Lessons on Becoming Strategic

I subscribe to John Kotter's belief that successful individuals balance strategic leadership with tactical management. Steve Jobs epitomizes this balance. He was at once able to create, inspire, and align people around vision while focusing on details.

When Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, the company’s market cap was less than $3 billion.?By his death in 2011 it had soared to over $300 billion with most of the groundwork in place for growth to its current $3 trillion plus value. He galvanized the company around the vision of creating excellent consumer products like the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and the App Store. At the same time, he was known to be involved in tactical decisions around marketing and design.

When we say we want to be more strategic, it typically boils down to two main things: focus on longer-term outcomes and deliver results despite complexity. The good news is that both are accomplished by the same actions that Jobs demonstrated in delivering on these:

1.????? Create focus

2.????? Communicate and inspire a compelling vision

3.????? Set challenging outcomes

4.????? Foster a culture of excellence

5.????? Align resources and efforts

6.????? Regularly review progress

Create focus

When Jobs returned to Apple, they were producing a broad array of products and peripherals. He insisted they focus on only 4 products. He continued to drive focus by creating a top 10 list with his senior managers each year. When they got to 10, after much haggling, Jobs would slash the bottom seven and announce, “We can only do three.” Finally, he would force them to choose one as the top priority.

Communicate and inspire a compelling vision

Jobs infused employees with the passion to create groundbreaking products and a belief that they could accomplish what seemed impossible. He mastered communication in written, face-to-face, and public speaking formats. In all these, he used storytelling to connect emotionally while conveying the company’s mission and impact.?“Marketing is about values,” Jobs said. “We have to be really clear about what we want [people] to know about us. Apple’s core value is that we believe people with passion can change the world for the better.” He made people feel like they were part of something bigger than themselves.

Set challenging outcomes

Jobs’ ensured everyone was on the same page and fully committed to the company’s goals even if unrealistic. He once pushed Steve Wozniak to create a video game in four days. Woz said it would take months and thought it was impossible, but he ended up doing it. Jobs also challenged Corning CEO Wendell Weeks to support the iPhone launch with Gorilla Glass in just 6 months. Weeks and his team successfully met the challenge, converting a factory from zero to full production in that time.

Foster a culture of excellence

At the same time, Jobs made sure that products were not released until everything met expectations. He delayed the release of the iPod to add rounded bottom edges to ensure it seemed friendly enough to be easily scooped up with one hand. The decision to use Gorilla Glass in the first iPhones delayed its launch while upgrading to a standard which was far superior to the plastic screens in wide use at the time.

Align resources and efforts

Jobs surrounded himself with remarkable individuals who executed his vision and drove Apple’s impressive growth and innovation. Johnny Ive was the creative force behind many of Apple's iconic products from the iMac to the?iPhone. Before taking over as CEO, Tim Cook was instrumental in streamlining production and supply chain to improve efficiency. Phil Shiller was a key figure in marketing strategies that shaped public perception of Apple’s products. Jobs’ tough treatment of?people, while not commendable, stemmed from his desire to work with only the best. He wanted to prevent what he called “the bozo explosion,” which came from polite managers who let mediocre people want to stick around.

Regularly review progress

Steve Jobs was deeply involved in the review process of Apple products. He was meticulous and hands-on, frequently reviewing and providing feedback on physical designs, software, and packaging. He went as far as making color choices for Mac OSx windows and insisting chips on circuit boards line up neatly even if they were sealed inside a device. He spent enough time redesigning the jewellike boxes for the iPod and the iPhone that he listed himself on their patents.?His attention to detail on the iPhone virtual keyboard created success at a time when many saw it?as doomed to fail against the popular physical keyboards of the day. He made time for detail around the areas he saw as most important.

How can you use these lessons to create the right balance of strategic in how you work?

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