Care to summarize it for us before sending us to an external link?
I saw Steve personally this afternoon (Monday, January 31st, 2011) as he was leaving Apple?s headquarters in Cupertino, California.
....snip...
Who in their wildest dreams would expect Steve to be walking right out through the front door of the building at the precise moment we would be walking in? The one thing that really stood out to both of us(besides his trademark Levi?s, black mock turtleneck and sneakers) was the twinkle in Steve?s eyes and his full, genuine smile as he spoke on the phone. In spite of the media?s negative focus on his known health issues, one can only stand back and marvel at his tenacious spirit and absolute passion for his passion.
Its really quite insulting to the hard working people at Apple that actually make the products, the way people pretend like the entire operation bends around Steve Jobs. He's a great CEO. End of story. Other people actually make these products happen.
I think most people know what it means to love their work. But often the best way to start hating the work you love is to do it for too long. It's easy to forget, but Steve has faced new and very different challenges in his career every ten to fifteen years. He may very well thrive on that more than we realize.
Wow, talk about being completely out of touch with reality. Most people hate their jobs, because most jobs suck, require hard work, long hours, time away from what matters (family), and ultimately provide just enough cash to feed and clothe themselves for the next week.
That's what living is for most of Americans, and it has precisely nothing to do with laziness or education.
Wow, talk about being completely out of touch with reality. Most people hate their jobs, because most jobs suck, require hard work, long hours, time away from what matters (family), and ultimately provide just enough cash to feed and clothe themselves for the next week.
That's what living is for most of Americans, and it has precisely nothing to do with laziness or education.
Talk about a knee-jerk reaction. Talk about completely missing the point.
If you have a job you hate (and who hasn't had one of those?), you know the difference between that and doing something you care about. A simple enough concept, I should think. Further, if you have the privilege of working at something you love, this doesn't by any stretch of the imagination mean working short hours for big pay. Hardly. And if for some reason you can't accept that idea, ask a journalist. Ask a teacher.
The second point was about doing something you love for too long, and coming not to love it so much. Even rewarding work entails the mandatory unpleasant aspects that are part of even the most rewarding occupations. Being CEO of Apple has to involve many long and dull meetings, reading boring reports, conference calls that resolve nothing, personal politics, and so on -- all of which, over time, can wear at the core of why a person cares about their job. This is one reason why people change careers.
As I said, Steve's history suggests that he thrives on new and different challenges. We know how he feels about Apple, but I wonder whether he can still be excited about dealing with the minutia of running a huge corporation, given his health situation, how long he's done it.
Wow, talk about being completely out of touch with reality. Most people hate their jobs, because most jobs suck, require hard work, long hours, time away from what matters (family), and ultimately provide just enough cash to feed and clothe themselves for the next week.
That's what living is for most of Americans, and it has precisely nothing to do with laziness or education.
It'a already been mentioned, but you completely missed the mark on this one. Doing something you hate is a choice in itself, and not what was being talked about in the post you responded to at all.
If anyone hates their job, do something about it. Period. There are lots of options for everyone, just not lots of options lots of folks like because they require hard work to change the personal environment too. Anyone who is afraid of reasonable, honest, hard work and uses that as an excuse to hate work and/or avoid forfeits the moral authority to criticize work.
They need his genious to direct the company through future difficult times and inflection points.
How much of it comes from Steve directly though? People have mentioned the minutia and boring details that come with any job. There is a large number of people at Apple doing those tasks and some people will have jobs doing market research (I suspect some people will even visit this forum) to find out what products consumers want and rather than satisfy them now, analyse the trends of what people will want when the product can be shipped.
It's unlikely that he is solely responsible for the products. It seems to me he is more of an icon and an inspiring leader who encourages similarly innovative people to do great things. From what he says, it's clear he has a great depth of creative, philosophical and technical understanding but I think the stronger part of his role at Apple is his leadership, which is strengthened by those qualities.
Power and authority in an individual as anyone knows is just an illusion, we all have the same power to walk down the street and put a bullet in the head of someone we perceive to have more power and authority then we do. But that illusion helps other people define themselves openly.
One thing Steve said was that a key element to his success in business is being a good talent scout. You have to know which people share your philosophies and beliefs and be able to work with them - same when you look for a partner. Nobody can do what Apple does alone, which is why his role right now is diminished as he has found great people who can work the same way he does. Similarly, individuals can't take away philosophies, beliefs, ideas and morals that large groups of people share so Steve stepping down wouldn't change that.
