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Apple Without Steve Jobs
Labels: Apple, fix, History, Media Trend Watching, Steve Jobs
This YouTube video tracks the entire universe of Apple throughout its history --- with and without Steve Jobs and back again with Steve Jobs.
Taran Swan from The Media Fix just posted a blog piece on Apple and the current questions circulating around the iconic company and their ailing founder/CEO Steve Jobs, who is on a 6-month leave to focus on his health issues.
It centers around the limitations of companies that are led by charismatic leaders which overshadow the talent below the leadership. She writes:What is Apple without Steve Jobs? This unanswered question … caused their stock to take a hit (though it has since recovered a bit)...generated critical editorials, and...now the SEC is investigating whether the Company properly handled disclosures.
What do you think?
This all happened because the market thinks Steve Jobs IS Apple, which means any risk to Jobs is a risk to Apple.
How did Apple get into this situation and what can they do about it?
Steve Jobs is only the most extreme example of what happens when a company builds its brand around one person and doesn’t showcase its “people depth”.
The iconic Steve Jobs was effective in giving Apple a face and a mystique. But the focus on Jobs took the spotlight off the team that makes Apple great.
Jobs health woes give Apple an honest opportunity to showcase their management depth and their strong team of “up and comers.”
Apple could take a page from GE – which has benefited for years by publicly acknowledging their succession planning. And, then making the necessary investments to back up the talk.
So, what can Apple do? Here are a few suggestions…
1) Take the succession planning exercise seriously.
2) Cultivate and promote a culture of leadership development and sustained investment in building a deep management bench.
3) Make management comfortable with competition by smoothing a path to an appropriate consolation prize for those who don’t take the brass ring.
4) Nurture your relationship with the press – use it to effectively get the new message out about its brilliant team.
This would probably make both Steve Jobs and Apple’s shareholders feel better. And, it would reassure millions of Apple fans around the world.
posted by Unknown @ Wednesday, February 11, 2009,
