With news today that Steve Jobs is to step down as CEO of Apple Inc, the world’s second most valuable company, it set me thinking about how you start to replace such a high profile leader.
Steve Jobs is a charismatic and visionary leader who thrives in the world of consumer technology. A former colleague reportedly said that Jobs “would have made an excellent king of France” which gives us a clue that Steve has a presence and influence far greater than your typical CEO.
The nominated replacement, former Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook, has his work cut out to fill Jobs’ boots. So what are the key areas that Tim Cook needs to consider as he replaces Steve Jobs?
Recognised front man
Steve Jobs is the individual most associated with Apple. In my view, Tim Cook has an impossible task to directly replace Jobs in this function so should decide, with the board, how the “post-Jobs” Apple brand presents itself to the world. The good news is that, long term, this is not a make or break issue for the business. In the short term Tim will probably just have to suffer in silence from not being “Steve Jobs”.
Great product design
For me, Steve Jobs’ greatest skill is his obsession with having great looking products that are easy for the average person to use. The iPhone (smart phone) is a classic example. Apple has taken huge share from more established competitors by creating a product that combines stylish design with simplicity of use. This approach has a broader consumer appeal than the high tech offerings from other companies. This is the essence of Steve Jobs’ genius.
For Apple to survive and thrive in the long term, Tim Cook needs to ensure that this design approach is embedded throughout the organisation. Critically, someone in the organisation needs to deliver the same function as Steve Jobs did: to be obsessed with creating “an object of desire” rather than a me-too product, even if it creates extreme and unreasonable difficulties for Apple product designers. That person (or persons) needs to have a powerful veto to ensure that only these “objects of desire” make it through to product launch.
Anticipating technology developments
Another of Steve Jobs’ skills was his ability to anticipate where technology developments could be leading. Whilst Jobs’ track record was excellent, Tim Cook can use the huge amount of talent within the wider Apple team to be equally effective at guessing the future. What separates Apple from the rest is not their ability to predict the future technology developments. It is their ability to imagine how best to exploit that technology in great looking products and imaginative services, such as the iPlayer and iTunes solution for portable music and video.
Conclusion
In his new role, Tim Cook can arguably take Apple to greater heights if he plays to his own strengths and puts plans in place to cover the skills lost with the departure of Steve Jobs. I wish Tim well in his new challenge. It will be fascinating to see how things develop.
All the best to Steve Jobs as he begins a new chapter of his life. I hope it is a long and rewarding one.
By Jon Davies | Righttrack’s Digital Marketing Manager
So, goodbye to Steve Jobs. You were the Apple of many an eye. His death wasn’t exactly unexpected but the reality has still come as a shock to many, judging from the heartfelt tributes evident on many a blog and site. What stays with me most about him is he said, as others have, you have to love what you do. That’s his legacy for me.