There's no urgency for him to step down either if he's able to continue and can offer something to the company but they could really use another icon to inspire the people who are there as well as the fans. In many ways I wish Woz was that icon at Apple but he's too much of a wildcard and would go against their marketing tactics.
Tim Cook is just an operations guy and plans to retire from the company. The other employees just don't seem to think enough. There's not enough depth to what drives them. Finding an icon like Steve who has their heart in Apple and cannot be swayed away from it no matter what happens with the above traits that strengthen their leadership is going to be a difficult task.
Without a well-defined representative, public perception of an organisation gets fuzzy. This applies to anything - government, religious institutions, corporations and so on. Many companies have managed to cement their brand without an icon so Apple may well manage the same but there's something missing from them that sets Apple apart. Every time you visit a store, Apple products are set apart. This isn't just because of the products themselves but the way the brand is projected.
I wonder if Steve's current leave of absence is merely precautionary given the circulation of viruses during the winter months. I could certainly see him refusing a flu vaccine and opting instead to remain isolated from the hard working, driven Apple employees who would likely continue to go to work even while on death's doorstep.
Tim Cook is just an operations guy and plans to retire from the company. The other employees just don't seem to think enough. There's not enough depth to what drives them. Finding an icon like Steve who has their heart in Apple and cannot be swayed away from it no matter what happens with the above traits that strengthen their leadership is going to be a difficult task.
Without a well-defined representative, public perception of an organisation gets fuzzy. This applies to anything - government, religious institutions, corporations and so on. Many companies have managed to cement their brand without an icon so Apple may well manage the same but there's something missing from them that sets Apple apart. Every time you visit a store, Apple products are set apart. This isn't just because of the products themselves but the way the brand is projected.
I agree with most of what you say but I think Cook will prove to be more than "just an operations guy". Although he will never be an iconic leader nor will he (or anyone) have the same passion as a founder, I believe he will prove to be a more than capable leader. Though he is an operations guy, he did earn a degree in Industrial Design - not that he will have the same innate sense as Jobs but he at least understands the importance of sweating design details. I much prefer this background than someone who came up on the finance side of the business.
When you start looking beyond Cook, it does become really murky. Any outsider will have not been steeped in the Apple philosophy like in-house candidates. Sure, Steve could stick around as COB and maybe bring someone with enormous talent into the fold but I don't see that happening. It's rather interesting that up until the last year, Eric Schmidt might have been worth consideration.
If Apple taps some insider other than Cook, I'd put money on Scott Forstall, but I think that is highly unlikely.
When you start looking beyond Cook, it does become really murky. Any outsider will have not been steeped in the Apple philosophy like in-house candidates. Sure, Steve could stick around as COB and maybe bring someone with enormous talent into the fold but I don't see that happening. It's rather interesting that up until the last year, Eric Schmidt might have been worth consideration.
If Apple taps some insider other than Cook, I'd put money on Scott Forstall, but I think that is highly unlikely.
Apple may look in places others might think of as non-traditional. What they will need is the passion to replace Steve in the design and message area, the philosophical heart of the company. You don't find those in other businesses like you find sugar-water salesman. There are folks out there that have the right qualifications, just find those of them that have been a solid Apple user for more than a decade. Someplace in that group could be the heart and soul for the future.
The harder part will be will the rest of the company leadership accept an "outsider" and not do those little things that get in the way and add up over time as serious impediments to long term success.
Apple may look in places others might think of as non-traditional. What they will need is the passion to replace Steve in the design and message area, the philosophical heart of the company. You don't find those in other businesses like you find sugar-water salesman. There are folks out there that have the right qualifications, just find those of them that have been a solid Apple user for more than a decade. Someplace in that group could be the heart and soul for the future.
The harder part will be will the rest of the company leadership accept an "outsider" and not do those little things that get in the way and add up over time as serious impediments to long term success.
It appears to me that Cook has been anointed.
However, you make a reasonable argument that Apple might look elsewhere. But, as you suggested, bringing in an outsider is often fraught with the acceptance issue. Do you have any idea of places where Apple might look? I'd be interested in your thoughts.
One other thing I'd like to touch on is this "passion" issue. I think to some this means high-energy people which is not necessarily any indication of passion. For instance, Jonathan Ive is passionate about what he does although he is a very low-key individual (and I doubt he has any interest in running Apple). I think that Tim Cook may be very passionate about Apple but happens to be low-key (though I don't think I'd want to be the guy who messed up his plans for something).
