"You can do it. Get your mind around it. You can do it”

The reality distortion field of Steve Jobs

One of the Steve Jobs’ greatest strength's was his over-confidence, his will to make things happen and his unwillingness to accept that things may not be possible.

This is partially what became known as his reality distortion field.

In 2007, when the iPhone was being developed, Jobs and his team decided that it should have a glass screen that felt elegant and substantive, instead of a plastic screen. 

Jobs met with the CEO of Corning Glass. Corning had developed a treated glass product called gorilla glass in the 1960s but had never found a market for it.

When Jobs got a demo of the glass he decided that’s what the iPhone needed. But since the glass has been out of production, the available supply was limited.

Jobs told the Corning CEO that he wanted as much gorilla glass as Corning could make in six months.

“We don’t have the capacity”, the CEO replied. “None of our plants make the glass now”

“Don’t be afraid...Yes, you can do it. Get your mind around it. You can do it” Jobs replied confidently.

Within six months Corning had converted one of its facilities on the fly and was able to make it work. The enhanced glass was one of the best features of the iPhone that helped make it so successful.

This was one of Jobs strengths - the unwillingness to accept that things may not be possible.

-taken from Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson