Steve Jobs: Remembering His Leadership

I can still remember when Steve Jobs and Apple announced their iPod back in 2003, a Sony executive was quoted as saying "Who needs 1,000 songs on their MP3 player?" I think that, more than anything is the beauty of Steve Jobs leadership: he didnt just set the bar higher; he always wanted to progress by an order of magnitude. Jobs changed the game on so many levels while ignoring his critics

Everybody loves Apple's products - I myself own an iPhone, iPad and a Mac (this is after years of making fun of my soon-to-be-wife back in college for owning a Mac!). But to me Steve Jobs will be most remembered for his leadership. He relentlessly set the bar higher for his company and his competition. He understood what people wanted and needed, even if they couldnt express it themselves. He was stubborn in his design principals, his attention to detail and quality, and his foresight. And whether on purpose, or by accident (you make your luck though), he was able to put together an ecosystem of hardware, software and media that his competitors still only kind of get. Today, we lust after the products made by Apple - but this is because they innovated under Jobs' leadership and brought us technology that was cutting edge, yet incredibly usable.

I borrow a lot from Steve Jobs and Apple at Mobile Aspects. Our Company's managers constantly use analogies from Apple and strive to bring cutting edge technologies to nurses and technologists in a simple, easy to use package. We want our innovations to make an impact on their lives and drive patient safety. We dont want clinicians caring about the technical principles of RFID, much like Jobs doesnt want you caring about the details of the hard drives on their machines (he only wants you to know how many songs you can store on that hard drive). We want them caring about how it improves their lives at the Hospital. Mobile Aspects wants to put cutting edge technologies into a package that gives OR nurses and techs high value in their daily life, is easy to use, and to be honest, looks cool. (you should hear comments about our systems' lights when they turn down the lights in the operating rooms)

The world has lost a great Leader today with the passing of Steve Jobs. However, we can continue to learn how to lead by studying how he worked with his people. By doing so, we can make better products, better companies, and whomever we are selling our products to, make their lives better. I cant tell you on how many levels I appreciate Steve Jobs' accomplishments (think about the fact that he also brought Pixar to what they are today!) and I will continue to use him as an example everyday in my leadership style.

 

Posted via email from Suneil Mandava's Posterous