I just finished reading Steve Jobs’ biography, and I’ve been listening to the different reviews and responses that people have to its content. One thing I’ve heard more than any other is that Jobs was not a very nice person. He treated people really badly over the course of his life. So the conclusion by many people is that to be a creative genius and to do really important stuff you have to be a little bit of a jerk.
It is true that creative-focused people have a challenge when it comes to relationships. There’s no question that driven men and women can very easily drive over other people on the way to their goals. But just because it does happen does it mean it has to happen?
As a follower of Jesus and a guy who’s driven, do I have to trade one for the other? Does following Christ mean that I have no ambition, no drive, no dream, no desire to make a difference and do really great work? And even if it doesn’t, if it’s ok to be a Christian and really driven to excellence, it doesn’t give me a license to mistreat, abuse, and use people for my own purposes.
If you study the entire Scripture, what you’ll find is a lot of wealthy men and women who had great influence and who used it sometimes badly, and sometimes well. And the truth is, living the life for which God made us can be done with harmonic tension. No one said it would be easy, just worth it.
As a follower of Christ, allow the spirit of Christ and the teachings of Christ be the guiding principles along which you move into the future. Processes change. Styles change. Methods change. But principles abide forever. When you know what is ever-changing and never changing, then you have the best chance to love people and do great things.