Importance of leadership

Effective leadership helps the nation during uncertain times, it helps make businesses more
successful, it also enables nonprofit organizations achieve their missions. Effective leadership in
families helps children become productive adults in society and ultimately results in a stronger
nation. While at the same time bad leadership leads to high turnover and the inability to have a
sustainable success() To become a great family, company or nation it takes effective leadership
to bring about the implementation of the vision()
Introduction of the leader and the reasons for choosing him
Steve jobs revolutionized six industries from personal computers, animated movies, music,
phones, tablet computing and digital publishing().At the age of 22 he founded Apple at his
parents garage and at the age of 25 years he was worth over 256 million. Having transformed
personal computers in his twenties he took it upon himself to do the same for other industries
throughout his life till his death at the age of 56.His last innovation before his death, the Ipad was
the fastest selling consumer durable and it was innovated when he got very sick and realized that
he had nothing more to lose(459)Having tremendous restlessness to make a difference he was
able to forever create a legacy in many industries even after his death. He was thrown out of
Apple the company that he founded but later went on to create another company Next and
bought over Pixar. He was asked to come back again to Apple and for the first time in 2 years he
was able to transform Apple from a loss making company to a profit making one.Prior to Jobs
entry there were many exisiting and less attractive products in the market but after the
introduction of ipod,iphone and ipad people started occupying themselves with the latest
techinogy.From a company left to demise with Jobs leadership Apple was able to beat Exxon
mobile to becoming the worlds most valuable business in 1997()
http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-bad-role-model-leadership-2015-10
https://hbr.org/2012/04/the-real-leadership-lessons-of-steve-jobs
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/leicester/reader.action?docID=10665976
https://www.academia.edu/9754715/QUALITY_BASED_ASSESSMENT_FOR_CONTEMP
ORARY_LEADERSHIP_THE_CASE_OF_STEVE_JOBS

Trait theory
It is stated that leaders are born and not made especially by people who are of upper class.S
imply,leaders have traits that are not found in non leaders.Some of such traits are drive,
motivation to lead, honesty, self confidence,cognitive ability and knowledge of the business(Do
traits matter).However there are other researches who have investigated in to the personality
traits and found that leaders have higher scores on extraversion, conscientiousness and openeness

to experience while low scores on neuroticism(pg 61book).As reflected the study of traits in
leaders is not constant and is subject to change.
Steve jobs was an extremely passionate , focused, stubborn, restless , neurotic leader having low
levels of emotional intelligence. states that narcissists exhibits personality traits such as self
inflation, self admiration and the expectation of admiration from others. These are as
(Narcisstic.618) states not qualities that the narcissist actually possess but on the contrary lacks
and seeks to acquire from the world.() states that narcissistic leaders have destructive behavior
where they ignore reality,over estimate personal capabilities and disregard views of others(177).
Even though the Machintosh and the next operating system did not work he continued to
stubbornly hold on to the idea because ultimately it became about his ego getting hurt than the
losses the company was facing.He funded the company because he was angry at Scully for
throwing him out of Apple and was motivated to be bigger than Apple. Even though he was
advised to keep the price of the NEXT operating system between $2000 and $3000 he charged a
higher price of $6,500.Jobs complicated the process of the designing part and kept on adding
many features that did not mean much together (110 jobs 2)When IBM agreed to license NEXT
operating system he asked for a exorbitantly high price that led to IBM backing out of the
negotiation(213).If IBM had used their software and sold a lot of computers he feared that the
glory would be theirs and not his and this led to him overplaying his hand during the negogiation
(pg 128 jobs2)This led to the frustration of his team who started leaving the company because of
the reckless behavior of Jobs.Jobs felt anger towards Google because it had made available the
android services at a cheaper price to other computers. This he felt was a direct hit on Apple and
was in a long battle of claiming for damages from Google()This pursuit of revenge and holding
grudges against people was simply a distraction for Jobs.Had Jobs only been more focused on
great products more energy would have been retained in doing so()
Jobs low emotional intelligence is reflected in the way he treated people.He understood what will
hurt people and he simply did so when he did not feel satisfied. He was manipulative and seemed
to look at people as tools to get what he wanted. As an example Jobs was approached by Nolan
Bushnell asking to develop a single player version of the pong using fewer chips as possible.He
informed Woziak that the deadline was only four days however this was a target that was given
by Jobs so that he can attend to his other errands. He also hid from Woziak that there was going
to be a bonus involved. Woziak stayed up for four days in a raw and finished the product but was
not told about the money(pg 49issacc) Daniel Kottke was one of Jobs friends that he lost regard
for eventually because he felt that he was not able to contribute much for Apple(). The outcomes
of the Zen teachings he learnt throughout his life such as simplicity he used in his products
however it seems as though it was for his own selfish reasons of making a better and more
profitable product. The Zen teachings was not applied and is not mentioned on how it can be
applied to his life in order to make his relationship better(117)Due to such negative traits in Jobs
it prevented him from having a full filling life enjoyed by all his successes. He used to stay that
no one knows what it is like to be like to him which implies that he had no peace and seems

