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So what lessons can leaders glean from Steve Jobs? There are too many to choose but here are five of the critical lessons one can learn from Steve Jobs’ life and success. 1. Have strong opinions, just not always your own Jobs was not known as a man who held weak opinions. He was quick to make decisions and strong in them. He didn’t waffle or waiver, nor did he delegate his decision-making process to others. Jobs realized that, with most decisions, making no decision was as bad as, if not worse than, making the wrong one.
He also knew that having one person at the wheel helped maintain a unified vision and direction. However, this doesn’t mean he never changed his mind??just that his reversals were equally decisive and strong. Jobs always encouraged others to challenge his viewpoints and, when he was wrong, would change position and hold to his new one just as strongly. 2. Openness hurts sometimes Few would have described Steve Jobs as a “nice guy. ” He was known for being brutally honest and saying what was on his mind.
He even once quipped, “My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to make them better. ” Never one for pleasantries or sparing feelings, Jobs was legendarily tough to work for. However, is approach not only pushed people to generate great results, it ensured that the message was never muffled or muddled. Being clear, concise, and direct sometimes doesn’t leave a lot of room for spared feelings. While it doesn’t mean being needlessly cruel, it means recognizing that emotions tend to heal faster than broken projects. 3.
Focus, focus, and focus According to Walter Caisson, the author of Jobs’ biography, focus was very important to this man, who limited his company to focusing on two or three things at a time. Jobs recognized that it’s much better to do one thing well than o do dozens of things poorly. The more you spread your focus, the less attention you can pay to each item and the more often crucial details begin to slip by. Jobs once famously said that “Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do,” a philosophy evidenced by Apple’s phone and pad lines, and the limited versions and differences between them. . Working in teams means talking Jobs loved working in teams and loved meetings, but he hated Powering and Keynote presentations. He felt that meetings should be about conversation and dialog, not passive listening. Jobs felt that, in general, teams, especially large groups, made the best decisions and developed the best products??but only if they were leveraged correctly. This is why he favored demo units and other physical objects for visual aids rather than slides on a screen, as Jobs felt these tools got people more engaged.
According to Jobs, the purpose of a meeting was to “Get people talking about it (the idea), argue with people about it, get ideas moving among that group of 100 people and just explore things. ” 5. Planning succession Jobs, especially in his later years, realized he would not be running the company reeve and had to make plans for Apple to live on after he left. However, he focused on succession not just by planning for the company after his departure, but focusing on ensuring that he hired the best executives possible.
Those executives were then groomed and trained so they were able to take over after his departure. “My job is to make the whole executive team good enough to be successors, so that’s what I try to do,” Jobs said. If you put your loyalty to your company above all else, you’ll hire people that are the best for it and they can take over after you leave. That, in turn, is the best succession plan of all. In he end, Jobs was a man driven by his own mortality, long before he was ill.
He reminded himself of his mortality so he could focus his energy doing the things that mattered, instead of worrying about failure or the expectations of others. He was driven and dedicated almost to the point of insanity, and that, combined with his attention to detail and obsession with perfection, enabled him to drive Apple not only to become the powerhouse it is, but also to make some of the best-loved products on the market. Love him or hate him, Steve Jobs is proof that one person can make a huge difference and impact the entire world in a very big way.
Who do you feel has had a similarly large impact on the leaders around the world? Let us know in the comments. This guest post is written by Lair Levin, a marketing consultant for a company that offers the best SD to XHTML service, and who also works for a neon sign store that provides custom made neon and LED signs. INSPIRATIONAL APPROACHES TO LEADERSHIP In this article, we present two contemporary leadership theories with a common theme. They view leaders as individuals who inspire followers through their words, ideas, and behaviors.
These theories are charismatic leadership and transformational leadership Charismatic Leadership: John Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Bill Clinton, Nadir Gandhi, Total Beware Payees, Mary Kay Ash (founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics), Steve jobs (co-founder of Apple Computer) and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani are individuals frequently cited as being charismatic leaders. What do they have in common? According to charismatic leadership theory, followers make attributions of heroic or extraordinary leadership abilities when they observe certain behaviors.
Although there have been a number of studies hat have attempted to identify personal characteristics of the charismatic leader, the best documented has isolated five such characteristics that differentiate charismatic leaders from non- charismatic ones??”they have a vision, are willing to take risks to achieve that vision, are sensitive to both environmental constraints and follower needs, and exhibit behaviors that are out of the ordinary How Charismatic leaders Influence Followers: How do charismatic leaders actually influence followers? The evidence suggests a four-step process.
It begins by the leader articulating an appealing vision. This vision provides a sense of continuity for followers by linking the present with a better future for the organization. The leader then communicates high performances expectations and expresses confidence that followers can attain them. This enhances follower self-esteem and self-confidence. Next, the leader conveys, through words, and actions a new set of value by his or her behavior, sets an example for followers to imitate. Finally, the charismatic leader makes self-sacrifices and engages in unconventional behavior to demonstrate courage and convictions about the vision.
Since the vision is such a critical component of charismatic leadership, we should clarify exactly what we mean by the term, identify specific qualities of an effective vision, and offer some examples. A review of various definitions finds that a vision differs from other forms of direction setting in several ways: A vision has clear and compelling imagery that offers an innovative way to improve, which recognizes and draws on traditions, and connects to actions that people can take to realize change.
Vision taps people??Tutus emotions and energy. Properly articulated, a vision creates the enthusiasm that people have for sporting events and other leisure-time activities, bringing this energy and commitment to the workplace. The key properties of a vision seem to be inspirational possibilities that are value-centered, realizable, with superior imagery and articulation. Visions should be able to create possibility that are inspirational, unique, and offer a new a order that can produce organizational distinction.
A vision is likely to fail if it doses??wet offer a view of the future that is clearly and demonstrably better for the organization and its members. Desirable visions fit the times and circumstances and reflect the uniqueness of the organization. People in the organization must also believe that the vision is attainable. It should be perceived as challenging yet doable. Also, visions that have clear articulation and powerful imagery are more easily grasped and accepted. In this paragraph are given some other charismatic leadership examples.
Unusual of Hero Honda had a clear and focused vision of what he wanted to do in his life, career, and in business. In spite of the other business options coming Hero Honda??IRS way even within the engineering industry, their focus has been first on bicycles and then on motorcycles. IDS Bar of Armband had clearly delineated the scope of his business. Armband chose to operate in the pharmaceutical business in the international market and develop its distinctive character and identified as an international company, in spite of heavy odds and high risks.