The 1 Big Regret Steve Jobs Shared With His Coach Before He Passed

John Mattone had five coaching sessions with Steve Jobs before he passed. What Jobs admitted in their second session changed how Mattone thinks about leadership forever.

EXPERT OPINION BY DANIEL ROBBINS, CEO AND FOUNDER OF IBH MEDIA AND HOST OF FOUNDER'S STORY

Steve Jobs. Photo: Getty Images

John Mattone didn’t go looking for Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs found him.

In 2010, about a year before he passed, Jobs picked up a copy of Mattone’s book, Success Yourself, and was intrigued enough to reach out. What followed were five coaching sessions that Mattone describes as transformative.

But it was the second session that changed everything.

“He told me that what he was learning with me, if he had applied it in his thirties and forties, he would have been a better father, better husband, better leader,” Mattone told me. “I still get chills sharing that.”

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Think about that for a second. One of the most legendary founders in history, someone who literally changed how the world communicates, admitting that the missing piece wasn’t vision or drive or intelligence. It was vulnerability.

That moment became the foundation for everything Mattone has built since. He launched John Mattone Global in 2011, has written eleven books, including five bestsellers, and has now brought his coaching framework to leaders in 55 countries.

When I asked him what separates the best leaders he’s worked with from everyone else, his answer surprised me.

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