I Worked for Steve Jobs, and This Was the Best Lesson He Taught Me

What is your most memorable experience working with Steve Jobs? originally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.Answer by Guy Kawasaki, former Apple evangelist, on Quora:

One day Steve Jobs showed up in my cubicle with a man that I didn't know. He didn't bother to introduce him; instead, he asked, "What do you think of a company called Knoware?"

I told him that the company's products were mediocre, boring, and simplistic--nothing that was strategic for Macintosh. The company didn't matter to us. After my diatribe, he said to me, "I want you to meet the CEO of Knoware, Archie McGill."

Thank you, Steve.

Here's the kicker: I passed the Steve Jobs IQ test. If I had said nice things about crappy software, Steve would have concluded that I was clueless and that was a career-limiting or ending move.

Working for Steve Jobs wasn't easy, and it wasn't pleasant. He demanded excellence and kept you at the top of your game--or you were gone. I wouldn't trade my experience working for him for any job I've ever had.

This experience taught me that you should tell the truth and worry less about the consequences for three reasons:

1. Telling the truth is a test of your character and intelligence. You need strength to tell the truth, and intelligence to recognize what is true.
2. People yearn for the truth--that is, telling people that their product is good just to be positive doesn't help them improve it.
3. There's only one truth,so it's easier to be consistent if you're honest. If you are dishonest, you have to keep track of what you have said.

This questionoriginally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. More questions:

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