Your challenge is complex and you should therefore make reference to a range of literature and introduce other issues that you consider to be relevant to a thorough understanding of leadership at Apple. You are expected to demonstrate that you have understood the relevant application of theory to this case study. Higher marks will be awarded by demonstrating a critical approach to the application of theory.

Answer:

Introduction:

Under this report, discussion regarding the leadership and management style of Steve Jobs in the view of Gladewell (2011). “The Real Genius of Steve Jobs” defines a number of challenges faced by him and the way to tackle those challenges which made him genius. He was the co-founder of the Apple Company and he puts all his efforts to take Apple at the peak position and his hard work makes him succeed. His passion of making all the things perfect makes his dream come and behind the success of Apple, Mr. Steve Jobs is the person responsible. Steve Jobs was born on 24^th February, 1955 and being an American Entrepreneur, innovator and designer, he also used to motivate the young public of the world to make the better utilization of their brains to take this world to the next extent. His motivational theories and quotes help the general public to put their hard work in an innovative and effective way.

Steve Jobs as a Manager and as a Leader

As a co-founder and CEO of the big international brand i.e. Apple INC, he used to manage all the activities by his own as he was the seeker of getting all the things on perfect basis. As per the Gradewell (2011), employees working under his supervision specify in an interview that if they get another chance to work, they wish Steve Jobs as their manager. Steve Jobs was known for his unique management styles infect he used to adopt those measures which are hardest and result oriented.

As per the Gradewell (2011), Mr. Jobs used to implement those techniques in the workplace which consume less time to complete with lesse
r efforts. He never believed in harsh or extra work, he always believes in smart work performed by the right person with adequate knowledge to complete that task.

Every individual gives his/her best in their working life but after a certain period of time, his/her retirement from the same job is necessary. This is the bitter truth of life that “all the things cannot be the same”. Hence, it was not possible for Mr. Jobs to maintain at the position of CEO of Apple Company, rather being that no one could beat him, no other person has the capabilities to take the company to other level. It is the unique thinking of Mr. Jobs only (Bel, 2010).

Mr. Steve Jobs was a good leader who took the whole Apple Company to great heights with all their efforts and various unique techniques. He used to manage and lead his team members in an effective manner and most importantly when he founds some opportunities in regards to the accomplishment of the task, he often used to adopt other ideas. He never hesitated in using other’s effective approaches, hence he always used to ask his employees, team members to review their products and share any unique idea for the product improvement and for its enhancement (Isaacson, 2012). 

As a leader, Steve Jobs plays very effective role as he was multitalented and his views and methods for the accomplishment of the task was always unique and classy. The most important innovations done in his carrier which helps the Apple Company to touch the heights of the career were iPod, iPad, and iPhone. MacBook was also a great invention done by him. In an interview he gives all the credits of success of Apple Company to employees who work day and night in researching regarding the designing, processing, etc. of the products. The most important feature of a leader is taking whole team or teams in one direction to achieve certain set goals and objectives. Until and unless leader would not be able to rule his team members in one direction, efforts and hard work of all the team members will be wasted as their importance will be more when they will be putted in one direction (Northouse, 2015).

As a result from the above discussion, Mr. Steve Jobs was a great man with his ethics and unique ways to perform the tasks. As a result, he was the best employee of the Apple Company and his achievements and sacrifices cannot be replaced by any other member. He was the best manager and a team leader and this was proven in an interview with the employees of the organization. They all have positive views for Mr. Jobs and apart from this his motivational theories and quotes would also be an inspiration for general public to achieve desired goals in their life (Shah & Mulla, 2013).

Characteristics of Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs was filled up with the great and effective techniques which can change any company’s life. His unique ways and his hungriness to learn always made him a successful person. He never concentrated on the level of the person from he is learning something, the effective things from any person. He wishes to adopt to apply those in his company to achieve more. He was offered the position of CEO of PepsiCo but he never leaves his founded organization and chose to be the leader of Apple Company because he asked himself a question that in his life, he wants to sell sugared water in his whole life or he wants to change the world. Following are some of the characteristics of the Mr. Steve Jobs which made him a successful entrepreneur:

• Leader: He always specifies in his quotes that “be a leader not a follower”. He used to ask his employees and he also implements these techniques in his lifecycle. Mr. Jobs used to derive this information in the society and in the business industry that being a leader would lead to ask you the solution of the issues of the organization. If you would not take the responsibility of finding the solution of the issue, you would not be a good leader. This also helps the person to make his identity unique in the organization and chances of growth also rises for an individual with adaptation of this quality (Berg, 2010).
• Perfection:As per the Gradewell (2011), Mr. Steve Jobs was a person who used to make all the things in a perfect manner. Perfection in every task, every phone, and in every product manufactured helps the organization as well as employees to grow and expand in their own manner.
• Improvement:This is the special feature of Steve Jobs under which he always thinks for making improvements in the products of the organization. When Apple Company gets the top position in the electronic market, CEO of the same organization did not stopped inventing the other products or making improvements in the existing products. He believes in continuous improvements to make the customer satisfaction at the top (Akana, et. al., 2011).
• Believe:The most important feature of Steve Jobs is he always believes in what he does or in what he about to do. All the activities performed by him were filled with full efforts. He used to express his potential views on these theories to all his employees so that they could stay happy while working in the organization (Bolman & Deal, 2014).
• Passion: Steve Jobs always used to say that brig passion in your performance and tries to make your job a passion. This will bring your interest in what you do and the same was implemented by the Steve Jobs in his professional career. His passion was to change the world and he does the same by inventing unique electronic products under the name of Apple. Whereas he was also offered the position of the CEO of Pepsi-Cola Company but due to his passion in his career, he opted to go with Apple.

