"Jobs has been criticized as America's roughest, toughest, most intimidating bosses."
The vast majority of those workers willing to talk about Jobs confirm the above statement.
What's fascinating about it is if you were to take someone from another industry or company, and say the same thing about them, they would be considered a throwback to the management stoneage, or a loser of some sort, even if the company was successful.
So why does Jobs get away with being what most wouldn't consider good management material if they were to act like Jobs.
Even after workers talk about Jobs the tyrant, not long afterwards they say even so, he made them better. But some great bosses have been tough and successful like Jobs, but aren't treated as kindly by their people or the press. Somehow, even when he's revealed in this way, he gets a general free pass. It's almost like there's a worldwide denial concerning him.
There seems to be a schizophrenia among his believers concerning him as he travels his way through corporate life. What they may say about others, they wouldn't say about him, even if the realities were the same.
I think part of it is Jobs comes across almost messianic to some. He's almost like a religious experience or guru to a percentage of people and workers.
The thing important with something like this concerning a leader of any sort, is when they're right and everybody's behind them, the things that can be accomplished are extraordinary. The other side is when they're wrong, as has been the case a number of times with Jobs, the very thing that makes him successful when he's right, can lead to much deeper problems when he's wrong because people don't like to contradict their religious hero.
That's why projects that have failed with Apple (AAPL), have failed terribly, because there isn't that check in place that can stop it. It just has to run its course with Jobs. He just isn't able to be balanced and readjusted when he gets his focus on something.
The other side, is as long as there's more right decisions than wrong decisions, he can lead the company ok. Jobs is just prone to making problems worse by not being willing to give up unless its driven almost literally into the ground.
Jobs type of leadership can lead to greatness of success and greatness of failure, and his record proves it. At the same time it seems to also bring forth extraordinary victories as when he's right, workers are able to dismiss his personality and get caught up into the vision Jobs has set before him.
In the end, over the long haul, you could bet on Jobs and win. If you aren't in the long-term way of thinking though, he could drive you crazy from a lot of the fluctuations that come along with his way of operating and looking at things.
Other Steve Jobs Resources:
You've got to find what you love
Steve Jobs, Business Personality
Steve Jobs' Greatest Presentation
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» Steve Jobs: The Captain of Cool - 19 from ManagersRealm
Many colleagues describe Jobs as a brilliant man who can be a great motivater and positively charming. At the same time his drive for perfection is so strong that employees who do not meet his demands are faced with blistering... [Read More]
Tracked on: September 19, 2007 4:26 PM | Permalink to Trackback