Steve Jobs, born February 24 of 1955 in San Francisco, is an American business magnate and inventor. We’re all familiar with Apple, a major company that he co-founded in 1976. Jobs also is responsible for launching the beloved animation studio, Pixar, in 1985 (Steve Jobs Biography, 2014). Jobs is a person who lived a life of many successes, but he also had his failures and struggles in his life. From dropping out of college, to being booted from Apple, Jobs dealt with his fair share of struggles that shaped him. We could analyze Jobs’s leadership through many leadership theories, such as skills approach, trait approach, and path-goal theory. However, I’d like to focus on how he exemplified Authentic Leadership.
First, let’s think about what authentic leadership is. Authentic leadership has been a complex approach for leadership scholars to define. The first of three definitions is the interpersonal definition, which states that authentic leadership stems from the relationship between leaders and followers. The second definition is called intrapersonal and has to do with a leader’s true self-knowledge. This is basically expressing that an authentic leader is true to themselves and knows who they really are. The third and currently accepted definition is the developmental definition of authentic leadership, which is that authenticity can be acquired, while also accepting the other prior definitions of authentic leadership (PSU WC, 2016, L. 12).
Application of authentic leadership is tough to describe since it’s still in the early phase of development. The themes revolving authentic leadership are to have the capacity to learn to be authentic, to try to do the “right” thing, to be honest with themselves and others, to work for the common good, and to experience critical life events that act as triggers to growth and greater authenticity (Northouse, 2015, pg. 210). Steve Jobs fits the common themes of authentic leadership in that he was honest to himself and others and truly believed that his work and the goal for Apple was for the common good. Walter Isaacson, from the Harvard Business Review and the biographer of Steve Jobs, described Jobs as famously impatient, petulant, and tough with the people around him. But these traits and behaviors stemmed from a passion for perfection, and even though he was tough on people, they stayed with Apple because they believed in his vision. Even with his personality flaws, Jobs was surrounded by loyal colleagues who had been inspired by him for years and a loving family (Isaacson, 2012). Jobs believed that Apple products should be great. Jobs stated that his passion was to build an enduring company where people were motivated to make great products (Isaacson, 2012). He was never afraid to tell his staff that their ideas were wrong or dumb and he would refocus them on the true vision for Apple. Isaacson quoted Jobs stating “I don’t think I run roughshod over people, but if something sucks, I tell people to their face. It’s my job to be honest. (Isaacson, 2012)” His strive for perfection of his innovations led to loss of short-term profits because he refused to use another company’s “un-inspired” hardware run with apple software, over fears that unapproved apps and content might “pollute the perfection of an Apple device” (Isaacson, 2012). Jobs focus on product over profits is what inspired his colleagues and led to products that revolutionized the tech industry, and also many other industries. These are the ways that Steve Jobs demonstrated authenticity as a leader. It is through his authenticity that Jobs inspired his colleagues.
Authentic leadership is an approach with a lot of criticisms due to its lack of clarity on whether it results in positive organizational outcomes (Northouse, 2015, pg. 209). Although Jobs and his ability to turn Apple from a company filing for bankruptcy to a Tech Giant does demonstrate that Jobs’s leadership approach was effective, Isaacson noted that CEOs who study Jobs and decide to emulate him without understanding his ability to generate loyalty make a dangerous mistake (Isaacson, 2012). Northouse points out that authentic leadership still leaves questions to be answered on its effectiveness, especially when dealing with millennial workers who value individualism, commitment to work–life balance, and have a preference extrinsic rewards (Northouse, 2015, pg. 209). However, regardless of the criticisms, it’s a leadership approach that many followers can find peace in, since it can offer hope to people who long for stability and true leadership (Northouse, 2015, pg. 222).
References:
Biography.com Editors. (2014, April 2). Steve Jobs Biography. Retrieved June 25, 2020, from The Biography.com website: https://www.biography.com/business-figure/steve-jobs
Isaacson, W. (2012, April). The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs. Retrieved June 25, 2020, from Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2012/04/the-real-leadership-lessons-of-steve-jobs
Northouse, P. G. (2015). Leadership: Theory and Practice 8th Edition. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publishing. Retrieved June 4, 2020
Pennsylvania State University World Campus. (2016). Psych 485: Lesson 12-Authentic Leadership. Retrieved June 25, 2020, from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/canvas/su20/2205min-5439/content/13_lesson/printlesson.html
anm5670 says
Steve Jobs believed in his core values, had a clear vision, and was very result driven. I think authenticity can deteriorate good leaders from bad leaders. You mentioned Steve Jobs dropped out of college and he embraced that. An example being when Steve Jobs had his commencement at Standford University where he talked about dropping out of college, he said “they had expected him to talk about his successes, not his failures” (Connell, N.D., p. 1). In authenticity leadership, the leader is very honest and open about themselves. It makes their followers feel more connected to them.
“People want to have a trusting relationship with their leaders. In exchange, people are willing to give leaders greater loyalty and commitment” (Northouse, 2016, p. 199). Like you said, Steve Jobs was not afraid to tell his employees if they were wrong. Steve Jobs was a great example of authenticity leadership. I do not think authentic leadership can be fully taught that is why it has been hard to be formalized. “Avolio and Gardner (2005) basically state that life events (such as a crisis or highly positive experiences) that change a person’s comfort zone bring forth the person’s authentic leadership ability” (PSU, Lesson 12: Authentic Leadership, 2020, p.1). I think it revolves around who you are.
REFERENCES
Connell, Joanie. N.D. Authentic Leaders are Great Leaders- Are You? RETRIEVED AT
https://www.allbusiness.com/authentic-leaders-great-leaders-are-you-17931-1.html
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice 7th Edition. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publishing.
Pennsylvania State World Campus. Lesson 12: Authentic Leadership. 2020.