Steve Jobs is a household name in every sense nowadays. He is a man who will be remembered even by generations to come. He will be remembered by many people because of his unique way of revolutionizing the world. He did this through sheer innovation and great sense of creativity. He took the world computer technology to a whole new level. He is a man who believed in making life easier and convenient for everyone. Though not perfect, his leadership quality is unquestionable as he oversaw the growth of Apple from its infancy to being one of the most valuable companies in the world.
Steve Jobs has on numerous occasions been labelled as an unconventional leader by many. However, shying away from the fact that he almost single handedly made apple what it is today would be hypocritical. As such, his influence in the company’s culture cannot be overstated. Apple’s slogan ‘Think Different’ is rather different from various perspectives as is their culture. This is because Apple unlike many other companies, they did not dwell on trying to improve the already existing products but came up with something new and original. For instance, it was the first company to introduce music playing devices ‘IPod’. The culture of making something more elegant and different have been around since its infancy. Jobs was the main architect of this unique blueprint (Watkins, 2010).
This is also evident when it comes to the operating systems that Apple devices use. Again unlike others which rely on other companies to provide them with operating systems, Apple have been able to incorporate their own hardware, software and the operating system to produce a great device. It is this culture of creating unique and original devices that has made Apple such a renowned company.
Apart from the uniqueness of their products, worker mentality is something that can be attributed to Steve’s leadership style. It is worth noting that Jobs’ leadership style attracted criticism and appreciation in equal measure. Some people refer the organization a pressure cooker while others envy the leadership style in place. This style of leadership is in direct correlation with the workers’ mentality. It is understood that Steve Jobs demanded nothing short of perfect. Through this, workers have found a way of almost working on a religious level of commitment. Most of the other big companies do have this levels of commitment, however few have been able to make their workers believe that their hard work will eventually change the world (Galloway, 2013). As much as changing the world is a gradual process, this statement can be deemed true from Apple’s perspective as they have so far delivered on their products.
It is due to high level of secrecy at Apple that distinguishes it from other companies (Katie, 2009). The unparalleled aura of secrecy stems not only from products but also on personnel and everything else involved. This level of secrecy has brought the company under severe criticism from the public. For instance, after Steve Jobs had a second surgery the company kept this a guarded secret and did not eventually advise the shareholders. However, this style of keeping things secret have worked a miracle for the company so far (Katie, 2009). The company’s tight-lipped culture is believed to have started in 1984 around the release time of the original Macintosh. Since, the culture can be said to have been followed to the letter as very few Apple products existence has been leaked (Katie, 2009).
It is worth noting that, through the culture of the company that Jobs influenced either directly or indirectly, a lot have been achieved over time. Jobs was able to sell his ideas to other people make them believe in him. For instance, on many instances it has been noted that Apple poached people of proven quality from other companies. This is simply because they were able to sell themselves as a bigger brand than others. As much as Jobs was labeled a dictator he was also very good at motivating the workers. If he believed in any project, he could go to great heights to make others believe in it and support it fully. His leadership style was feared but to some extent made people deliver and work as it was required. This is because many feared his backlash and public embarrassments which were very common.
As much as meeting the company’s goals and objectives are primary for any business organization, replacing its most successful leader is also a major problem. Point in case of, the replacement of Steve Jobs is not an easy thing to go about. This is simply because of his unique leadership style and philosophy. His style of leadership though revered and feared created a strong sense of excellence and execution which the company will find hard to replace. This is because some of the management philosophies he used are not taught in class. As such, very few others, can execute them to perfection. Some of the philosophies must be incorporated in the future in one way or the other.
Succession plans are mostly found in government setup, but not in companies. However, over the years some companies have come up with this plans. Unfortunately, this is the case when the company in question is Apple. Despite all its success, it has no succession plan in place. This is evident as it can be seen in the case between Jobs and Cook. Steve Jobs had on several occasion pin-pointed Tim Cook as his preferred successor. Jobs almost single handedly appointed Cook as his successor (Tyrangiel, 2012). This is evident from the conversation where Cook went to Steve Jobs house to be informed of his decision. It could be thought that the board had very little say on who the next leader would be. Due to his success, Jobs had the power to pick one whom he thought would take the company to the next level. Apple could be forgiven for not having a succession plan. First of all, because many did not see why and how Jobs would not be their leader (Stone, 2012). It is because he was the leader for the majority of the company’s existence. Secondly, because Jobs was pretty young to call it quit and health wise, despite all that he went through, he seemed very strong and able to carry on for many years (Tyrangiel, 2012).
References
Anonymous (From Free Management Library). How To Do Succession Planning, retrieved October 30, 2011 from: http://managementhelp.org/staffing/succession-planning.htm
Galloway, R., (2013). Is Tim Cook the man to lead Apple? Huffington Post. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-galloway/is-tim-cook-the-man-to-le_b_2496969.html
Katie, M, (2009). Report details Apple's unusual veil of secrecy. Apple Insider. Retrieved from: http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/06/23/report_details_apples_unusual_veil_of_secrecy.html
Stone, B., Satariano, A., & Burrows, P., (2012). Mapping a path out of Steve Job's Shaddow. Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved from: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-10-03/mapping-a-path-out-of-steve-jobs-shadow
Tyrangiel, J., (2012). Tim Cooks's freshman year: The Apple CEO Speaks. Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved from: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-12-06/tim-cooks-freshman-year-the-apple-ceo-speaks#p1
Watkins, M. (2010). How to Deal With the Sudden Loss of a CEO. Bloomberg Business Week, ViewPoint, August 11, 2010. Retrived from: http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/aug2010/ca20100811_836091.htm
