Leadership Assignment on Steve Jobs
Individual Assignment
Analysing Leadership Practices of a Well-Known Leader - Individual
School: Waikato Management School, Hamilton
Paper: Sustaining Authentic Leadership
Paper Code: EXLD551-14GD (HAM)
Lecturer: Dr. Peter Sun
Date: 19th January 2014
Word Count: 2120 (including quotes)
Submitted by:
Ashwin Rajendra Sundaram (ID No: 1211788)
“There are some things in this world no manual can coach, like the will to go the distance, like the seizing of a moment…” -Rupert McCall, The Masterpiece (2013)
Introduction:
Rupert McCall’s words seem to resonate with every fiber of one man in modern history. In many people’s eyes the father of modern business, the face of entrepreneurship, role model for many an aspiring entrepreneur with his innovative thinking, his ruthless competitiveness and his ability to connect with the masses. No man has captured public imagination in recent times, rising to be a cult figure, a hero of the people, with the world cheering his every move, like Steve Jobs (1955-2011) has. The tall, wiry, adopted son of Paul and Clara Jobs, his father a carpenter, his mother an accountant, grew up to take the world by storm, launching revolutionary products, redefining the concept of business, and telling customers what they needed instead of the other way round. In this assignment, we will venture to demystify the enigma that is Steve Jobs. While most people consider what Steve Jobs achieved to be magical, in Kotter’s (2011) words “developing good business direction isn’t magic.” Kotter (2011) goes on to explain that people like Jobs aren’t magicians, but broad-based strategic thinkers who are willing to take risks. With that in mind, let us have a brief look at Steve Jobs’ background, and then assess five of his key leadership traits that made him the demi-god he was.
The Story:
“If I had never dropped in on that single calligraphy course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts.”
Analysing Leadership Practices of a Well-Known Leader - Individual
School: Waikato Management School, Hamilton
Paper: Sustaining Authentic Leadership
Paper Code: EXLD551-14GD (HAM)
Lecturer: Dr. Peter Sun
Date: 19th January 2014
Word Count: 2120 (including quotes)
Submitted by:
Ashwin Rajendra Sundaram (ID No: 1211788)
“There are some things in this world no manual can coach, like the will to go the distance, like the seizing of a moment…” -Rupert McCall, The Masterpiece (2013)
Introduction:
Rupert McCall’s words seem to resonate with every fiber of one man in modern history. In many people’s eyes the father of modern business, the face of entrepreneurship, role model for many an aspiring entrepreneur with his innovative thinking, his ruthless competitiveness and his ability to connect with the masses. No man has captured public imagination in recent times, rising to be a cult figure, a hero of the people, with the world cheering his every move, like Steve Jobs (1955-2011) has. The tall, wiry, adopted son of Paul and Clara Jobs, his father a carpenter, his mother an accountant, grew up to take the world by storm, launching revolutionary products, redefining the concept of business, and telling customers what they needed instead of the other way round. In this assignment, we will venture to demystify the enigma that is Steve Jobs. While most people consider what Steve Jobs achieved to be magical, in Kotter’s (2011) words “developing good business direction isn’t magic.” Kotter (2011) goes on to explain that people like Jobs aren’t magicians, but broad-based strategic thinkers who are willing to take risks. With that in mind, let us have a brief look at Steve Jobs’ background, and then assess five of his key leadership traits that made him the demi-god he was.
The Story:
“If I had never dropped in on that single calligraphy course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts.”
References: Bass, B.M., Avolio, B.J., Jung, D.I., & Berson, Y. (2003). Predicting unit performance by assessing transformational and transactional leadership. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(2), 207-218. doi: 10.1037/0021-9010.88.2.207 Isaacson, W. (2011). Steve Jobs. New York: Simon & Schuster. Isaacson, W. (2012, April). The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs [Electronic version]. Harvard Business Review. Kotter, J.P. (2001). What leaders really do. Harvard Business Review, 79(11), 85-96. Markoff, John (October 5, 2011). "Steven P. Jobs, 1955–2011: Apple 's Visionary Redefined Digital Age". The New York Times. Maslow, A.H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–96. Retrieved from http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htm Northouse, P.G. (2012). Recognizing your philosophy and style of leadership. Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (47-66). Watkins, M.D. (2012). How managers become leaders. Harvard Business Review, 90(6), 64-72.