Jobs, Mackey, and Schultz

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." —John Quincy Adams

Anyone can be a leader, but a great leader is someone who can combine the qualities we have been studying all year long-- communication, management, motivation, and accountability.

Case Studies

1. Consider the work of Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks Corporation. As a leader, he overcame the most important obstacle to succeed as a leader: believing in oneself. When Howard brought Starbucks, no one believed he could make it into a successful venture. No one could possible believe he could make any money selling Coffee. Fast forward 20 years, and Starbucks is now one of the most frequently visited business all over the world. What I learned from Howard's leadership is the importance of not worrying about what other people think. Good leaders can't just conform to societies' expectations; if they did, they would never have the independence to think for themselves. Many people would probably associate this concept of doing what is right as a sort of "human-rights" leadership philosophy. But they are wrong because good leaders can do what is right regardless of the circumstance. It could be humans-rights, family, business, community work Schultz did what was right by putting aside his fears and societal expectations. He always thought win-win because he never gave up or doubted his potential. If he had, he never would've gone so far in his business.

2. I also like to mention Steve Jobs as a great leader who really exemplifies many of the qualities we have been talking about all year. As a leader, Steve is able to withstand people's expectations of him. Steve is an effective leader because he has a drive for success that Daniel Pink mentioned in his book. For Steve, it isn't about the money. Rather, it is his passion for innovation. He didn't necessarily go to college very long, but he still took classes that interested him and this lead to many of his Apple products. The keyboards we use on all computers (including windows) can be attributed to Steve Jobs. 

In my opinion, a good manager/leader needs to be able to hit 3 essential points:

1. Communication- If a leader can't communicate, then he isn't really leading anyone! The definition of leadership is being able to guide others, so a good leader must be able to effectively define the roles of the sender and receiver by setting up a system where there is verbal and non-verbal aspects. For example, a leader could place a box where people can drop notes in for criticism.
2. Motivation- A leader can't get everything done on his own: he needs to work collaboratively. In order to do so, he needs to make sure his employees and those who are under his command feel the drive to accomplish the task. A good way to do so is to find a balance between authority and democracy. At the end of the day, the leader has the final word but he needs to intake the ideas of others. Whole Foods, for example, is largely run by its workers and considering its commercial success, it definitely works!
3. Begin with the end in mind- In his extraordinary book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens, author Sean Covey explains how effective teenagers always have a goal they are trying to accomplish; there is a famous quote: "A goal without a plan is just a wish." Similarly, good leaders always understand their goals. Thus, they manage their company accordingly to accomplish this goal. By taking the steps to work towards that final end result, great, not good, leaders set themselves apart because they have purpose.