Apple’s chief executive Steve Jobs has created wonderful products and a great company. But Bill Taylor says don’t emulate his management style.
“Jobs, for all of his virtues, clings to the Great Man Theory of Leadership — a CEO-centric model of executive power that is outmoded, unsustainable, and, for most of us mere mortals, ineffective in a world of non-stop change.”
Those words come from Taylor’s blog post on Harvard Business Publishing Decoding Steve Jobs: Trust the Art, Not the Artist, writing.
Instead, practice the art of “humbition,” Taylor says. That would be a subtle blend of humility and ambition “that drives the most successful leaders — an antidote to the know-it-all hubris that affects so many executives and entrepreneurs.”
The Good Steve
I think Steve Jobs is a leader to emulate — at least in part. In the end, of course, you should manage in a style that reflects your personality, your values, your attitudes — what Harvard Business School professor Bill George calls “authentic leadership.” If you don’t have an ounce of humility in your bones, pity you — but don’t waste time faking it.
Jobs is an authentic leader — authentic to his own beliefs and way of doing things. And while he can be supersecretive, tyrannical and volcanic in his management style, those that thrive under him say they have done their best work at Apple.
Here are three things to learn from how Jobs goes about his business:
- Trust Your Gut. He knows what he is about and is absolutely devoted to core principles. Most company analysts and retail experts thought the company was crazy to open its own stores — Gateway, Dell, and Sony failed at similar efforts. Jobs believed in the concept and now Apple Stores are a key driver of the company’s success.
- Details Are Everything. Jobs understands that creating a great customer experience means getting the details right. It’s not just about designing the perfect texture for an iPod touch screen, but also controlling the customer’s experience with a product even before they open the box. It’s even about what materials to use in a staircase at Apple’s store in New York City. He sweats the details, and makes his employees sweat them, too.
- Passion Creates Passion. Leaders always want people around them who are passionate about their work. But if the CEO is just mailing it in, so will the everyone else. Jobs demands passion and performance from his employees. That ethos is a magnet for top talent — the best people want to work for organizations committed to excellence.
Trust your gut, attention to detail, passion. These are three ingredients any 21st century leader should command, and Apple’s CEO is a great example of why. Learn from him.
Steve Jobs is on the phone. “Would you like to come work for me at Apple?” he asks. What’s your answer?
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