

  1. driven

    Addicted to MacNN

    Joined: May 2001

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    07/20, 12:19pm | report spam | Reply |

    Just another ...

    The book's author is just another guy who thinks he is smarter than he actually is, and he has the big words and large concepts to prove it.

  1. daftpig

    Forum Regular

    Joined: Oct 2001

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    07/20, 12:23pm | report spam | Reply |

    Well...

    There is some justification from the scholastic point of view to call Jobs so. But at the same time, I would think that it best be qualified by the fact that it does take someone to be a little crazy to push to be at the edge of the market, a kind of daring, a kind of silliness to dream up big ideas.

    So definitely, there is both good and bad. And clearly, as has been observed by many others, Jobs post-NeXT is certainly a more restrained Jobs. So yes, Jobs does have some credit here too.

  1. testudo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

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    07/20, 01:32pm | report spam | Reply |

    Re: Well

    There is some justification from the scholastic point of view to call Jobs so. But at the same time, I would think that it best be qualified by the fact that it does take someone to be a little crazy to push to be at the edge of the market, a kind of daring, a kind of silliness to dream up big ideas.

    Umm, that's the whole point of the book. Taken from the above line: "The Hypomanic Edge: The Link Between A Little Craziness and A Lot of Success in America," says that the most successful entrepreneurs are "somewhat manic in their single mindedness."

  1. fsauer1

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

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    07/20, 01:50pm | report spam | Reply |

    Author Wrong & Right

    "Maniacs have grandiose visions and high energy, and are risk-taking and impulsive. A hypomanic shares some of the same characteristics of a manic depressive, but he doesn't suffer from a psychiatric disorder." --

    The author is wrong about BiPolar Affective Disorder, (the so-called manic-depression.) When characterized by Hypomania, is called Type 2. Hypomanics do not lose touch with reality, which is the key chacteristic of mania. (Depressions may or may not be present.) Many famous people had this, including W. Churchhill & T. Roosevelt (and perhaps A. Lincoln). All that said, the author may be right about S. Jobs. Like people with photographic memories, there are competitve advantages for people who are hypomanics since they can "hyper-focus" for long periods, are usually of above-average intelligence, and very creative in their chosen field.

  1. just a poster

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jun 2004

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    07/20, 02:44pm | report spam | Reply |

    Those who can't do

    teach and those who can't do or teach write books about famous people.

  1. Gabriel Morales

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    07/20, 02:52pm | report spam | Reply | delete

    Re: Those who can't...

    You know, that's a big problem... that kind of attitude. Teaching is a serious and very important vocation which society does not appreciate or give the proper respect to nearly enough. If we gave teaching and teachers the respect and attention they needed, perhaps we wouldn't be in the kinds of social problems we are in today.

  1. klinux

    Senior User

    Joined: Jul 2002

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    07/20, 03:52pm | report spam | Reply |

    kinda

    "The book's author is just another guy who thinks he is smarter than he actually is, and he has the big words and large concepts to prove it."

    Kinda like most Macnn posters who think they are smarter than they actually are but have neither the big words or concepts to prove it!

    "Those who can't do teach and those who can't do or teach write books about famous people."

    And there's a third one to: stupid Steve Job sycophant zealots who cannot teach, do, write books/articles i.e. journalist, or be bankers i.e. IB analysts who then post on Macnn and think they are better than the teachers, doers, journalists, and analysts.

  1. xianman

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Feb 2005

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    07/20, 05:30pm | report spam | Reply |

    Think outside the cliché

    If I hear about that god damn box one more time, I'm gonna lose it.

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