Steve Jobs was famous for inspiring customers and employees--so much so that Bill Gates called him a ... [+]
Talented leaders are quick to recognize other talented leaders. It wasn’t surprising when, on a recent appearance on Fareed Zakaria GPS, Bill Gates discussed the inspirational leadership of his contemporary, Steve Jobs.
Gates revealed that he has never met a person who rivaled Jobs’ ability for, “picking talent and hyper-motivating that talent.
But Gates added nuance to his praise of Jobs, referring to the Apple founder as a “wizard” who “cast spells on people,” mesmerizing employees with his vision and captivating the public. That ability to enchant people enabled Jobs to push his team to work arduous hours and withstand withering criticism from the founder.
“I was like a minor wizard because he would be casting spells, and I would see people mesmerized, but because I’m a minor wizard, the spells don’t work on me,” said Gates.
Gates calling Jobs a wizard is a great metaphor for his ability to inspire others and get the most out of them. Granted worked for Jobs was not always easy, but Jobs’ talent is one of the core foundations of successful leadership. Here’s why:
Leaders sell their vision
Jobs is commonly described as a visionary, in part because he excelled at describing his future business goals in audacious and clear terms. He also envisioned products that people would want before they knew they did. Tim Cook, who followed Jobs as CEO of Apple, articulated Jobs’ lofty vision at a commencement address several years ago.
“His vision for Apple was a company that turned powerful technology into tools that were easy to use, tools that would help people realize their dreams and change the world for the better,” Cook said of Jobs.
When Gates refers to Jobs as a wizard, he’s describing Jobs’ ability to get others to buy into his vision for Apple and its products. In doing so, as Gates notes, he was able to convince the most talented people in the tech industry to join Apple and fulfill his vision.
Leaders drive others to give their best
Aside from his visionary thinking, Jobs was perhaps best known for his demanding management style, which was a bit polarizing. Jobs often harshly critiqued employees and demanded results that suited his specific, perfectionist expectations. In his interview with Zakaria, Gates referenced being shocked by how employees flocked to work for Jobs, despite his reputation.
“I would say, hey wait, don’t, you’re going to have to work even more than I would ask you to, this is crazy,” Gates said of Jobs luring employees to Apple.
Gates recognizes the contradictory nature of Jobs’ leadership. While he was undoubtedly difficult to work for, he was a masterful motivator who drove his employees to do the best work of their careers, often beyond what they believed they could do. In the process, they created products that set the standard for the industry and changed the way we live.
The best leaders are able to motivate their teams to give their best and improve their capacity to perform beyond their own expectations. While we do not believe in treating employees with the harshness that Jobs did, we’ve made “Excel and Improve” one of our core values at Acceleration Partners and are always encouraging our team members to grow with the company.
When Gates talks about Jobs casting spells on employees, he is describing the quality great leaders must have—they are able to convince their teams to put in the effort necessary to raise their game and move the company forward.
Leaders create productive conflict
Gates noted that while he was a tough leader, Jobs brought valuable leadership ideas to the forefront, including creating a culture where employees constantly challenged each other and did so openly rather than beyond each other’s backs.
Gates described his own team in the early days of Microsoft as unafraid of conflict, telling Zakaria “we were pretty tough on each other. And I think sometimes that went too far.”
Jobs did not care where the best ideas came from on the team and he liked employees who channeled his ideas. Jobs once said that when team members debate, "they polish each other, and they polish the ideas."
The best leaders know that they are not always right, they just want the best outcomes and don’t care about the credit.
It seems fantastical to describe Steve Jobs as a wizard, but Gates did that for a specific reason—to acknowledge the unique nature of Jobs’ gift for clarifying his vision and inspiring others to do what was necessary to achieve the end result of that vision. Even Gates couldn’t quite match that quality, but he learned from Jobs, just like any aspiring leader should.
Robert is the founder and CEO of Acceleration Partners. Join 100,000+ global leaders who follow his inspirational weekly Friday Forward at www.fridayfwd.com or invite him to speak.
