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The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs

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Summary

In this essay, Walter Isaacson, author of the biography of Steve Jobs, sets out to correct the perceived fixation on Jobs' rough personality by highlighting his accomplishments. He built the world's most valuable company and transformed seven industries: personal computing, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, retail stores, and digital publishing. Isaacson describes the 14 imperatives behind Jobs' approach to success, including focus, simplicity, pushing for perfection, and staying hungry and foolish. He is remembered as one of America's great innovators, along with Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Walt Disney.

Q&As

What are the leadership lessons Steve Jobs taught?
The leadership lessons Steve Jobs taught include focus, simplify, take responsibility end to end, when behind, leapfrog, put products before profits, don't be a slave to focus groups, bend reality, impute, push for perfection, know both the big picture and the details, tolerate only “A” players, engage face-to-face, combine the humanities with the sciences, and “stay hungry, stay foolish.”

What industries did Steve Jobs help to transform?
Steve Jobs helped to transform seven industries: personal computing, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, retail stores, and digital publishing.

What are the 14 imperatives behind Jobs' approach?
The 14 imperatives behind Jobs' approach are focus, simplify, take responsibility end to end, when behind, leapfrog, put products before profits, don't be a slave to focus groups, bend reality, impute, push for perfection, know both the big picture and the details, tolerate only “A” players, engage face-to-face, combine the humanities with the sciences, and “stay hungry, stay foolish.”

What makes Steve Jobs belong in the pantheon of America’s great innovators?
Steve Jobs belongs in the pantheon of America’s great innovators because he applied imagination to technology and business.

What are some of the services offered by Harvard Business Review?
Some of the services offered by Harvard Business Review include The Magazine, Ascend, Podcasts, Video, Store, Webinars, Newsletters, The Big Idea, Data & Visuals, Reading Lists, Case Selections, HBR Learning, My Library, Account Settings, and Log Out.

AI Comments

👍 This article provides an insightful look into the leadership lessons of the late Steve Jobs, highlighting his successes and the fourteen imperatives behind his approach to business and innovation.

👎 This article fails to mention the negative aspects of Steve Jobs' leadership style, such as his sometimes abrasive management style and his tendency to be overly controlling.

AI Discussion

Me: It's about the real leadership lessons of Steve Jobs. It talks about the 14 imperatives behind Jobs' approach to business, which include focus, simplicity, taking responsibility end to end, and pushing for perfection.

Friend: Interesting. What do you think are the implications of these lessons?

Me: Well, these lessons are applicable to any leader in any industry. They emphasize the importance of clear and concise communication, taking responsibility for your decisions, and never settling for anything less than excellence. They also emphasize the importance of having a strong vision and being able to execute it. As leaders, it's important to stay focused and strive for perfection, while also being able to think outside the box and come up with innovative solutions. Ultimately, these lessons serve as a reminder that leadership is a continuous journey and that leaders must always strive to keep learning and growing.

Action items

Research the 14 imperatives behind Steve Jobs' approach to leadership.
Analyze the impact of Steve Jobs' leadership on the seven industries he helped to transform.
Create a plan to apply the lessons learned from Steve Jobs' leadership to your own organization.

Technical terms

Navigation Menu: A menu of options that allows users to navigate a website or application.
Focus: The ability to concentrate on a particular task or goal.
Simplify: To make something easier to understand or use.
End to End: A term used to describe a process or system that covers all aspects of a task or project from beginning to end.
Leapfrog: To move ahead of competitors by making a large, sudden jump.
Focus Groups: A group of people brought together to discuss a particular topic or product.
Impute: To attribute a quality or characteristic to someone or something.
Push for Perfection: To strive for excellence in all aspects of a task or project.
Big Picture: A broad overview of a situation or problem.
Details: Specific information about a situation or problem.
A Players: Highly skilled and experienced individuals.
Face-to-Face: Meeting in person.
Humanities: The study of literature, philosophy, history, and other subjects related to the human experience.
Sciences: The study of natural and physical phenomena.
Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish: A phrase used to encourage people to remain ambitious and open-minded.