The biggest issue in replacing Jobs is that public face he projects for Apple. Apple may do itself a great disservice if they simply try to find someone with Steve's "voice".
Heck, this is Apple we are talking about - it's a crap shoot.
Comments
Care to summarize it for us before sending us to an external link?
I saw Steve personally this afternoon (Monday, January 31st, 2011) as he was leaving Apple?s headquarters in Cupertino, California.
....snip...
Who in their wildest dreams would expect Steve to be walking right out through the front door of the building at the precise moment we would be walking in? The one thing that really stood out to both of us(besides his trademark Levi?s, black mock turtleneck and sneakers) was the twinkle in Steve?s eyes and his full, genuine smile as he spoke on the phone. In spite of the media?s negative focus on his known health issues, one can only stand back and marvel at his tenacious spirit and absolute passion for his passion.
I think most people know what it means to love their work. But often the best way to start hating the work you love is to do it for too long. It's easy to forget, but Steve has faced new and very different challenges in his career every ten to fifteen years. He may very well thrive on that more than we realize.
Wow, talk about being completely out of touch with reality. Most people hate their jobs, because most jobs suck, require hard work, long hours, time away from what matters (family), and ultimately provide just enough cash to feed and clothe themselves for the next week.
That's what living is for most of Americans, and it has precisely nothing to do with laziness or education.
Wow, talk about being completely out of touch with reality. Most people hate their jobs, because most jobs suck, require hard work, long hours, time away from what matters (family), and ultimately provide just enough cash to feed and clothe themselves for the next week.
That's what living is for most of Americans, and it has precisely nothing to do with laziness or education.
Talk about a knee-jerk reaction. Talk about completely missing the point.
If you have a job you hate (and who hasn't had one of those?), you know the difference between that and doing something you care about. A simple enough concept, I should think. Further, if you have the privilege of working at something you love, this doesn't by any stretch of the imagination mean working short hours for big pay. Hardly. And if for some reason you can't accept that idea, ask a journalist. Ask a teacher.
The second point was about doing something you love for too long, and coming not to love it so much. Even rewarding work entails the mandatory unpleasant aspects that are part of even the most rewarding occupations. Being CEO of Apple has to involve many long and dull meetings, reading boring reports, conference calls that resolve nothing, personal politics, and so on -- all of which, over time, can wear at the core of why a person cares about their job. This is one reason why people change careers.
As I said, Steve's history suggests that he thrives on new and different challenges. We know how he feels about Apple, but I wonder whether he can still be excited about dealing with the minutia of running a huge corporation, given his health situation, how long he's done it.
Wow, talk about being completely out of touch with reality. Most people hate their jobs, because most jobs suck, require hard work, long hours, time away from what matters (family), and ultimately provide just enough cash to feed and clothe themselves for the next week.
That's what living is for most of Americans, and it has precisely nothing to do with laziness or education.
It'a already been mentioned, but you completely missed the mark on this one. Doing something you hate is a choice in itself, and not what was being talked about in the post you responded to at all.
If anyone hates their job, do something about it. Period. There are lots of options for everyone, just not lots of options lots of folks like because they require hard work to change the personal environment too. Anyone who is afraid of reasonable, honest, hard work and uses that as an excuse to hate work and/or avoid forfeits the moral authority to criticize work.
They need his genious to direct the company through future difficult times and inflection points.
How much of it comes from Steve directly though? People have mentioned the minutia and boring details that come with any job. There is a large number of people at Apple doing those tasks and some people will have jobs doing market research (I suspect some people will even visit this forum) to find out what products consumers want and rather than satisfy them now, analyse the trends of what people will want when the product can be shipped.
It's unlikely that he is solely responsible for the products. It seems to me he is more of an icon and an inspiring leader who encourages similarly innovative people to do great things. From what he says, it's clear he has a great depth of creative, philosophical and technical understanding but I think the stronger part of his role at Apple is his leadership, which is strengthened by those qualities.
Power and authority in an individual as anyone knows is just an illusion, we all have the same power to walk down the street and put a bullet in the head of someone we perceive to have more power and authority then we do. But that illusion helps other people define themselves openly.
One thing Steve said was that a key element to his success in business is being a good talent scout. You have to know which people share your philosophies and beliefs and be able to work with them - same when you look for a partner. Nobody can do what Apple does alone, which is why his role right now is diminished as he has found great people who can work the same way he does. Similarly, individuals can't take away philosophies, beliefs, ideas and morals that large groups of people share so Steve stepping down wouldn't change that.
