Steve Wozniak: Steve Jobs wasn’t a natural-born leader

What really set Steve Jobs apart is that he never should have gotten to where he did. I don't mean he didn't deserve it or anything but based on that structures that exist to filter people who attain the positions that he did. By luck, or accident, or raw determination, he became a person in the drivers seat that no one would have chose to put there. He was so much not the person they would have chosen that they kicked him out and replaced him with someone they did choose, John Sculley.

Because he was outside of this normal system he made decisions that were baffling, treated people in ways they felt uncomfortable with and achieved things that people thought were out of reach. They seemed out of reach because it was out of reach given the world of possibilities they allowed for themselves but Steve Jobs lived by a different set of rules. Steve Jobs rising to the top and succeeding in a power structure that didn't share his worldview is what makes Steve Jobs truly remarkable.

> “Sometimes motivation, wanting something, is a lot more important than having the real skill,” Wozniak said.

Wozniak does everything to go down in history as a supposedly unrecognized genius. Every time he makes headlines it is the same story with a slightly different twist.

I was in the theater group in school - and learned a lot about myself there. I broke down crying when playing the Andri in Andorra as it was maybe too near to my personal experience being bullied, being the outsider, being seen for something one is not. Being harassed because people just assume.

I also did my first presentation (voluntary) in 7th grade on the solar wind (we could chose our topics like "our pet", "my favorite book"). And I did theater group while studying at university as well.

I learned to manage my nervousness.

But the most important part I learned from theater and presenting from an early age on was that to be really good, to be able to make it look easy, make it look natural, make the audience feel what I feel - to be able to do that, that was hard work. Preparation. Knowing your lines. Working, working, working and also constantly asking for and receiving feedback and adapting. While not loosing your personal take on it out of sight. Not making it generic - staying true to yourself and laying something personal into it.

Imho you can only confidently improvise and regularly perform well, if the basics just flow. If you don't need to think about, what comes next. If you can confidently get into that flow.

To me - this is what theater taught me: Work hard to make it look easy. This not only applies to public speaking but to a lot of things in life imho.

I was the quiet "science and math" kid in class but took high school speech and debate to round out my experience to get into college. I discovered how much I liked getting up in front of people and talking/arguing. Turns out, I was good at it and won a couple trophies. It was one of the most helpful things I did in high school.

I haven't tried Toastmasters, but I hear it's a great way to practice speaking to groups

https://www.toastmasters.org/