Leadership Qualities - The Jobs Way

"The task of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there." — John Buchan

Like many of you out there, I too have read the "just short of War and Peace" biography of the late Steve Jobs. For those that simply are unaware of this man, Steve Jobs was the co-founder and visionary force behind the company called Apple.

There are many things I did not agree with Steve regarding his style and personality. Yet that is what makes all of us unique in this life. What I do admire is the greatness he was able to pull from those that worked for him. If you read both his book Jobs and a book about co-founder Steve Wozniak called iWoz; you will get a sense of the visionary and the inventor.

Both men are incredible examples of what has made technology so great in the past fifty years. And still I go back to the leadership greatness that defined who Steve Jobs was. It defines what the Apple company is today. It also makes me wonder how long the company he built can survive off the memory of his leadership.

What we can do is take pieces of Steve Jobs leadership qualities and try to emulate them. I would like to pick and choose, which I will, the good from the bad. But given Steve's personality, it is very possible that his good qualities only existed because of the bad ones. So I will ignore the psychology behind his personality and focus on three qualities of his leadership.

1. VISION

"You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards." ~Steve Jobs

Quite a bit of Steve's early life was full of Zen Buddhist experiences. It contained belief in the "power of sublime minimalism." This early part of his life shaped Steve into what you could consider an artist. This passion for the arts and humanity when combined with technology is what helped create the products you see today.

Steve Jobs understood that to make something truly great and inspiring meant you had to create the dots, not simply connect them. He firmly believed in his vision and lived it as well by his own actions. His firm belief in his vision impacted those that worked with him, inspiring them to greatness as well.

As a leader, you have to develop a clear vision, believe in it firmly and live that belief through your own actions; others will follow, others will become great in their own right.

2. FOCUS & DETERMINATION

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things we have done.” ~Steve Jobs

When Steve developed a vision for a product, an idea or a new business plan, he could rid his mind of distractions. This allowed him to create a nearly crystal clear path to success for that vision. One could easily point to his return in 1997 to lead Apple, which was in near financial ruin.

By establishing a vision, he then eliminated nearly all of the existing products except for a few key products and projects. These were the ones that matched his vision. Doing so freed up resources that could be focused on the goal and return Apple to greatness.

As a leader, you have to be steadfast and not tolerate "leaders" in your organization that are afraid to offend others and say no. Everyone in your organization must be able and willing to catch your vision, remain focused on the goal and determined to drive towards it with you. When you do these things, people will be able to achieve what many others thought was impossible.

3. PASSION FOR GREATNESS

"Some people say, ‘Give the customers what they want.’ But that’s not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they’re going to want before they do. I think Henry Ford once said, “If I’d asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, ‘A faster horse!” People don’t know what they want until you show it to them." ~Steve Jobs

One of the neat things that Steve Jobs did was anticipate what people would need in their lives. It was not so much market research, which he never relied upon, but listening and observing people and trends. He used his knowledge, his vision and his passion to create the "dots" that later would be connected.

With Steve's direction, Apple designed products with the user experince in mind first. How you built it became secondary. I hear it today in my business where people say that is "too hard" and "people would not buy that." Human innovation in the world of technology far better than what we give ourselves credit for.

What we lack is the ability to see it from a user perspective first. And the reason this happens is because we defeat ourselves with a belief that the technology could not accomodate it. No one thought they needed a "smart phone" device. Why would we need such a thing when we had MP3 players, laptops, digital cameras, and a cell phone that we could store a phone list in.

If you lead with a focused and determined intent to make the user experience great, the technology will follow. People will be drawn to your vision and success for the user, the business and you will inevitably happen.

SUCCESSFUL LEADERSHIP

With a clear vision, determination to pursue that vision and lastly, design with an appreciation for the user in mind, you can emulate one of the greatest business people of our generation. You can use these leadership qualities in your work, in your business and in your life -- your best life.

Stay inspired my friends!