When even those unpopular decisions are rooted in your culture and strategy, and they are clearly communicated, that leadership vs. You have to be willing to be the face of unpopular decisions. Above all, that is what it takes to be a leader. Did Jobs make some drastic moves to reach that point? Absolutely. And it always came back to Apple’s company values.ĭo we see Apple as a successful company? Yes. Employees vied for his approval, and many rose to his high standards including Tim Cook. They respected him as a leader, and it took work, but there was a clear path to winning his respect. Yet, the top up-and-comers still wanted to work for Jobs, to see things from the inside. Steve Wozniak, Apple’s co-founder, famously said that most people he knew wouldn’t work with Jobs again if given the chance. But again, they also do not necessarily yield popularity in the office. Now, none of those qualities are unique to Jobs - charisma comes in all shapes and forms - nor do they require somebody to be a natural leader. Let’s put it this way: in 1997, Tim Cook defied all logic and made the decision to join a failing Apple instead of staying with the tech behemoth Compaq purely based on a gut feeling after meeting Jobs once. Though impossible to pin down, it cannot be ignored. He believed that this would be the longest-standing aspect of the company’s legacy, and that attitude permeated throughout the organization. Living the Valuesįor Jobs, everything Apple did came back to core value: to make the best products in the market. He was never one to sugarcoat or beat around the bush, and while that made plenty of enemies, it never left anyone guessing where he stood. Numerous employees recount the specific direction that was given from Steve personally as well as the rebuke when it was not adhered to. His expectations were always articulated clearly and sometimes viciously. He was just as clear, albeit just as egocentric, behind closed doors. Sure, the approach was a tad self-aggrandizing, but his famed black turtleneck talks were impressive pieces of rhetoric that defined Apple’s outlook and desires for employees and the general public alike. Jobs, of course, was not without his flaws - some would call him erratic or egomaniacal, but for those who chose to follow him, he was an effective leader for several simple reasons: Clear Expectations This was the Jobs’ mantra throughout his time at the head of Apple, and not many people would argue with the resulting trajectory of the business. When Steve Jobs re-assumed the CEO position at Apple in 1997, he created a new type of culture - a no-compromise culture that would not attempt to do everything - or even many different things - but to be the very best at everything it did.
But when rooted in a strong culture, employees and leadership can compliment and elevate one another, benefitting the entire organization. Those ideals are not easily won, and they can be lost in an instant.
#THOUGHT TRAIN APPLE CODE#
The relationship requires a mutual respect, reciprocal transparency and a defined code of ethics in order to work. One size does not fit all.ĭespite its difficulty to define an exact roadmap, deliberate steps to strengthen the leadership and extend its efficacy and impact help ensure employees feel empowered to improve the organization, rather than go through the motions. The hallmarks of a leader’s style are rarely a carbon copy of her or his predecessor. There is no direct or charted path to leadership, no one style of leadership that paves the path to success and there is no way of definitively identifying the future traits of an employee. Leadership is perhaps the most enigmatic and eclectic piece of the Culture Framework.
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