Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.
- Steve Jobs

The World Is Now A Better Place
It can be argued, that in modern history, the smart phone is the most powerful technological advancement ever made for the common person in our society. It pulls other technologies together and gives individuals the capability to access a limitless amount of data from almost anywhere in an instant. From a business stand point, it has been a game changer and leveled the playing field for small businesses around the world.

This helps explain why most of us who never knew Steve Jobs personally felt a loss when we heard he died on October 5, 2011. His corporate Web site has a message that might state it best: "Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being."

His Technological Advancements
Steve Jobs had an amazing ability to know what customers would like, want and need. This can be seen in his Apple II that revolutionized personal computers, his iPod that revolutionized the way we listen to music, his iPhone that revolutionized phones and his iPad that again revolutionized personal computers.  The "apps" phenomenon is now taking us to unimaginable places, with the road that was paved by his foresight and hard work.  

Steve Jobs and his company did not just create amazing products, he also pushed his competitors to try and keep up with his continuous advancements, which improved all industries, not just his own.

His Impact On Financial Services
Steve Jobs has allowed cultures and countries to be better linked and share information in real-time. We can now make more personal connections with clients, peers and fellow associates; we can get needed data from almost any location and so much more. The way we work and the way we service clients have all progressed, based on advancements he made possible. In many ways, what we do is now simpler, faster, more efficient, and yes, it is better!

The full positive impact of his life on businesses and society will play out for years; that is because he created an amazing foundation for others to build on.  

Steve Jobs once said he loved Wayne Gretzky's quote: "I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been."  Hopefully his achievements can help remind us to all do the same thing. In his own words, "Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower."

Mike Byrnes founded Byrnes Consulting to provide consulting services to help advisors become even more successful.  His expertise is in business planning, marketing strategy, business development, client service and management effectiveness, along with several other areas.  Read more at www.byrnesconsulting.com.