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Discuss Steve Job and explain how you believe that he exhibits authentic leadership and provide specific examples. Describe the role of authentic leadership in creating trust and followership in this example, including how it can improve organizations. Additionally, consider the four characteristics of conscious capitalism and indicate how each of these can be applied in the example you have provided.
This trust, in turn, fueled followership. Employees were not just working for a paycheck; they were part of a movement. Jobs was a transformational leader who connected everyday tasks to a grand vision, inspiring people to achieve what they initially thought was impossible. This sense of shared purpose improved the organization by fostering a culture of innovation and a relentless pursuit of quality that led to groundbreaking products and market dominance.
Jobs' leadership and Apple's business model, particularly after his return, can be seen as embodying the four tenets of Conscious Capitalism:
Higher Purpose: Apple's purpose, as envisioned by Jobs, was to democratize technology and empower human creativity. The goal was to build a "bicycle for the mind," not just to sell computers. This purpose transcended mere profit and inspired everyone from engineers to retail employees.
Stakeholder Orientation: While Jobs was famously demanding, he was deeply invested in his core team of "A-players" and his unwavering focus was on the customer. He believed in creating a holistic ecosystem where the entire user experience—from the design of the product to the in-store experience at the Genius Bar—was meticulously crafted. This commitment demonstrated a strong orientation toward the customer as a key stakeholder.
Conscious Leadership: Jobs embodied conscious leadership through his passionate, dedicated, and visionary approach. His leadership was not about power for power's sake; it was about serving the higher purpose of the company. He led by example, working tirelessly and pushing his teams to do what seemed impossible, which in turn inspired them to deliver extraordinary results.
Conscious Culture: Apple's culture under Jobs was a direct reflection of his values: relentless focus, perfectionism, and design excellence. This culture, characterized by a willingness to challenge the status quo and a dedication to quality in every detail, became a powerful driver of innovation and a competitive advantage. It was a culture that attracted and retained talent who shared his passion.
Steve Jobs' leadership, while often described as autocratic, can also be viewed as a powerful example of authentic leadership. This is because his demanding, perfectionistic, and visionary traits were not a manufactured persona, but a consistent and genuine expression of his core self and deeply held beliefs. He was a leader who knew who he was and what he stood for, and he never compromised on that vision.
Radical Candor: Jobs was famously, and sometimes brutally, honest. Instead of sugarcoating feedback, he would tell employees directly if he thought a product "sucked." This level of relational transparency, a key component of authentic leadership, meant that his team always knew where they stood. This honesty, though difficult, was seen as a way to push for excellence.
Mission over Profit: Jobs' return to Apple in 1997 was driven not by the pursuit of financial gain, but by a genuine belief in the company's "higher purpose" of creating "insanely great" products. He famously cut the product line to a handful of items to focus on quality, a move that went against conventional business wisdom but was true to his vision.
Consistency of Values: Throughout his career, whether at Apple, NeXT, or Pixar, Jobs was relentlessly focused on design, simplicity, and user experience. His insistence on controlling both the hardware and software was an authentic expression of his belief that the user experience had to be perfect, end-to-end. This consistency built a sense of reliability and trust among followers.
Jobs' authentic leadership was crucial in creating both trust and followership. While he could be abrasive, employees trusted his unwavering commitment to the product's quality. They knew his criticism wasn't personal but a genuine desire to achieve greatness. This internalized moral perspective—his deep-seated belief in a higher purpose for Apple's products—became the foundation of trust. Followers were willing to endure his demands because they knew he was leading them toward a meaningful goal.