Critical Success Factors
One of the major reasons Apple thrived under Steve Jobs’ leadership was that Apple only focused on products and services in which it could really excel at. Steve Jobs understood Apple’s core competencies and focused upon them to differentiate Apple from the competition. Another reason for Apple’s success was innovation. Jobs understood that technological sector is intensely competitive, thus, he set out to differentiate the company on the basis of innovation because innovation is difficult to copy. Apple has a history of introducing products that changed their respective markets including iPod, iPhone, and iPad because Jobs closely monitored the external environment and identified opportunities before the competition could. One could say Jobs told the consumers what the trends should be because Apple was not the first company to introduce smart phones, digital music players, and tablet devices yet these items only became a trend when Apple joined the game.
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Another factor that led to Apple’s success under Steve Jobs’ leadership was refusal to compromise on quality. As opposed to rivals who either tend to focus on hardware or software, Apple took ownership of both hardware and software which allowed it to make products far superior in quality as compared to the competitors and which offered the best user experiences to customers.
Human Resource Policies
Steve Jobs knew that Apple had a distinct culture which is why Apple invests heavily in internal training programs. In addition, Apple only hires people who are enthusiastic about the company. The company even tightly controls brick-and-mortar distribution system, consisting primarily of company’s own stores and trains employees each time new products are introduced . Another way Steve Jobs influenced Apple’s human resource policies was by hiring like minded-people which goes against the conventional wisdom that companies should hire people with diverse opinions and background. The benefit to Steve Job’s focus on people who thought like him was that everyone was passionately committed to making only the very best products and not compromising on quality.
Motivational Techniques
One of the ways Steve Jobs motivated his followers was through personal credibility. Steve Jobs didn’t only preach but set personal examples which is why despite his autocratic leadership style, he was widely admired by his followers. Steve Jobs also inspired his followers by pushing them to be the best they are capable of. Jobs claimed he was responsible for pushing people to envision more aggressive ways of doing things . Steve Jobs was a transformational leader and when employees would witness his focus on excellence and his passion for unrivaled products, they would themselves become motivated to make only the best products and services. Another reason Jobs had motivated followers is that he assigned everyone to what they could do best. In addition, he would also involve his trusted aides in brainstorming sessions such as those on annual retreats in which the group together would create a list of ten products, eventually short listing them to only three .
Leadership Analysis
Steve Jobs succeeded because he tried to be himself and understood his own strengths and weaknesses. Steve Jobs was not afraid to challenge the conventional wisdom regarding leadership which is why he stayed loyal to autocratic leadership style even though it might have led to initial firing from Apple. Jobs also understood that everyone at the company should be on the same page when it comes vision which is why he again and again reminded them that Apple wants to make the best products and not be the leader in terms of sales volume . Jobs was also a visionary which is a very rare quality among leaders which is why he could sense opportunities before others and understood what customers may like. Jobs was also popular with customers who started trusting him blindly due to a string of amazing products and which allowed Apple to earn substantially high profit margins than the competition. Thus, Jobs can be credited with making Apple the coolest technology brand, helping the company gain significant pricing power, and building a culture where no compromise is accepted on quality and innovation.
Steve Jobs and Tim Cook
Apple’s current CEO Tim Cook is more an operations person rather than a visionary like Steve Jobs . He also lacks Jobs’ charisma because Jobs was a prolific speaker who loved pitching company’s products while Cook lets his management team members present new products during annual conference. Even though Jobs didn’t compromise on quality, he also had a reputation for not being apologetic if the company made a mistake but Cook did apologize to customers on the issue of Apple Maps. Jobs wanted his subordinates to be the best at their job even if they lacked teamwork skills but Cook has been different in this regard. Cook seems to prefer harmony over conflict as evident by his firing of a key Apple Executive, Scott Forstall because Forstall didn’t get along well with other executives. Cook has also been more willing to delegate responsibilities to his subordinates than Jobs which shows that Cook is less of an authoritarian than Jobs. Even though prevailing conventional wisdom may argue that Cook’s leadership style is better but judging by the lack of innovation since Job’s era, Jobs leadership style suited best to Apple because Apple’s strength has always been relentless pursuit of innovation rather than operational efficiencies which is Cook’s area of expertise.
- Bloomberg Businessweek. (2004, October 12). The Seed of Apple’s Innovation. Retrieved March 19, 2013, from http://www.businessweek.com
- Branson, R. (2011, October 7). True business leaders think differently. Retrieved March 19, 2013, from http://www.virgin.com
