Beyond Apple — Why Steve Jobs was not a Leader

By Adam Pike, Co-Founder and CEO of BeyondMe

Last week I revelled in the annual Apple jamboree and joined my fellow devotees in buying the latest iPhone.

I like to consider myself a calm, thoughtful and discerning consumer, but every year I am caught up in the same insanity that accompanies the September Apple keynote.

Today, I’m typing this blog on my new iPhone 6, enjoying the latest incarnation of Steve Jobs’ vision and drive.

What does it take to succeed?

But now the euphoria has subsided and I hold this icon of beauty in my hand, I find myself thinking about what it took to produce such an era-defining product.

You see, in my own way I ask this question every day. What do I need to do to make the social enterprise I co-founded, BeyondMe, stand out amongst the myriad of other things that compete for your attention? How can I capture your imagination?

Walter Isaacson’s brilliant biography on Steve Jobs left me in no doubt that it came down to Jobs, his vision and his drive.

What is leadership?

But here’s the thing. When I finished the book I didn’t feel inspired. I learnt more about how not to behave, how I didn’t want to do business and how I didn’t want to treat staff.

Listening to world leaders’ eulogise on Jobs’ death, you’d be forgiven for thinking the world had lost a messiah — a great leader of the 21st century.

Sure, the world lost a brilliant genius and one of the world’s best innovators to rival Tesla and Edison, but he was not a leader, as I would choose to define it.

In fact, some would say he was a tyrannical narcissistic sociopath — but that doesn’t flow so easily on 60-second soundbites on the evening news.

Who is a great leader?

Leadership is not just about innovation, success and being first-in-class. In my opinion, it is about something deeper.

Leadership is about example-setting, standing for a set of values, the way you interact with and treat people — from the shop floor to executive suite.

Leadership is the Chief Executive of Lenovo who distributed his bonus across his company because average wages were stagnant. It’s the Senior Partner at PwC who tells me (and practices what she preaches) that community programmes should be about their impact and how they improve society, and not about how it enhances their brand.

What is the role of generosity?

I believe that generosity will become recognised as a key tenet of leadership.

In my view, a generous spirit makes for a more exceptional leader.

I don’t believe that Steve Jobs would have been any less successful if he had treated people better. His “reality distortion field” would be undimmed, as powerful as ever.

Harvard, Wharton and Kellogg Business Schools’ recent analysis backs this up. Actions taken by a more generous leadership improves employee motivation, wellbeing and happiness, ultimately leading to greater staff retention and higher productivity. So the business profits.

For those of you who agree or those of you who are open to persuasion, checkout www.BeyondMe.Org

Start or join a BeyondMe team at your work.

Introduce us to friends, colleagues and clients to spread generosity.