Steve Job's "Reality Distortion Field"

Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs was known for his Reality Distortion Field (RDF), a term he used to describe the ability of some people to distort reality around them. Jobs was able to use his RDF to get people to do things they never thought possible, believing that anything was possible if he willed it.

The concept of the Reality Distortion Field was first introduced by psychologist Robert Cialdini in his 1984 book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. Cialdini described the phenomenon as "a tendency to perceive a situation in a way that is self-serving."

Jobs in particular was able to convince people to do things they never thought possible, whether it was building a successful company or creating groundbreaking products.

Some of the most notable examples of Jobs' Reality Distortion Field at work include:

• Convincing John Sculley, the CEO of Pepsi, to leave his job and come work for Apple
• Getting Microsoft to invest $150 million in Apple during the company's darkest days
• Creating the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, which revolutionized the way we consume music and information

Jobs was a master at using his RDF to get people to believe in his vision and achieve the impossible. While not everyone has the same ability to distort reality, we can all learn from Jobs' example and use our own abilities to persuade and influence others.