Ethical Leadership Of Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs was described in his authorized biography by Walter Isaacson as the “ultimate icon of inventiveness, imagination, and sustained innovation” (p. V). He is arguably one of the most visionary, opportunistic, and innovative leaders to walk the face of this planet. At a time when technology was just starting its exponential climb, Jobs entered the market to transform a fledgling business based out of his parents’ garage into an enterprise worth hundreds of billions of dollars (Isaacson, 2011). His iconic Apple products can be found in the hands, backpacks, cars, and homes of millions around the globe. To say that Steve Jobs was a visionary leader may be an understatement. To say that Steve Jobs was an ethical leader may be an overstatement. The truth of the matter is that there are many relevancies to leadership within the profession of arms that can be gleaned from his behavioral examples.

Visionary Leader

Jobs started off his professional journey with the very clear and simple vision of putting a computer in every home. At a time when the only personal computers that existed were the ones he and his longtime friend and business partner Steve Woziak were building in a garage, this vision was very lofty. Although faced with numerous setbacks and challenges along the way, Jobs continued to maintain his focus on this vision and built an enduring organization filled with followers eager to embrace it. According to the Thomas M. Barnes Center (2012a), this ability to inspire and motivate followers to accomplish a mission is a critical aspect found in transformational leaders (p. 22). Jobs was well known for his ability to paint the future picture in the minds of all those around him and inspire them to ...

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...ude and worry over his image are counter-productive leadership traits that have no place in our profession of arms. In no way would I ever want to perfectly emulate Steve Jobs’ leadership style, but like all leaders he had many visionary and transformational traits that I will continue to learn from.

Conclusion

If the success of a leader is measured by the success of that leader’s vision then Steve Jobs was truly an “icon of inventiveness, imagination, and sustained innovation” (p.V) as Isaacson described. Unfortunately, transformational leadership is measured by more than just success. It requires the highest levels of visionary leadership without sacrificing ethical behavior. Steve Jobs had some exceptional visionary traits that deserve to be emulated by leaders everywhere, but never at the expense of those morals and values held in high regard by society.