The news that Steve Jobs resigned as CEO came as little surprise to those who have been monitoring his ailing health lately. But it does mark the end of one of the most inspiring careers in the history of the business world. Few people in this world will revolutionize one industry. Steve Jobs revolutionized several: computing, telecommunications, music and movies. Since he had such a profound impact on the world, I think it’s fair to ask ourselves how he did it and, more importantly, how can we learn to unleash our inner Steve Jobs to advance our business, our careers, and the world.

In my research as an author on two books on Steve Jobs I’ve identified 7 principles that drove Steve Jobs and Apple’s success.

Here is an excerpt from the talk entitled “Steve Jobs’ 7 principles of innovation” at a conference in Europe.

Principle One: Do what you love.

Steve Jobs taught us that you cannot come up with new, innovative and exciting products unless you’re inspired yourself and passionate about moving society forward. Jobs once said, “People with passion can change the world for the better.” Life it too short, he said, for living someone elses’s dream. And if you haven’t found your passion, he said, keep looking, don’t settle.

Principle Two: Put a dent in the universe.

Steve Jobs believes in the power of vision. And he certainly has a big vision. In the mid 1970s when computers were relegated to a small group of hobbyists, Steve Jobs was convinced that he could put a computer in the hands of everyday people. And so he challenged his co-founder Steve Wozniak and the Apple team to create a computer that everyday people would feel comfortable using. Eventually, that led to the computer that changed everything — The Macintosh. “Steve’s extraordinary vision and leadership saved Apple and guided it to its position as the world’s most innovative and valuable technology company,” said Art Levinson, Chairman of Genentech, on behalf of Apple’s Board.

Principle Three: Connect things to spark your creativity.

Steve Jobs once said creativity is connecting things. He meant that people with a broad set of life experiences can often see things that others miss. Jobs often connects ideas from other fields. For example, he studied calligraphy in college. Calligraphy had no practical application to his life. But he was interested in it and passionate about it. Later his calligraphy experience would find its way into the Mac, the first computer with beautiful fonts. Creativity is connecting things from different fields.

Principle Four: Say no to 1,000 things.

Steve Jobs is proud of what Apple does but he’s also proud of what Apple has chosen not to do. Steve Jobs once said that innovation comes from saying no to 1,000 things. I believe this speaks to simplicity. In apple’s world, simplicity is the elimination of clutter. Anything that clutters the user experience is eliminated. That’s why there’s only one button on the front of an iPad or why there is no built-in keyboard on an iPhone. Apple’s products are popular because they are simple, elegant and easy to use. But it all starts from Steve Jobs asking, what can we remove?

Principle Five: Create insanely different experiences.

Steve Jobs created many product innovations, of course, but he also innovated around the customer service experience and I think it’s a part of his legacy that might not be fully appreciated. The Apple Stores make more money per square foot than most any other retailer including many luxury brands and they’re packed morning to night. The average stores sees 17,000 visitors a week! When Steve Jobs first came up with the concept for the Apple Stores he said they would be different because instead of just moving boxes, the stores would enrich lives instead. Everything about the experience you have when you walk into an Apple store is intended to enrich your life and to create an emotional connection between you and the Apple brand.

Principle Six: Master the message.

You can have the greatest idea in the world but if you can’t communicate your ideas, it doesn’t matter. Steve Jobs is the world’s greatest corporate storyteller. Instead of simply delivering a presentation like most people do, he informed, he educated, he inspired and he entertained, all in one presentation. If there’s one thing that you can today to be more “Steve Jobs like”, it’s to think visually. There were very few words on a Steve Jobs slide. It’s a philosophy called picture superiority. People are more likely to remember information when it’s presented as words and pictures instead of words alone. I think it’s impossible to watch a Steve Jobs presentation without completely rethinking your current presentation. Sell your ideas the Steve Jobs way.

Here is an excerpt from my presentation to Stanford MBA’s based on Steve Jobs presentation style.

Principle Seven: Sell dreams, not products.

Steve Jobs captured our imagination because he really understands his customer. In 1997, when Apple was close to bankruptcy, Steve Jobs said he would reduce the number of products Apple sold to satisfy the needs of their core customers. At the time, he said, “some people think you’ve got to be crazy to buy a mac, but in that craziness we see genius and those are the people we’re making tools for.” Your customers don’t care about your product. They care about themselves, their hopes, their ambitions. Steve jobs taught us that if you help your customers reach their dreams, you’ll win them over.

There’s one story that I think sums up Steve Jobs’ career at Apple. An executive who had the job of reinventing the Disney Store once called up Jobs and asked for advice. Steve’s advice? Dream bigger. I think that’s the best advice he would give us today and the advice he will continue to offer to Apple as its Chairman. See genius in your craziness, believe in yourself, believe in your vision, and be constantly prepared to defend those ideas. Because it’s those ideas that could potentially change the world.