rather empty and looking at the world for validation.When he came back to Apple he was
working at $1 per year because he cared a lot of the image of him in the eyes of others while at
the same time he did not care at all when he was thought of badly().Such variations in behavior
may be possible due to his upbringing and the fact that he was abandoned at birth and also
abandonment from his adoptive parents as they wanted a girl(chrisa)The fact that no matter how
much love he got from his family or from his followers did not compensate for the feeling of
abandonment he felt is rather humbling for those who looks at him as a remarkable leader. He
seems to have a coldness about him that makes one wonder if he had a certain amount of
vengeance towards the world because of the feeling of abandonment he felt throughout growing
up.
Jobs was able to grow by leaps and bounds because he had a deep restlessness about him that
worked to his advantage. When he was younger his interest shifted from one project to another.
First it was Apple 111 and then soon after he saw the Xeroxs potential graphical interface that
seemed more stimulating. He started a new company NEXT very soon after leaving Apple and
then purchased the computer graphics engineering team, Pixar. Even though NEXT and Pixar did
not do well initially Jobs never gave up. Pixar eventually did start making some money but
NEXT was not doing well. Jobs never stopped until eventually Apple was willing to purchase the
NEXT operating system but this marked the entry of Jobs to Apple again. Even though he had
created many consumer goods and changed the outlook of many industries Jobs was
continuously asking himself what next and been very open to changes in environmental
conditions. Even when he got sick his determination was not slowed down and he did not slow
his pace down but rather he became even more focused because he felt that he only had limited
time to live. Initially before the Apple were sold in stores there were online sales that were
happening which led to an increase of more than a million dollars worth of computers in less
than 6 months which left Jobs pondering on the idea as to how much more they can do if there
was a real store(276)

When he came back to Apple he focused only on few products while previously they had focused
on making more products (311).When it came to creating the IDvd he simply stated that it should
have one window where the video gets dragged in to and it states burn.This led to the simplicity
of the iDVD where Jobs rejected all other complicated screen shots(351) He did not want a shut
off button in the Ipod where it led to the development of the scroll button. The trait that mostly
stands out from Jobs was his need to control the whole user experience. This led to Apple having
competitive advantage as Apple was the only computer that controlled every link of the chain
and designed them to all work together(492)When Apple decided to allow the Ipod to work with
windows Jobs held on to the argument that if Apple were needs to create the Windows software
as well so that the whole user experience is controlled(373)Steve jobs refused to believe that the
customer was always right and he went on create a computer that would not be opened with a

regular screw driver and having limited slots contrary to what the world expected from
computers.(127)
He was low in agreeableness and sought to push his team to make the perfect products. As an
example when Larry Kenyon one of the engineers who was working on the Machnitosh
complained that it was taking too long to boost up. Steve jobs asked him if it could save a
persons life would he do it and he replied that he probably would. Steve went on to show that if
he does so it would be equivalent to at least one hundred lifetimes saved per year. Larry was
impressed and he went on to create the product with a faster response time(Isaac 135) He wanted
the strong grollia glass to be inserted outside the Iphone so that there would not be any scratches.
Weeks stated that there is no capacity and it cannot be done .Jobs convinced Weeks not to be
afraid and to get your mind around and do it(435)When Jobs was shown the model of the ipod he
said it was too large and they stated that they had used the absolute minimum casing that would
hold the necessary components. Jobs responded by carrying the ipod to the fish tank and
dropping it as it sank it produced a stream of air bubbles that gurgled to the surface. He showed
the team that if things were really packed inside that there would not be air left for streaming up
and they in turn made it smaller. The night before the launch of the Apple store Steve did not like
the look of the floor tiling which he later had the tiles ripped up and had the job redone(31) As
much as some ideas did not work other ideas worked beautifully such as the customer experience
that Steve wanted to give the customers who come to their Apple stores (345)Many experts and
journalists warned Steve against making such a costly investment in the stores as the company
had no experience in retailing however once the stores were opened everyone changed their
minds as it was drawing more sales than any other retailing store in the united states(175)
Behavioral and situational analysis
Both situational factors and leadership skills contribute to Jobs succeeding in Apple the second
time. The nature of the problem at Apple was such that it had a low task structure and it was
unfavorable situation for the leader. Jobs used the a directive approach in getting things the way
he wanted looking at every area of the operation().His success was also due to the fact that he
was able to build on market opportunities in the music industry ,personal computer and animated
industry also when he came back to Apple 2 years after his temperament in the way he handled
people was much better. He shifted his style of leadership from directive to participative where
he was better assured in the followers abilities. All creations of Jobs after his 2nd coming to Apple
was done by Jonathan Ivy in collaboration with Jobs where both of their names are patened in
the products. Initally Jobs had small teams so that it is easier to control but as the organization
grew larger he knew that it was possible.Even at Pixar he gave the control over animatiation to
his team members who he relied and kept on funding it for 3 years until it was secure a deal of
Disney.
The behavioral traits concerns the dual role for task and for people and the situational aspect
concern the selection of these behaviors that are also relevant to the situation(pg 115).Steve jobs

