When most people think of the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, they probably envision a detail-obsessed workaholic who brought about world-changing products like the iPhone and helped make Apple the most valuable company in the world. However, in her new book, "Pause. Breathe. Choose: Become the CEO of Your Well-Being," Naz Beheshti, Jobs' former executive assistant, offers a different perspective on Jobs.
Beheshti reveals that Jobs valued quiet time to recuperate without the distractions of being CEO. When he turned off the iPhone, Apple employees knew he would be in the office of Jony Ive, Apple's former design chief, dreaming about the future and playing with prototypes.
Beheshti writes, "I soon discovered what Steve Jobs' downtime was like and how it was one of the keys to his success as a great innovator. Whenever someone wanted to reach Steve, or whenever he couldn't be reached by phone, there was only one place he could be found almost unmistakably: in the office of Jony Ive, Apple's former design director."
Contrary to the narrative of Jobs as a work-obsessed tyrant, Beheshti highlights his daily meditation, strong relationships, and regular physical exercise. She emphasizes how Jobs' time with Ive provided him with the freedom to laugh, imagine, create, and feel free again.
