Stephen H Baum Leadership

You may or may not be a Steve Jobs fan because of some of his personal history. But what he has done with Apple after returning to the fold is simply amazing. And he has an understandably large following of employees and customers. What happened?

Randall Stross has captured the answer in his article:

What Steve Jobs Learned in the Wilderness

As you know, I am a big believer in “shaping experiences,” the moments in our lives that change how we perceive and operate in trying circumstances. Steve Jobs started out true to himself when he founded NeXT: a micromanager a manipulator with no ear for feedback and advice from others. No matter what he tried, and he tried most of it himself, he could not launch the company to be to education what Apple was to its markets. After 12 years of failure, he sold the company to Apple and rejoined Apple. And once again he showed his intuitive understanding of what customers need and want I won’t bet that he has changed completely, but he seems to be treating people differently and his team is sticking by him.

It is not too late to “swim in water over your head,” really “build a team” and engage in the other 8 shaping experiences that prepare (or improve) leadership ability. For the full story on more ordinary people than Jobs becoming extraordinary leaders, see the red and black book elsewhere on this website (www.stephenhbaumleadership.com).

That’s my view. What’s yours?