focused more on the tasks and surrounded himself with only A grade players. He believed that A
grade players would not want to work with B or C grade players and he wanted them to leave.
There were not many that could keep up with his style of leadership and those who were not
emotionally strong enough left while those who felt challenged stayed on with Apple and did not
regret it.As stated by (50) one of the hiring criteria for selection at Apple was a person who can
fit in to the Jobs leadership style.It is stated () that it is a strategy of right judgement and
persistence that enables leaders to thrive in times of crisis.Even though Apple was in crisis Jobs
was able to abandon his bureaucratic culture and adapt to a more flexible approach in making
both design and marketing decisions.()
Transformational and charismatic leadership
Transactional leadership is based on the assumption that employees are motivated by a system of
reward and punishment. Such leaders focus on standards, policies and procedures and refuse to
encourage new ideas or creativity. Jobs was transactional in his approach because of his attention
to detail. Transformational leaders on the other hand empowers followers .However they can be
prone to a lot of stress level in transformational leadership because there is a unnecessary
emotional involvement(pg 17).For transformational leadership leaders have to be charismatic,
inspirational, providing individual support and also intellectual stimulation. Steve jobs was
transformational in his approach however certain aspects of transformational leadership such as
internalization of followers is not applied.
Charismatic leadership describes how followers attribute extraordinary characteristics to their
leaders. The key behaviors of charismatic leaders include articulating an appealing vision,
communicating high performance expectations ,expressing confidence in subordinates and
showing self confidence themselves. When charismatic attributions do occur for transformational
leaders they are unlikely to persist for long without efforts from the leader to maintain his heroic
image(pg 14,evaluation of conceptional weakness). Jobs was charismatic in his approach so
much so that he made people believe in the impossible. Both the CEOs that Jobs took to work in
Apple continuously seeked for Jobs approval. Jobs was used to having his way with Scully and
also with Amellio where both of them felt very close to him and wanted to be liked by him()
Jobs was also prepared to take personal risk in order to achieve his vision.After his return to
Apple he parterned with Bill Gates as a tie between Microsoft and Apple which carried a large
amount of personal risk()A disadvantage of his style of leadership is when Apple was spoken
about only Jobs was known. So much so that when Jobs was sick the share prices decreased and
the public thought that Apple will no longer be in existence. This upset his followers especially
John Ivy who was responsible for their main designs including ipod, ipad and the Iphone. The
public was led to believe that Jobs was responsible for Apple because he was always the center
stage and all eyes were always on him. Charismatic theory combined with transactional theory
can be used to explain Jobs leadership style. Due to Jobs charismatic style it allowed followers to
identify more with him on an emotional level and made the transactional leadership of Jobs more

effective. Followers were motivated by the visionary leadership given by Jobs to achieve the
goals which led to them believing in them and ultimately achieving them.Charismatic style also
depends on the kind of followers one is dealing with.
Leadership style and ethics
Jobs was not ethical in his approach to leadership positions. He was caught backdating stock
options and he parked where the handicapped were supposed to park. He was caught speeding in
many occasions and he believed that normal rules do not apply to him. When he felt sick he did
not inform the public until he absolutely had to do it. When the IPhone 4 was out there was
certain poor reception and Jobs indicated that all phone were the same manipulating
circumstances in such a way so that it gives him that added benefit.He wanted everyone and
everything to fit in to what he wanted and this led to him to disowning his daughter because he
felt as though it stood in the way of what he wanted to do.
Importance of leadership to contemporary business
Leadership is very much important to contemporary business where it seems as though as long as
one is successful his leadership style is always spoken about. In other words the ends justify the
means. However Steve jobs at his death bed reflected on the following .

It comes to show that at dying is not about what you gave to the world but the relationships you
made along the way. At the last minute of his life it seemed as though he regretted what he did.
Unfortunately from what Jobs states it seems as though his whole life was a regret and if he had
to start life over again he will do things much more differently. Steve jobs leadership style can be
applied in emerging markets where there is uncertainty involved about the future. In order for
Jobs leadership style to work there needs to be people who are able to implement what he wants
as well. Since Jobs was neither an engineer or a developer but had the strength in predicting
emerging markets and developing creative people around him because of his charismatic style of
leadership.A visionary approach on where the future needs to be would not work for all followers
because some may not be able to understand as to how to implement what is been directed.In
order for Jobs leadership style to be effective an evaluation needs to be made on the followers
and also the situation that one is in.Even if the two factors mentioned are met there needs to be a
ethical dimension instilled in leadership as well so that the journey is full filling at the end.
http://belimitless.com/gchahal/life/motivational/steve-jobs-last-words