Steve Jobs Leadership Principles

Introduction
Leadership is an important trait that influences personal and organizational success. It relates to the ability to establish a vision and set the direction for other people. Leadership is not always about creating what a team should do to win, but it is a dynamic and inspiring concept. Leaders should also use their management skills to guide other people in an efficient way towards the right direction (Allio 4). It is important to note that leadership has a different meaning to different people in the many areas around the world. It can be defined by the various spectrums such as politics, religion, business or community. Steve Jobs is renowned personality and leader in the tech world. Under his leadership, the company invented some revolutionary technologies that include the iPhone, MacBook, iPod and Apple smartwatch among many others (Howard 33). Steve had specific characteristics that made him be on a different plane from many of the current business leaders. Under his watch, Apple became one of the most successful companies of the 21st century. Jobs displayed a wide range of leadership qualities that included simplicity, innovation, focus, responsibility, and positivity.
Who is a Leader?
People in a position of authority do not always possess the skills that are necessary for one to be called a leader. For someone to be classified as an effective leader, he/she should be able to create an inspiring vision for the future, motivate other people to adopt the concept, guide them, and build a team that will be effective in delivering the idea (Dickson et al. 485). The mental picture created should help to provide direction and set priorities that will be used to evaluate the achievements made by the team. This makes leadership to be a proactive procedure that does not require one to be satisfied with the current position of things. One’s ability to motivate others using natural charisma and appeal will also help in the delivery of vision. Management is also an important aspect that defines a leader and their ability to delegate duties to their juniors. Finally, understanding team dynamics is also a crucial aspect that an individual must understand to be in a position where they can successfully lead a group with long-term achievements.
Leadership Traits and Ethics
The focus is one of the essential traits that a person in a leadership position should possess. Steve Jobs was a focused individual, and this led to him achieving many objectives with the Apple Company that he had started in his garage. As a result, the products developed by the corporation have become loved all over the world. Jobs identified a need in the society, and he developed a product to suit the specifications of the demand. Additionally, he spent every most of his energy in making sure that the products and software he developed were perfect (Isaacson 100). Jobs picked the field of technology especially computers, phones, and software and he made this area to be his life. The ability to establish objectives and to stay committed to them lead to the tremendous success that he enjoyed.
Another trait that is important in leadership is the ability to take responsibility. This can be defined as the state of being accountable for specific consequences or decisions. The life of Steve Jobs was driven by an obsession for perfection as he took the responsibility to make the Apple products to be faultless. Unlike many people, he focused more on the products of the company other than how much profit the organization was making. Some of the employees referred to him as a control freak that was personally involved in all the procedures that involved manufacturing of their products (Lunenburg 8). Jobs never blamed anyone for any misfortunes that had occurred along the building of the company. At some point, he purchased a vehicle for one of the employees who was late to work because of difficulty in accessing public transport. He had felt that it was his fault that the employee had been late for work and he took the responsibility to correct the mistake.
Concerning ethics, it is challenging to decide whether Steve Jobs was an ethical leader. From the business ethics point of view, ethics can be defined as having the viewpoint of enhancing the goals of the corporation without and ensuring that the brand is viable without acting in a manner to profit oneself. As seen from the definition, Jobs was an embodiment of ethics. He acted in a way that was consistent with the expectation of the society, and he always showed the excellent values (Hunter et al. 424). Additionally, he demonstrated respect for the fundamental principles that are used to determine an ethical entity which are honesty, equality, individual rights, dignity, and diversity. Therefore, Jobs was a leader with ethics, and this contributed to the success that Apple enjoyed during his tenure as the CEO.
Leadership Behaviors and Motivations 
Leadership behavior entails the trait that an individual has that makes other people act and follow their guidance. An example of a leadership behavior is the ability to teach your subject what is right. The current CEO, Tim Cook, has always attributed the company’s to Steve Jobs as a teacher (Shah and Zubin 155). The way the culture of the organization is flourishing even as the valuation of the business is increasing and they are expanding to new markets show that Jobs taught his team what matters most. Moreover, leadership behavior does not require one to complain about their problems. Instead, leaders set out to prove something by finding solutions to their problems, and this shows other that they are worthy, distinctive and capable of the positions that they hold.
Motivational leadership refers to someone heading others by inspiring them to strive for particular objectives rather than merely following orders. The leader tries to establish a safe and trusting environment, and ensure the group is in a position to be successful in its domain of operation. A good leader must understand the basic needs of their employees, superior or peers. Steve Jobs always used terrific storytelling in the process of motivating his employees (Sharma and Grant 20). The man knew how to clutch people especially the customers, partners, and, workers with a big story. Employers and business owners should learn this trait because it can enable them to become successful in team building.
Contingency Leadership Theory
The contingency theory of leadership states that there is no paramount way to lead a company or to make decisions. Instead, the most favorable way that should be applied is depended on several internal and external factors that sometimes the individual cannot control. Therefore, a contingent leader should be able to apply their principles and style depending on the situation that they are facing. The theory is based on two leadership behaviors that are portrayed by different people in positions of authority. Firstly, consideration behaviors are vital, and they include the establishment of interpersonal relationships with subordinates and showing concern for their lives. The other behavior is the structuring of behavior showing the traits that a person has about planning and assigning of roles to ensure that different tasks are completed successfully. Being in a position of management will always come with various challenges. The leader should be able to embrace the difficulties that occur on a day-to-day basis by holding the role that they have. They should also be able to be adaptable to overcome the problems arising that may affect the organization.
Steve Jobs was recalled back to Apple in 1997 at a time when the business was almost facing bankruptcy, and he managed to get them back on the map of the best phone and software manufacturers. In 1985, Jobs was removed from his position as the CEO of Apple after a prolonged power struggle (Sonnenfeld 59). He left the company and founded NeXT, a company that specialized in developing supercomputers of higher education and business markets. However, the former firm Apple was facing bankruptcy ten years later. Despite the history surrounding his exit from the company, he figured out a way to adapt to the situation. Jobs merged his new company next with apple, and he went on to turn the fortunes of Apple around.
Team Leadership and Self-Managed Teams
Being a team leader can be a challenging task. An individual in this position has the responsibility of providing guidance, instructions, and direction to a group of people to achieve an aligned objective. Despite being in a technological company that made revolutionary software and gadgets, Jobs believed in having face-to-face meetings with the team members who were working under him. He intentionally made the Pixar building to be designed in a manner that allowed for unplanned meetings with other workmates to promote the unity among the team. He always summoned his executive team to contribute new ideas to the company almost every week without any formal agenda. Additionally, he spent all Wednesday afternoons with the marketing and advertisement teams to also get their opinions on what the company needed to do. Because of the self-management that Jobs taught his team, Apple Company is still the leading company when it comes to technological phones 14 years after the founder passed on (Steinwart and Ziegler). Hence, as a leader, you should instill a sense of direction to the people under you so that they can work without supervision in your absence.
Conclusion
Overall, there is no common definition of leadership. However, they should be able to motivate other, provide them with a sense of direction, supervise their working towards attaining the dream and bringing them closer together as a team. The contingency leadership theory claims that a no best way has been documented for one to follow to be an active leader. Instead, leadership will require one to adapt to the external and internal factors that will arise and to come up with a solution suitable to the situation. Steve Jobs was an excellent leader who founded and oversaw the success of Apple Company in the field of technology by manufacturing revolutionary gadgets that include the iPod, MacBook computers, iPads, and iPhones.


Works Cited
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