I worked with Steve Jobs: Here’s what he would have to say about current leaders

In case you missed it, Paul Graham of Y Combinator recently published a blog that sparked intense debate in Silicon Valley about the advantages and disadvantages of “founder mode” compared to “manager mode.” Amid all this talk about whether a business leader should be directly involved in every detail of their business or empower their managers to implement their vision, I remembered a spring day in 1995 when I was serving as chief technical officer at Pixar.

We had just come out of a big meeting with Intel (), where we met with then-CEO Andy Grove to come up with a concept for how Pixar and Intel could together release games that highlight the capabilities of Intel’s chips. . Our goal was to present a demo with inspiring characters and high-quality storyboards. The demonstration was not successful, and, as only he knew how to do, he made his dissatisfaction clear. Steve was known for occasionally raising his voice with his collaborators, and on that day he gave an especially loud speech, even by his standards.

With Steve often cited as being in “founder mode,” I want to highlight what happened after his outburst. Steve looked us in the eye and apologized. “I’m sorry,” he said. Not for yelling at us, but for not doing your part to make the demonstration more successful. “Next time, we will all do better”, he pondered. He then entered what we now call “founder mode,” rolling up his sleeves and, true to his word, working side by side with us at every level. He was dedicated to ensuring that the next opportunity we delivered impeccable work.

The problem with Steve was that he cared deeply about his people. True, he could be meticulous and demanding at times, to the point of being called “tyrannical.” But most of all, he was a kind, respectful, and compassionate leader. It was these qualities that made him great, not his explosive moments or harsh words.

Many leaders today, not just in the technology sector but across the world of business, politics, culture and entertainment, look to Steve Jobs as a model of leadership. And for good reason. He built not one but two iconic brands and launched innovative products. He was also known, perhaps more than any other characteristic, for his tireless pursuit of a singular and meticulous vision. When it came to achieving what he wanted, he could be demanding, direct and authoritarian, just as his reputation suggests.

As I look at some of today’s leaders, I am concerned that many seem to have adopted Steve Jobs’s most problematic traits, . They have embraced Yin but ignored Yang, resulting in a toxic leadership style that often destroys morale, reduces productivity, and harms stakeholder value.

So what advice would Steve Jobs give to leaders looking to emulate his autocratic methods? Below I present the lessons I learned working with him at Pixar and studying his leadership style.

Listen carefully

After the disastrous demonstration and his apology, Steve made a point of listening carefully to everyone involved. Even me. At the time, I was still relatively inexperienced, but he sat with me patiently, listening with great interest as I explained what I was working on and suggested what we could improve. He asked intelligent, probing questions, soliciting my opinion on important issues. Regardless of whether or not he incorporated my opinions into his thinking, he at least genuinely considered them and made me feel like my opinions mattered.

Inspire teamwork

No one can create something meaningful alone. This requires contributions from people across the organization, including those from whom it is least expected. No matter how much a leader believes in his vision, it is essential that he inspires others to embrace it and feel motivated and passionate about working towards it. It’s not enough to impose a vision on your team, you need to inspire them to believe in it. One of Steve Jobs’ great skills was bringing people together to collectively achieve results that they could never achieve working in isolation.

Be useful

Steve Jobs understood that, alone, he did not have all the talent, vision or skills necessary to transform his ideas into reality in the market. In fact, at Pixar, he often turned to John Lassiter and other creative and technical leaders who knew more than him in their respective areas of expertise. He would often make this very clear in meetings, saying things like “I’m just here to support you” or “Let me know if I can help.” By not only accepting but often highlighting experts as the true leaders in their fields, he inspired confidence, promoted autonomy, and encouraged courage throughout the company.

Focus on what you can control

Many seem to have learned from Steve Jobs that a good leader must be involved in all aspects of the business, which essentially reflects the essence of the “founder mode” doctrine proposed by Graham.

While it’s true that Jobs was deeply involved in many details of his companies, he also recognized that it was impossible to be present in all of them. He knew when to delegate decisions and when to insist on one more detail would be beyond what he, or anyone else, could manage.

For leaders who believe they can do it all, he would recommend focusing on the issues and decisions they can really influence, delegating to the team the tasks for which they are best prepared.

Focus on the greater good

In a 1994 interview, Steve Jobs told Rolling Stone magazine that “Technology is nothing. The important thing is to believe in people, to recognize that they are essentially good and intelligent and that if you give them the right tools, they will do incredible things with them.” This statement reflects Jobs’ belief in the best qualities of humanity, as well as his commitment to providing tools that help people unlock their full potential. Jobs believed that only by focusing on adding value to humanity, above revenue and profits, can a company truly reach its full potential.

Steve Jobs was far from perfect. Yes, he was sometimes hot-tempered and harsh, but he also knew how to be kind and caring. He was controlling and domineering, but also inspiring and empowering. To the leaders who imitate his autocratic methods, remember to also apply the other lessons he left us.

*Shalini Govil-Pai is vice president and general manager of TV at Google and a director on the board of YouGov.