Running head: STEVE JOBS LEADERSHIP 1

Milestone two 550: Steve jobs leadership

Name:

Institution:

Professor:

Date
STEVE JOBS LEADERSHIP 2

Leadership actions used Steve jobs

As I have discussed in my previous papers, Steve jobs is widely known for his leadership

and managerial skills coupled with innovate and creative skills in the information technology

field (Lehrer, 2016). Steve jobs was a great designer in the computer field, an innovator, and a

strong implementer of all his duties in the business field. Steve jobs was the founder and the

CEO of the Apple Company which majors in production and distribution of computers all over

the world. Through his experience, he used a number of leadership styles which ensured that the

company business was running smoothly satisfying both the stakeholders and remaining

competitive in the market space (Lehrer, 2016). His style of leadership was more of servant like

and led by example. His employees were always loyal to him.

Steve jobs used team work as a method of approach in all his company activities. He

believed in giving people equal opportunities to bring new ideas and process to the business

although he was tasked with giving the final decision. He believed in putting the most qualified

individuals on board to run his company since they will bring a huge wealth of wisdom and

knowledge to the company (Lehrer, 2016). His communication styles brought about

understanding and clarity in all company operations. Additionally, he added a training session

for his employees to either introduce them to the new roles or to improve on their efficiency and

production. The training was also geared towards improving the quality of products and services

offered by the company. The training programs were undertake for both the new entry

employees as well as for the experience employees. It main happened for either job training or

for familiarization of a new technology in the market that need to be adopted in the company.

Best practices for leaders in team development and communication in the organization
STEVE JOBS LEADERSHIP 3

As I have alluded above, Steve jobs was an exemplary leader who used both managerial

skills and leadership skills to help the company grow exponentially. One of his practices in the

team development was to lead the team members by example (McClough & Rogelberg, 2017).

He was really involved in the whole process of productions operations motivating the followers

and as a result building a strong loyalty to the leader. On the dimension of the energy, the

demand for any growth in an organization is its communicational line. If senior employees feel

comfortable to talk to subordinate staff then the organization will definitely show a significant

improvement in its production.

The second practice that Steve jobs was engaged in was to appreciate all members of his

team whenever they make any significant milestone in their project. The team bond became

stronger and it was able to expedite its mandate with a lot of boldness (McClough & Rogelberg,

2017). On the dimension of engagement, the employees tend to fully participate in all team

activities when they are appreciated, which will eventually lead to improved performance and

production. Through the team work engagement, the employees are able to share the information

they collect from different innovative ideas from group members which raises zeal to explore

more on the project and hence remain very innovative and competitive in the industry

(McClough & Rogelberg, 2017). On the same page, team development is also paramount in the

success of any project. Steve jobs designed an organization structure in a way that there no

reason for each employee being not answerable to each other.

Planning methods used by Steve jobs to align teams with organizational vision

Any team leader is mandated to align his team activities with the vision and the

objectives of the company (Tjosvold & Tjosvold, 2015). These objectives given by the leaders

have milestones that are given time frames to be covered within a specified period of time. They
STEVE JOBS LEADERSHIP 4

need to be communicated and discussed by all team members for them to arrive at a solid

conclusion for a better direction of implementation. In the planning phase, the team should also

come up with the communication mechanisms within the team for the messages to be passed

effectively (Tjosvold & Tjosvold, 2015). When communication in a team is effective, their

motivation and cooperation is significantly improved hence increasing their productivity.

Lastly, the team leader ought to come up with priority list of the implementation of the

objectives set for a given project or milestone. This priority list will act as a guide in execution of

their mandate for them to be in line with the vision and objectives of the company. It is with no

doubt that Steve jobs was a great planner and an executor of his plans. The vision for the

company was pegged on simplicity and that’s why the CEO was always giving employees free

space to come up with ideas that can generate user friendly products that are equally competitive

in the market. His zeal for projects that were geared towards realization of his long-term vision is

the reason why the company is able to stand competitive in the market even after decades of his

death.
STEVE JOBS LEADERSHIP 5

References

Lehrer, J. (2016). The Steve Jobs approach to teamwork. Wired Magazine.

McClough, A. C., & Rogelberg, S. G. (2017). Selection in teams: An exploration of the

teamwork knowledge, skills, and ability test. International Journal of Selection and

Assessment, 11(1), 56-66.

Tjosvold, D., & Tjosvold, M. (2015). Leadership for teamwork, teamwork for leadership. In

Building the Team Organization (pp. 65-79). Palgrave Macmillan, London.