There's no urgency for him to step down either if he's able to continue and can offer something to the company but they could really use another icon to inspire the people who are there as well as the fans. In many ways I wish Woz was that icon at Apple but he's too much of a wildcard and would go against their marketing tactics.
Tim Cook is just an operations guy and plans to retire from the company. The other employees just don't seem to think enough. There's not enough depth to what drives them. Finding an icon like Steve who has their heart in Apple and cannot be swayed away from it no matter what happens with the above traits that strengthen their leadership is going to be a difficult task.
Without a well-defined representative, public perception of an organisation gets fuzzy. This applies to anything - government, religious institutions, corporations and so on. Many companies have managed to cement their brand without an icon so Apple may well manage the same but there's something missing from them that sets Apple apart. Every time you visit a store, Apple products are set apart. This isn't just because of the products themselves but the way the brand is projected.
Tim Cook is just an operations guy and plans to retire from the company. The other employees just don't seem to think enough. There's not enough depth to what drives them. Finding an icon like Steve who has their heart in Apple and cannot be swayed away from it no matter what happens with the above traits that strengthen their leadership is going to be a difficult task.
Without a well-defined representative, public perception of an organisation gets fuzzy. This applies to anything - government, religious institutions, corporations and so on. Many companies have managed to cement their brand without an icon so Apple may well manage the same but there's something missing from them that sets Apple apart. Every time you visit a store, Apple products are set apart. This isn't just because of the products themselves but the way the brand is projected.
I agree with most of what you say but I think Cook will prove to be more than "just an operations guy". Although he will never be an iconic leader nor will he (or anyone) have the same passion as a founder, I believe he will prove to be a more than capable leader. Though he is an operations guy, he did earn a degree in Industrial Design - not that he will have the same innate sense as Jobs but he at least understands the importance of sweating design details. I much prefer this background than someone who came up on the finance side of the business.
When you start looking beyond Cook, it does become really murky. Any outsider will have not been steeped in the Apple philosophy like in-house candidates. Sure, Steve could stick around as COB and maybe bring someone with enormous talent into the fold but I don't see that happening. It's rather interesting that up until the last year, Eric Schmidt might have been worth consideration.
If Apple taps some insider other than Cook, I'd put money on Scott Forstall, but I think that is highly unlikely.
When you start looking beyond Cook, it does become really murky. Any outsider will have not been steeped in the Apple philosophy like in-house candidates. Sure, Steve could stick around as COB and maybe bring someone with enormous talent into the fold but I don't see that happening. It's rather interesting that up until the last year, Eric Schmidt might have been worth consideration.
If Apple taps some insider other than Cook, I'd put money on Scott Forstall, but I think that is highly unlikely.
Apple may look in places others might think of as non-traditional. What they will need is the passion to replace Steve in the design and message area, the philosophical heart of the company. You don't find those in other businesses like you find sugar-water salesman. There are folks out there that have the right qualifications, just find those of them that have been a solid Apple user for more than a decade. Someplace in that group could be the heart and soul for the future.
The harder part will be will the rest of the company leadership accept an "outsider" and not do those little things that get in the way and add up over time as serious impediments to long term success.
Apple may look in places others might think of as non-traditional. What they will need is the passion to replace Steve in the design and message area, the philosophical heart of the company. You don't find those in other businesses like you find sugar-water salesman. There are folks out there that have the right qualifications, just find those of them that have been a solid Apple user for more than a decade. Someplace in that group could be the heart and soul for the future.
The harder part will be will the rest of the company leadership accept an "outsider" and not do those little things that get in the way and add up over time as serious impediments to long term success.
It appears to me that Cook has been anointed.
However, you make a reasonable argument that Apple might look elsewhere. But, as you suggested, bringing in an outsider is often fraught with the acceptance issue. Do you have any idea of places where Apple might look? I'd be interested in your thoughts.
One other thing I'd like to touch on is this "passion" issue. I think to some this means high-energy people which is not necessarily any indication of passion. For instance, Jonathan Ive is passionate about what he does although he is a very low-key individual (and I doubt he has any interest in running Apple). I think that Tim Cook may be very passionate about Apple but happens to be low-key (though I don't think I'd want to be the guy who messed up his plans for something).
The biggest issue in replacing Jobs is that public face he projects for Apple. Apple may do itself a great disservice if they simply try to find someone with Steve's "voice".
Heck, this is Apple we are talking about - it's a crap shoot.