Leadership - Apple Computers
"From ground zero to high hero" is perhaps the best phrase to summarize the fortunes of Apple and Steve Jobs. The two afore mentioned are intimately liked and making reference to one would automatically imply the other. Jobs, the "enfant terrible" has an unrivalled track record when it comes to monomaniacal zeal, charisma and mesmerizing allure. We will therefore analyze in this paper how Steve Jobs, co founder of Apple, embodies the characteristics of a leader and especially how he saved Apple from certain death. Leadership is the heart and soul of an organization and what is really managed in an organization is people. Jobs masters all the criteria of how to be a good leader, one of them being communication, the avenue by which leaders clarify their visions and foster participative management within organizations. In turbulent times, the ability to communicate with power and purpose becomes a crucial leadership competency. Smart like Jobs executives realize that leadership communication isn't a matter of "making nice," but a strategic necessity.Born in 1955, Jobs was the evangelic adopted bad boy who, with Steve Wozniac, co-founded Apple Computer Corporation on April 1 1976. Jobs was
Being himself an outstanding marketing guru, Jobs' efficiency in his field is not an issue and no one will dare doubt the competence of the co-founder of Apple. Apple's current product lineup features products such as the Titanium PowerBook G4, the new iBook, Power Mac G4, iPod MP3 player and the new iMac G4, all of which have collected several notable design awards. Visionary and Idea Orientated - As the leader likes and appraises creativity and brainstorming. Team Orientated - By recognizing the individual's talent, a leader can form working teams with people complementing themselves. This "arrogance", Jobs turned it into purity of vision. If we were to compare the Apple founders to the Beatles, with Mc Cartney as the pop icon and Lennon as the poet, then Jobs the marketing guru "lacking the capacity for doubt would be the pop icon and Wozniak, the computer whiz, would be the poet" (Department of Computer Science, 1994). The success of these people is what makes a leader. Leadership and Communication in ChangeDue to the effects that change has in the people, it is vital that an adequate leadership is able to guide the people, through the different stages of change, since despite, changes implemented in technology and processes, change will be only carried out successfully, with the cooperation of the employees (Kimberling and Raphael, 2001). The role of Communication in LeadershipThe importance of a good quality communication in the leadership performance is basic, since the leaders, are people who know how to express themselves, in order to enhance the spirit of the people, and motivate them to obtain collaboration (Spinks and Wells, 1995). Drouillard and Kleiner (1996) mention how Lundy identifies Leaders, as "people who have followers". There is no doubt about Steve Jobs integrity and visionary attributes, in fact they are the drivers for Jobs and consequently, for Apple. The leader assists them, motivates them, teaches them, and learns from them. Steve Jobs is a visionary in the world of personal computers that led the entire computer hardware and software industry to restructure itself There had never been any real effort to make the computer an item for ordinary people. "Leadership is considered not an exact science but more as an art to be studied, practiced, developed and lived" (Druillard and Kleiner, 1996:31).
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