Steve Jobs

There has been a great deal of conversation at my IT leaders program regarding Steve Jobs' leadership and presentation abilities. In my opinion, he deserves credit regarding his ability to sell an idea/lifestyle. He was a good salesman... He exuded confidence backed by a substantial talent pool and technical resources.

I guess we have to give him credit for creating the technical "dog and pony" show presentations we now see copied by the likes of the founders of Facebook, Google and VMware and others.

Here is a brief summary of the ideas I can think of regarding this topic:

1. Have an awesome team of graphic designers create the most awesome images and presentations for you. Hire the best of the best...
2. Have permission to use copyrighted material for you presentation... Better yet, bring the artists that created the material come up with you. Associate your brand with personalities.
3. Have a team of engineers and marketing people design the most awesome devices to sell. (of course micromanage the process).
4. Have good news (point out your sales figures compared to competitors)
5. Have a predictable formula... As in... “the presentation is almost over, but we have one more thing..."
6. Maintain secrecy on everything you do, so when you present your product or service, people will pay attention.

I guess we owe him the existence of Apple, but I believe the secret to his success was his ability to recruit and retain talent.

Thoughts on leadership.

I have been reading a lot about leadership... Most articles start with examples of people that have been incredibly successful at leadership... Like Presidents, CIOs, business owners, etc. If you do or say this, overtime, success will be accomplished. The truth is that there is no manual for the leadership journey... A lot of it has to do with luck and being in the right place at the right time.

In my experience, opportunities for responsibility came to me in a time of change and turmoil. When I was given the responsibility to lead others, I tried hard not to mess it up... I was a little self conscious and perhaps a little afraid that people would find out I was a "fake". Over time, I have been able to apply my experience and provide value to my employer by allowing others to rise up to challenges. I identified areas where my technical skill was limited and I encouraged others to teach me a few things. Over time, I realize that I was not going to be able to lead in every aspect, so picking the right instances where I could excel became important.

I would say the most important elements of a leader are the listening skills and the ability to encourage others to participate and share common goals. I see so many disconnected and uninformed people in positions of power, because over time, their presence overtakes the rooms they walk in. No one is willing to share the fact that the king is naked. :)

My leadership Journey

Sometimes I wonder if my life as a supervisor and manager comes to situations like these one.

I have embarked on a long journey of self improvement. Nevertheless, I wonder if these lists of things I need to do will help me accomplish anything. Is it a futile effort or part of a process that will launch me into bigger and better things.

This week, was instrumental on various goals... After engaging my goals, I got a feeling of emptiness I'm not sure I understand.

It was like the scene of the movie "contact", when Jody Foster finally makes contact with a being that looks like her Dad, only to find out he is simply an alien morphed in a "happy" memory in an effort to not to shock Ms Foster. I made contact with someone that had a great deal of impact on my career... Unfortunately the answers I received were a continuation of more of the same...

I look forward to seeing this as distant learning experience and not the most difficult puzzle I have ever played with.