Comparison of Creative Thinkers - Term Paper Example

Comparison of Creative Thinkers Comparison of Creative Thinkers Creative thinkers always think outside the box and come with new and different ways of looking at a problem. More importantly, they propose unique and new ways of arriving at a solution. As Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge” (Boden, 1997). It is this imagination combined with creativity that has given us some outstanding leaders in different fields that have turned the systems upside down. Creative thinkers are the ones who have propelled the human race forward. In this paper, I will compare three creative leaders from different fields whom I have found interesting over the years. Steve Jobs Steve Jobs is considered to be one the pioneers of the personal computer revolution. He was known for his charisma and his unique style of management. Born on February 24, 1955, he went on to be a part of 3 successful business ventures each of which revolutionised the industry in one way or another. Steve Jobs was the co-founder of Apple, considered to be one of the greatest technology company, and Pixar, the company which redefined the use of computer animation in films. He was also the founder of NeXT computers which he had started after he was fired from Apple, the company he had co-founded with Steve Wozniak (Imbimbo, 2009). Apple was founded in the late 1970’s and was one of the first companies to successfully launch personal computers. At Apple, Steve was known for his visionary and innovative ideas. Apple enjoyed tremendous success but Steve was unique style of man management attracted intense reactions from the staff. While some employees were loyal to him to the core, while others could not meet him to eye-to-eye with him. This did not go down well with board members and Steve was fired from the company in 1985 (Imbimbo, 2009). Post Apple, Steve founded NeXT Computers and later co-founded Pixar. Over the next 10 years both these companies enjoyed success while Apple went downwards. In interesting turn of events in 1996, Apple bought NeXT and Steve returned to Apple to serve as first as in interim CEO and then as a permanent CEO. Over the next decade, Steve transformed Apple from a company on the brisk of shut down to the most valuable company on the planet. Products like iPod and iPhone changed the music and telecommunication for better and are an example of the Steve’s creative and innovative ability (allaboutstevejobs.com, 2011). Steve Jobs died at the age of 56 on October 5, 2011 after battling pancreatic cancer for 8 years. Steve Jobs will always be remembered as the maverick entrepreneur who used high-end technology to make the world a better place. He tried to make it easier for people to communicate with each other and use technology to simplify their lives (allaboutstevejobs.com, 2011). Steve’s primary concern always remained quality and his products are a testimony to this. He was a perfectionist in every sense who gave utmost importance to design and performance. He believed in developing the best products and did not pay much attention to pricing. His idea was that the consumer would buy a quality product irrespective of the price. On the personal front, what interests me the most about Steve Jobs is his ability to come up with world class products both with respect to creativity and innovation. His passion to create new and state-of-the-art technology products was contagious. His ability to come up with creative and innovative products one after another along with founding 3 successful companies is a testimony of his creativity. His never die attitude also is a great inspiration which he showcased throughout his life. Bernie Madoff Bernie Madoff is known to the general public as the most notorious swindler of all time and a shady conman. Born on April 29, 1938 with the name Bernard Lawrence Madoff, he was an investor, a stock broker and an entrepreneur (Arvedlund, 2010). He is a creative individual and there is no doubt about it. But he put in all his creativity into pulling off the largest financial fraud and the greatest Ponzi scheme in the history. It’s not just the size and magnitude of the scam but the length of time that he was able to keep his fraud under wraps that is most astonishing. Madoff was born in New York to Jewish parents. He obtained a BA degree in political science from Hofstra University. Madoff then founded Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC and remained its chairman from the beginning till he was arrested in 2008. Doubts about his business started in 1999 as the high numbers that he promised in return to his clients was unreal. Madoff confessed that his entire investment fund was a big Ponzi scheme and he actually never invested the money he got from his clients. He deposited all his money in a bank account used the same to repay the investors. The size of the fraud us said to be somewhere between 12-20 billion dollars (Arvedlund, 2010). He accepted wrong doing and pled guilty for as many as eleven federal felonies. The felonies included perjury, making false statements, mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, securities fraud, etc. Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in the federal prison on June 29, 2009. Madoff deceived and fooled people and mostly intelligent experienced investors for nearly 20 years but it is believed that ponzi scheme had started in as early as 1970. He was a fraudster who was very intelligent and used his skills to not just cheat people but also stayed away from being caught. He used techniques of forgery and false accounting to create illegal wealth (Arvedlund, 2010). Personally, I believe that he is a very creative man doing the wrong job. He could still have been very successful and rich had he chose to work honestly. He was an active philanthropist and donated in plenty to charity. His creativity could have been used greatly for the better of the society had he worked honestly. But this does not mean that what he did can be forgiven. He was an evil genius who cheated many and also made negative impact on many non-profit organizations some of which had to be closed. He deserved to be punished and his sentence does justice to the crimes he committed. Jay-Z Jay Z, born Shawn Corey Carter, is one of America’s most successful artists and entrepreneurs. It is estimated that his net worth is $450 million. His passion is rapping and 50 million copies of his albums have been sold worldwide. He has won 13 Grammy awards and is ranked as one of the greatest rappers of all time. He has received numerous recognitions over the years and some of his albums have been listed on the all the greatest albums. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. Apart from being an exceptional rapper he is also a very successful entrepreneur. One of his famous songs said that he is not businessman but he is a business himself. He himself is a brand who can sell. He owns recording companies and also has many fashion ventures. He partly owns the New Jersey Nets which is an NBA team. He was the co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records. He believes that all his brands are an extension of who he is and not just mere businesses. Rocawear is an urban clothing line that he co-founded. He owns a sports bar called 40/40 Club in New York. The list of his entrepreneurial ventures goes on. There is no doubt that he is one of the greatest rappers of all time and this is the testimony to his creative skills. But what interests me the most his entrepreneurial skills. All his brands are an extension of his creative side. The way he is been able to achieve creative success in both the fields is astonishing. Differences All the three above thinkers are different in the sense that they work in entirely different fields and have their own style of working. Steve Jobs is a technological genius and more of a visionary who changed the world. In the process he revolutionised three industries. He was a perfectionist and artist in his own sense. Bernie Madoff on the other hand was no visionary but an evil genius with the main motive of wealth generation. He was creative but in a weird way. Jay-Z on the other hand is an entertainer who happened to have a flare for business. Similarity The three of them were similar to each other. They were all able to create wealth through creative ways. They were able to use their talents to make money and also an impact in their own field. Unfortunately, Bernie Madoff had a negative impact. References allaboutstevejobs.com (2011). Steve Jobs: The Short Biography. [Online]. Available at: http://allaboutstevejobs.com/bio/short/short.html. Accessed on 10 November, 2011. Arvedlund, E. (2010). Too Good to Be True: The Rise and Fall of Bernie Madoff. NY: Penguin Group USA. Boden, A. (1997). The Thinkers Pocketbook. NY: Pocketbooks. Imbimbo, A. (2009). Steve Jobs: The Brilliant Mind Behind Apple. NY: Gareth Stevens Publishing. Read More