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Jobs and Me

 

In Steve Jobs’ video (Jobs Official, 2017), we see how the Apple Corporation came together to create one of the most influential technology companies in history. Jobs was an idealist, which as funny as it may seem, is how I also see myself. I like to think of it as the world being open to individual interpretation where people can continue to build on the functions which already exist but are malleable and can be influenced.

I recently participated in a management assessment that analyzed certain personal characteristics and how they would apply to the workplace. The assessment pegged me as dynamic in a large company setting that is:

·       highly self-confident

·       assertive

·       ambitious

·       aggressive

·       wants to be challenged

·       highly motivated to be successful

·       takes risks

·       likes to solve problems

·       inventive

·       creative

·       role model

·       perfectionist

·       uses metrics to drive success

The assessment showed that my leadership management style is based more on being extroverted, confident and logistical, or someone that focuses on the facts.

The video shows how Jobs is passionate about helping college aged people find new solutions to old problems. The video points to this in comments from the narrator about Jobs interrupting others at an employee retreat to keep the focus on the priorities and his vision (7:15). Jobs relentlessly interjects with his beliefs about the price and schedule for the product rollout. He puts pressure on the others in the group by saying they should be out of business if they can’t meet the priorities. I think that I would fit into this situation because I like to be challenged, as Jobs is doing with his team regarding the price and schedule. The video shows a second employee retreat where Jobs level-sets with the group and tells them the honeymoon is over (13:30). To get the company to the goal of shipping their product, Jobs must use $7 million of his own money to keep the company afloat. This results in having to make cuts to the budget, which can give anyone pause. I believe that the risks Jobs is taking by putting up his own money fits into my assessment because I’m not afraid of taking a chance on myself. Because I like to gather the facts before making a decision, I put myself in the best position to take a risk. Jobs then talks about not seeing the “startup hustle” (17:40), where the company is pushing and working harder knowing that it must get the company where they want it. Jobs frames this in a way where the “war” is about survival and the company winning the war by getting their product to market. As the video comes to its conclusion, the narrator speaks to Jobs needing to feel like he is contributing to history to be satisfied (18:20) and how amazing the feeling is to have planted an idea, a seed, and watched it grow into a revolutionary machine called the personal computer.

Logistical leaders like to stabilize and organize situations while administrating and communicating thoughts and actions. As with most new companies that start out looking to find their place in the world, Jobs and Apple had a lot to prove. One of the most important roles of a leader is to communicate an image of the future and inspire a shared vision of the organization (Brown, 2011, p. 156). As a leader, Jobs was a chameleon of sorts, using persuasion, inspiration, stability, and vision. I believe I would have fit into the culture at Apple in the 1980’s because I see similarities between my leadership styles and those used at Apple. Both Jobs and I see that a team-oriented approach works well, especially when it is coupled with meeting concrete goals, being risky and organizing the group to march forward. I like to follow the rules, but I also look to improve them, which would be a key component to getting the Apple Corporation off the ground. Although Jobs and I are not completely alike, I believe he and I would have worked very well together.

References

Brown, D. R. (2011). An Experimental Approach to Organization Development. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.

Jobs Official. (2017, November 23). Steve Jobs brainstorms with the NeXT team 1985. [Video file]. Retrieved https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udi0rk3jZYM

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