Consequences of his style

Mr. Steve Jobs was a person who believes in performing the things in his own way and through the unique ideas of others too. He does not hesitates in opting someone’s idea or technology to perform the task=, infect he believes in opting the most suitable and appropriate method which could result in effective outcome. The main component of his style of working was being passionate about your work and loves your work and then all the things will go in your favor. This methodology could bring effectiveness in the workplace organizations and it will bring only positive outcomes for all organizations.

The techniques and ideas he used to put in his work was very unique and simple, he does not believes in hard or harsh work, his main motive was to put the efforts for right work at right time. Performing smart work was his special feature and main theme he opted for reaching the heights of the electronic market was “changes the world”. When he becomes the co-founder of the Apple INC, his main motive was to change the world with his effective techniques and unique ideas (Drori & Honig, 2013).

Taking his style in the future would bring the improvements in every industry; his principles and methodology are meant for every organization in this world and for every individual of the world. They are not build up for any one organization or for particularly electronic or for mobile producing industry. His special feature was to adopt the other’s ideas and give them his name and when someone does the same with him, he becomes angry. In other words, he likes to use other’s effective techniques and their ideas by saying these are his but when someone uses his ideas by saying they are theirs, then this is not acceptable to Mr. Genius (Sharma & Grant, 2011).

The skills and methodology used by Mr. Steve Jobs was never outdated and never it will be, his main concern was to improve the techniques used to perform the task with bringing valid changes and improvements in the workplace so that adequate and assumed outcomes could be achieved to change the world. Another important theory adopted by the Jobs was work with a motive of changing the world as he does. His products such as Apple II, Apple Lisa, Macintosh, NeXT Computer, iMac, iTunes, iPod, iPhone and iPad are biggest achievements made in his career which helps him to achieve in comparison to his motive of changing the world. His unique products are bit expensive from other brand’s products but these also give the same outcomes of being expensive in nature. These all were achieved by his theories and the quotes offered by his experiences (Trkman, 2010).

If all these theories and quotes were accepted and applied in the practical life then it could bring drastic change in the world. Every individual could achieve the desired goals and appropriate success in his career. Most importantly, style of being unique would help a person to develop in his/her own manner, if these principles applied in an individual’s life then the person’s life could bring positive results as well as he/she could also be an inspiration model for future generation (Aaker & Joachimsthaler, 2012).

Requirement of Steve Jobs in Apple Company

In every organization, after a certain period of time some changes are required to bring improvement in the products produced and for reaching to the desired goals for future for the organization. The same scenario is with Apple Company, in the initial period of the organization, Mr. Genius was with the organization for making effective products and for building adequate changes in the world. In every individual’s lifecycle, time comes when he needs break from his work and in every organization’s lifecycle too, time comes when they require a fresh face to rule (Heath & O'Hair, 2010).

Mr. Steve Jobs helps the Apple Company to reach to the next extent with his unique methodology and through his thinking. Steve Jobs was the center manager and the great leader of the Apple INC and after a certain period of time, organization’s requirements were increased and for the same they were required a new face. Tim Cook was the person who took place of the great responsibility of the biggest position of the multinational corporation (Purdy, 2010).

Apple Company was required certain improvements which were fulfilled by the new CEO of the organization. Apart from this organization’s demands for adaptation of the techniques as per the customer’s requirements and as per the market trend was necessary. This is the necessary decision taken by every organization after a certain period of time (Northouse, 2017). 

Conclusion:

This report concludes the effectiveness of the theories and principles of the Steve Jobs. Importance of the theories used by the CEO of the Apple Company was very unique and effective. The main characteristics of Steve Jobs was believe in yourself, make passion about your work, love your job and most importantly do not sit beside after achieving success, stay hungry for more. Bringing improvement in the workplace would lead to achieve the adequate and effective goals for the organization as well as it will also leads to grow and expand in its own way. Leadership qualities of the Steve Jobs were also discussed under this report because leadership qualities cannot be adopted or learnt from any other individual or from any other institution. These are the qualities which come along with a person by birth and being a manager, Mr. Genius managed all the activities of the organization in such a way so that all the teams and their efforts brings drastic change and along with the changes in the organization, it also extracted valid and adequate outcomes (Allio, 2012).

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