Joshua Haupt
ROTC Leadership Paper
Topic: Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs is an extraordinary American CEO and great leader. In this paper, I am going
to illustrate six of his most significant leadership qualities. These qualities include his: ability to
inspire others, ability to personally connect with customers, strong sense of responsibility, sense
of determination, immense creativity, and clear brilliance. The collective result of these qualities
is what has led Steve Jobs to be the successful and influential person he is today.
The first quality that Jobs possesses as a leader is his ability to inspire others. He has
accomplished many things that have made him an extraordinary leader in his life; many things
that people can admire. His life is already filled with many great accomplishments that reflect his
leadership qualities. He is CEO of Apple Computers; which he co-founded. He was also the
CEO of Pixar. Many people who aspire to work in or design aspects of the world of technology
look to him as an inspiration. They see his success as something to strive for.
The second quality that Steve Jobs possesses as a leader is his ability to connect with
customers. Throughout the founding phases of both Apple and Pixar, people reported that
customers always found Jobs very personable. In fact, they believed in him and his company so
much that he has become the 136th richest person in the world! This clearly illustrates his sense
of leadership and his ability to connect with customers.
The next quality that Steve Jobs possesses as a leader is his strong sense of responsibility.
This quality is apparent when looking at his dedication to the companies that he is involved with.
In an article about the 25 most fascinating entrepreneurs the author said that Jobs is different than
most other business owners in that he takes personal responsibility for what Apple makes and
how the products affect the user. Jobs is involved in the design process from beginning to end
and helps to choose each and every aspect of the products that he creates. This really depicts
leadership because he is setting an example for the employees he works with and sets a standard
for other companies as well.
Another quality that Jobs possesses as an effective leader is his sense of determination.
This quality led him to help found Apple computers and pull it through times of despair along
with becoming one of the greatest entrepreneurs in our country’s history. It all began with his
upbringing. Apple computer’s co-founder was born on February 24, 1955 in San Francisco,
California. After he was born he was put up for adoption by his biological parents. He was
adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs of Santa Clara California. The Jobs lives in Mountain View
California, which is in what is known as the Silicon Valley. Steve worked with electronics with
his father in their garage. His father, Paul, show him how to take apart and reconstruct
electronics, a hobby which fascinated and inspired young Steve. After this, Steve was determined
to find a way to incorporate technology into his daily life.
The fifth quality that contributes to Steve Jobs’ ability as a leader is his immense
creativity. In 1974 Jobs became a video game designer with Atari. At the age of 21, in 1976 he
founded Apple Computer with his friend Wozniak. They both had to sacrifice things that they
valued very much to help fund there new venture. Job’s sold his VW bus and Wozniak sold his
scientific calculator. That showed his determination and commitment to pursue his dreams. The
events that have followed, especially in regard to apple, show the extent of his creative abilities.
In fact Jobs is so creative that simple trips to an apple orchard inspired him to create the multi-
billion dollar company. Jobs says that “Creativity is just connecting things.” This statement
shows what a great leader he is because his entire company connects people with products that
make their lives easier and better.
Finally, Steve Jobs’ clear brilliance is a quality that people see in him as a component of
his effective leadership. Jobs did not like formal schooling. During his elementary school years
he was quite a troublemaker. His fourth grade teacher had to bribe him to study. Even though he
did not think school was that important, he was extremely brilliant. The administrators at Steve’s
elementary school wanted to push him up to high school because he tested extremely well, but
his parents declined. During high school, Steve Jobs spent a lot of time at Hewitt Packard (HP)
where he became friends with Steve Wozniak, a brilliant computer engineer. After graduating
from high school, Jobs enrolled at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Lacking direction, he
dropped out after six months. For the next eighteen months, he dropped in on a variety of
creative classes. By testing so well that his school administrators offered to push him up to high
school, and by surrounding himself with other brilliant people, Steve clearly showed that he was
a brilliant man.
Collectively, these are the characteristics that contribute to Jobs’ effectiveness as a leader.
His accomplishments have inspired others. He connects with customers. He takes all of the
responsibility for the company. He shows determination in everything he does. Jobs is an
extremely creative and brilliant person. With these great leadership qualities he has made
himself, Apple Computer, and Pixar extremely successful.