Steve Jobs' leadership philosophy

Steve Jobs understood that hiring brilliant people meant little if you weren't willing to listen to them, especially when they disagreed with you.

“it doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do”

Why freedom matters for innovation

Jobs knew that apple's success depended on talented people working together, sharing expertise, and having the freedom to solve difficult problems.

Customer insights from frontline staff

Employees closest to customers often have insights executives sitting several levels above them simply don't understand.

Servant leadership approach

In an ideal world where c-suite leaders demonstrate servant leadership, the better approach is to give capable people authority to make decisions.

Jobs' 1994 insight

During a difficult chapter of his career, jobs shared an important insight in a 1994 interview with rolling stone.

The leadership lesson

The smartest thing a leader can do is step aside and let others take the lead when they challenge conventional thinking.

What this means for modern leaders

Modern leaders should give capable people the authority to make decisions and remove unnecessary approval layers that slow everyone down.

The consequence

Exceptional leaders who step aside to let others challenge their thinking create more innovative solutions and better products.