Background
The selected leader for this project is Steve Jobs, the legendary founder and long-time CEO of Apple Inc. Steve Jobs came into prominence when he recognized the invention of his friend Steve Wozniak of creating a personal computer that could be connected to a monitor. Together they co-founded Apple Computer Inc. in 1976 (Library of Congress, n.d.). Apple was the first company to bring personal computers to the mass market. Therefore, Steve Jobs is forever associated with Apple, being its CEO during the growth of the PC era in the 1980s. Then, after a brief departure after being ousted from his own company, returning in 1996 to head Apple into the Internet era, being a key figure in creating the iPhone, which is credited with ushering in the smartphone and digital revolution.
Worthy of Study
Steve Jobs is often seen a highly innovative and visionary leader and a marketing genius. While being the CEO of Apple, both in its early days and later in the modern era, he continuously pushed for the creation of the most forward-thinking, innovative, and sometimes industry upturning/creating devices. Jobs had an impact not just on Apple but on the world in general through his accomplishments in technology, innovation, and product development. He was the definition of a great entrepreneur, being the one responsible for creating the product lines for which Apple was or continues to be famous for such as the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad. Job’s vision and managing allowed for the creation of such innovational products, but also setting a long-term strategy for Apple that has now made it virtually one of the most successful and valuable companies in history (Beattie, 2020).
Leadership Style
Despite his public charismatic persona, Steve Jobs maintained a very strictly controlled environment in his companies. He practiced what is known as the autocratic leadership style. He was known for being arrogant, dictatorial, and mean-spirited at times. His vision was to pursue perfection through simplicity and the best quality of product possible. Steve Jobs had a clear vision for what he saw for his products and company, and that ignited certain passion in him to pursue this vision and goals. Furthermore, he had the unique ability to inspire trust and motivation, his leadership character was that he created a higher purpose that excited employees to follow it and his leadership (Henson, 2011).
Moral Intelligence
Job’s leadership style and character were not only a demonstrative way of managing but reflected how he approached many things in life and his actions. Everything that he expected from others as a leader, he sought to be that person himself. He is known for working extremely long hours, focusing on perfecting the smallest details, and always ensuring that whatever projects he was involved with, met the standard that he set for Apple. Jobs demonstrated vital integrity, he was direct and honest both at work and outside, and he sought to maintain high ethical values and remain true to them. However, in terms of compassion and forgiveness, as aspects of emotional intelligence he was lacking, known for his extreme mood swings, anger and shouting matches, and being ruthless to people close to him.
Alignment of Values
In terms of alignment of values between Apple and Steve Jobs, the two entities were essentially one of the same. Apple was Job’s creation and even towards the modern era, he had molded it towards representation of his vision and everything that he had stood for. Despite, Apple being under another CEO for more than a decade at this point, many elements instilled by Jobs are present to this day. One of the best examples of this is perfectionistic, Jobs had high expectations for products and expected everything released from the company to meet a standard of quality that Apple has established (Garibay, 2021). To this day, Apple rarely releases a new product or introduces a new feature, even if it is several years behind its rivals, until it has perfected to the best possible quality within its ecosystem.
Lessons Learned
Steve Jobs is seen as one of the greatest leaders of the technological/informational age. I think one of the most important lessons taken from his life that can be applied to my leadership practice is the necessity to take risks. Jobs greatly believed in ‘thinking differently’ – pursuing passions and visions regardless of what others may think, let it be his employees, stakeholders, or other managers. Sometimes it got him into a lot of trouble, but many times, this is what allowed him to create products that are considered as innovative today. Another lesson to be taken away is that leadership strongly depends on how others perceive you. Steve Jobs was angry and ruthless in day-to-day management, but he was greatly respected because he wanted perfection in the work, and this is what he demanded of himself as well. Furthermore, he was able to inspire others to believe in the same ideals, which further made others support his pursuits and perceive him as a truly innovative leader.
References
Beattie, A. (2020). The legacy and lessons of Apple’s co-founder. Web.
Garibay, C. (2021). Why Steve jobs’ leadership style worked for him and will work for your company too? Web.
Henson, R. (2011). The leadership of Steve Jobs. Web.
Library of Congress. (n.d.). The founding of Apple Computers Inc. Web.