Jobs, Apple, and Leadership

To say that Professor Scott Duncan of Organizational Leadership respects Steve Jobs as a leader would be an understatement. At some point during each class, there would be mention of Jobs and/or Apple. The trajectory of his life, career, and his company was discussed as well as his leadership style. The concept of managing versus leading was explored, and stood out for me. There is a distinction between the two though I have heard it used interchangeably. Managers tend to focus on structure and meeting goals while leaders innovate and envision.

In the article “The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs” found in the April Harvard Business Review, Walter Isaacson highlights many of Steve Jobs’ approaches to leadership from the biography he penned on the subject. Jobs was certainly a controversial leader, but he did something right as he has been likened to other innovators like Walt Disney, has created an enduring company that will continue to develop highly anticipated and coveted quality products, and has undoubtedly “transformed multiple industries.”

According to Isaacson, Jobs’ tenets included: focusing, simplifying, taking responsibility end to end, when falling behind to leapfrog, putting products before profits, not being a slave to focus groups, bending reality, imputing, pushing for perfection, tolerating only “A players,” engaging in face to face, knowing both the big picture and the details, combining the humanities with the sciences, and deciding on what not to do. While he was, at times, harsh, he was effective because he lead with managing qualities. He did not view anything as impossible, turned the complicated to simple by thinking about what the consumer truly needed and wanted, surrounded himself with talented people, and facilitated conversations that motivated them to do their best.

Suzanne Tran
Front Desk Cashier
Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground