He had many ups and downs from the beginning of his life, yet he turned things around and became one of the most influential leaders in the world. He was born in San Francisco in the year 1955. Steve Wozniak and he first made Apple public in 1980, and later co-founded it in 1997. Jobs left Apple in the middle, first developed Pixar, an animation studio, and then founded NeXT to create high-end computers. In the late 1990s, he rejoined Apple and spent the rest of his life with the company.
Leadership Qualities and Style of Steve Jobs
His leadership qualities are evident in his work, and anyone can learn from his example. A few of Steve Jobs’s astounding leadership qualities are discussed here.
- Have a Clear Vision: Steve Jobs had a very different way of thinking from other leaders. He was a visionary leader and could identify customers’ demands. In an interview with Campbell, Jobs told him what personal computers would look like and how they would change the world. After interviewing him, Campbell said vision was what made Steve Jobs unique.
- Adaptability: Adaptability is one of Steve Jobs’ most important qualities, and he used it in many situations to keep himself mentally strong. Jobs was fired from Apple at the age of 30 because of a lack of empathy and other leadership skills. Then, over the next 12 years, he adapted his skills and leadership style to better align with the company's needs. He struggled with his criticism & flaws for a long time, but he had the ability to adapt those and wouldn’t be a better leader without this quality.
- Hire and Develop the Best: One of his greatest qualities is his ability to hire the right person for the job. Steve Jobs said, “There is no need to hire smart people and tell them what to do; rather, hire smart people so that they can tell us what to do”. In one of his interviews, he said that the greatest people are self-managing, and they don’t need to be managed. So, it’s better to hire and develop the best, and once they know how to do it, they go and do it. All they need is a common idea.
- Focus: Steve Jobs was determined to make his upcoming products exciting & unique. This leadership quality made his products most successful among the customers. He was always focused on providing quality products and on spending his energy perfecting them. His ability to stay focused on the production rather than making money turned his business into a well-known brand.
- Have Confidence: Steve Jobs showed us, through his work, how important it is to have confidence in oneself. Steve Jobs broke down barriers with his confidence, and he presented us with the most innovative technologies. Once, he was looking for a special type of glass for an iPhone, and he wanted it quickly. When an employee said it was impossible to get the glass within a short time, Steve Jobs confidently said, “Yes, you can do it. You can deliver, don’t be afraid.” This type of confidence gave his team members the boost to believe in themselves.
Leadership Style
Given different narratives, it is understandable that Steve Jobs’ leadership style fits the definition of an autocratic leader. He hardly listens to his staff’s opinion and makes decisions without taking any insight from them. He would not consult with anyone prior to a decision, and he always wanted everyone to obey his commands. He was ousted from Apple for his directive leadership style, but he still set rules for his employees when he returned. He always knew what his plan was and how it would work. Apple’s customers now recognize its directive leadership and perfectionism, as their lives have become more interesting through the use of comfortable laptops, iPads, or multi-touch-screen cellphones in public places, with complete satisfaction.
Leadership Traits
Leadership traits are God-given and few people possess them, and Steve Jobs is one of them. He had the magic of attracting people and putting himself in a prestigious position. Some of his leadership traits are listed below.
- Self-Managing: Steve Jobs managed himself from a young age, even after his parents abandoned him. He was becoming more independent and tended to make his own decisions. He was able to prioritize his goals when his family left him near Silicon Valley, where many electronics masters used to work, and he couldn’t help himself; he was drawn to this sector. In this way, he completed his childhood by joining HP with his neighbour's help and began his journey in the technology sector.
- Risk Taker: A perfectionist in producing products and serving customers is essential for Steve Jobs. As a result, he often took risks to achieve his goal and never compromised on perfection. He trusted his judgment in taking risks, and he knew what people needed most. Even before he launched the iPod, Jobs had the headphone jacks replaced. This is a clear example of how determined he was to take such risks for better outcomes.
- Passionate: Passion made Steve Jobs one of the outstanding leaders in world history. He had the greatest motivation to do his work, which he loved the most. Jobs did not receive any money from Apple for the first three years after he returned to the company. Still, he continued to work at Apple, and it was his passion & dedication to create astonishing, unique products and change customers' perspectives. He never gave up his dedication to working for Apple, even when he caught cancer.
Besides these, his other leadership traits are –
- An Effective Communicator
- Learning Agility
- Social Leader
- Positive Leader, etc.
Leadership Skills
When Steve Jobs started his career at Apple and was looking to move up, his leadership skills became his most valuable assets. A few of his astonishing leadership skills are being presented here.
- Creativity: Steve Jobs always thought outside the box, and as a creative leader, he never chose a safe & conventional path. He noticed that people burned CDs on their personal computers from online. The Mac could not record CDs, even though it could manage videos and photos, and Jobs realized he was missing an opportunity here. He redesigned the concept and innovated an ecosystem that transformed the entertainment industry with iTunes software and the iTunes Store. Steve Jobs was successful in making it simple to buy and manage music on websites and store it on an iPod or a PC.
- Strategic Thinking: Redesigning requires a strategic thinker to lead the product to success. Apple’s iPhone underwent several iterations before Jobs’ team came up with a pleasing & functional design. Initially, the iPhone had an aluminum case that covered most of the phone’s front, leaving a small area for the display and blocking radio waves from reaching the signal processors. Then Jobs and his electrical engineers developed a new version through strategic thinking, with the front side glass, which improved signal quality.
- Psychological Skill: Steve Jobs’ psychological skill helped him to control his fellow employees and to maintain dominance in the company. Sometimes Jobs used to be rude in the first place, destroying the person’s confidence when they tried to go against his thoughts. Then he built a parent image to guide that person and convince him to grant Jobs’ proposal.
- Presentation Skill: He had very high presentation skills and applied a few techniques throughout his presentation, which inspired his audience. With his presentation skills, he motivated his customers, investors, and employees. He always used to sell dreams, not his products, to the audience. When the iPod appeared on the market in 2001, he said, “In our own small way, we’re going to make the world a better place.” Steve Jobs accepted the iPod as a tool to enrich people’s lives, whereas most people saw it as a music player.
Conclusion
Steve Jobs’ leadership attributes set him apart from other leaders worldwide and made him one of the greatest leaders of all time. When we look at Apple, the way it revolutionized the technology industry would not have been possible without Steve Jobs's phenomenal qualities and skills.