Leading and Controlling Part One - Essay Example

Leading and Controlling Part of Leading and Controlling Part Steve Jobs was synonymous with strong business practice and successful business. One way this is evident is through his work at Apple, and the fact that he was fired from Apple and then asked to return. These experiences show that Jobs was doing something right, or he would not have had the opportunities he did. Jobs was a man with extreme focus, which is one of the reasons he was able to do his job effectively (Allen, 2012). Jobs also took responsibility for the products that were built, from beginning to end.

He was a perfectionist, and understood how to give people what they wanted. He did not wait for the market to tell him what his customers wanted; he had an intuitive sense about what they would purchase (Allen, 2012). This created an opportunity for Jobs to show his customers exactly what they were looking for in technology, without compromising the product. In other words, he was able to cut out any features that do not provide the customer with what they were looking for in the electronic market.

There is no wonder that he was seen as the best leader by Forbes Magazine. Jobs’ Management Style and Forbes Magazine Burrows, Grover and Green (2006) begin this discussion by considering how Jobs was asked to become a part of Disney’s efforts. One thing that Jobs emulated was the spirit of the entrepreneur. He had a large network of people who knew him. He was never afraid to be mentored, or to mentor others. His management style made him a perfectionist who had difficulty allowing others to make mistakes (Burrows et al., 2006). This character trait was good when he was the CEO of Apple Computers, but as a support person, was not the best way to work.

According to Burrows et al. (2006), if Jobs was unable to work as a team player with Disney, there would have been problems. At the forefront of everything he did, Jobs wanted to allow the creative people in his company to create what was necessary for the market. He stood out of the way when people were creating and was involved more in the marketing of these products. According to Foroohar (2012) Jobs was able to create products even when the economy was bad. Murphy (2010) states that an important aspect of “highly successful entrepreneurs” (p. 159) is that they all bring together a team of people instead of attempting to work solo.

A team is required in a business, to have at least one person who generates ideas and one who is able to make sure the ideas are completed (Murphy, 2010). Jobs was able to do both, which is one of the reasons he was always able to stay on top of the market. Another issue that made Forbes see Jobs as the best leader, was his intense focus, and the fact that he was a visionary who knew the type of product that would do well in the market (Burrows et al., 2006). The work that Jobs did at Pixar showed his expertise because the public enjoyed every movie from this studio, enough to make all of them blockbuster hits (Burrows et al., 2006). Murphy (2010) states that an entrepreneur should be involved in businesses they love and feel passionate about.

There is no doubt that this was the case with Jobs. Jobs did not allow being fired from his own company to stop him from staying on top. At Pixar, Jobs had a management style that was both charismatic and visionary. Jobs stated that he grew up in the business of computers and he grew with it as it grew (Burrows et al., 2006). Winters (2012) points out that entrepreneurs must not be afraid to make mistakes, because mistakes often lead to great enterprise. Jobs seemed to understand this because he did not allow adversity to stop him from growing other business.

At Pixar, Jobs had a management style that allowed employees to grow and develop. He took care of the business ends of things, and left the creativity to those who were best at creating. Jobs had a starter type personality and this allowed him to know how to start and launch new products. He also cared more about his interests than he did about Wall Street (Burrows et al., 2006). All of these things made him stand out in the crowd of entrepreneurs. How Jobs Fulfilled the Functions of Leadership There is no doubt that Jobs was able to pitch products and pitch himself.

Soorjoo (2012) states that “passion and vision” (p. xi) are the two attributes that an entrepreneur needs to “transform their dreams to a reality” (p. xi). This passion and vision helps the entrepreneur pitch his or her products; a good pitch can also bring funding. David (2010) states that Jobs had this passion and was able to “channel” (para. 1) it better than any other entrepreneur. David (2010) also states that Jobs understood how to make people want his products by the way that he presented them.

As an example, the work that Jobs did to make the iPad, iPhone, iMac and iPod household names showed his expertise in the area of marketing and pitching the product. Soorjoo (2012) calls what Jobs did “high concept pitch” and this type of pitch is geared toward catching an audience’s attention (p. 63). Jobs was able to pitch his products to the public in such a way to insure that people would be waiting for his product before its launch. Jobs stood up for his products and provided technology that the public could use.

Whether he was at Pixar or Apple, he was able to present to the public something that was important and user friend. Conclusion There is no doubt that Steve Jobs was an effective leader. Although some people though he was rude, Jobs was speaking from his passion. He provided the world with products they could use instantly. At Pixar, he provided movies that people loved to see more than one time. Jobs was a visionary leader and sometimes a charismatic leader. He was able to do the business side of things while allowing the creative people in his businesses to do the creating.

He was a leader that will be missed. References Allen, F. E. (2012). The Zen at the heart of Steve Jobs' genius. Forbes.Com, 53. Retrieved from Business Source Complete. Burrows, P., Grover, R., & Green, H. (2006, February). Steve Job's magic kingdom. New York. Business Week. 3970(62,) retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_06/b3970001.htm David, Leonard. (2010, June). Commentary: The Last Pitchman. Business Week. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_25/b4183004440240.

htm Foroohar, R. (2012). What Would Steve Do?. Time Magazine, 179(8), 18. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete. Murphy, B. (2012). The intelligent entrepreneur. New York, NY: Henry Holt. Soorjoo, M. (2012). Here’s the pitch: How to pitch your business to anyone, get funded, and win clients. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons. Winters, L. (2012). Live the dream: No more excuses. New York, NY: Center Street.