Steve Paul Jobs - A Fearless Leader

"Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with," Brodi Ashton once said. This describes the mindset of Steven Paul Jobs, and how he influenced his own decisions. On February 24, 1955 an infant was born to two University of Wisconsin graduates, but was soon given up for adoption. Later, as Clara and Paul Jobs adopted him, he began to be introduced to electronics in his garage. As his father would instruct his son about how to take apart and rebuild electronics such as radios and televisions, a hobby that instilled confidence and mechanical prowess developed within Jobs. During his high school years, Jobs called William Hewlett-Packard, cofounder of Hewlett-Packard Company or HP, for electronic parts that Jobs needed for one of his school projects. Hewlett astonished by young Jobs, not only had given the specific parts which Jobs needed, but also offered him a summer internship at his company. That was the first where Jobs met Wozniak, an engineer who soon became Jobs' business partner, in the future. As Jobs grew older, his next-door neighbor Wozniak and him paired together to work and convey their passion. They who first set up shop in Jobs' garage made an effort in the production of the first Apple computer. In 1976, after years of hard work, they introduced the first Apple I computer that truly was known to "revolutionize the world". The device resonated with its consumers. He further then decided to pursue his dream of beginning the Apple Company. Jobs is recognized as a pioneer of the personal computer revolution, and for his influential career in the computer and consumer electronics fields. During his lifetime, other achievements were also made such as launching the NeXT computer, and also co-founding and serving as chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios; he became a member of the board of directors at The Walt Disney Company in 2006, when Disney owned Pixar. Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Inc. chose his own path and direction. He was more than just an American entrepreneur, marketer, and inventor, who transformed the influence of the personal computer industry. His achievements are known worldwide making Jobs famous and prominent, but his passion for success, his perseverance for never giving up, and his courage for facing complications drove his accomplishments.

Jobs' ultimate passion for success had led him to innovate some of the world's best technology and develop a business that has changed the world overall. Apple which developed over a number of years, first began when Jobs worked on his computer: "Even more than when he's performing on stage, Steven P. Jobs' passion for personal computing comes through when he talks about the years he spent cajoling his designers to build what he presented today as the world's 'thinnest' computer" (Markoff, John. "The Passion of Steve Jobs."). Jobs' continual drive was behind his achievement; his passion pushed his team to focus and innovate. This is part of why his products have become some of the most loved and successful in history. He picked a need, as a result developed a product, and spent all of his energy perfecting the product. He picked technology and made it his life. His ability to set a goal and stay committed for doing what loved was the reason behind his tremendous success. As Jobs himself, in June 2005 at the podium in Stanford Stadium, gave his commencement speech, addressing his passion as being critical to the success in his life: "I was lucky - I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parent's garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees" (Kimmel, Leigh Husband, and Kimmel Leigh Husband. "Steve Jobs."). It is one thing to envision your dream and it is a different to make your dream into a reality. Jobs chose the second option. In those ten years, his dedication let him overcome an obstacle - creating something new. It was clear that his eye was never taken of from his goal and his commitment of commencing his business was never strayed from the beginning. Within just these ten years, his passion allowed Jobs to turn computers made in his garage into a huge thriving company, known today as Apple. Apple today is a multinational corporation that is the world's second largest information technology company. It's hard to believe that thirty-eight years ago it first began in Job's garage. He constantly developed new ideas and improved on existing processes, and as a result resulting with a never before successful product. This invention, driven from his passion for success, has improved technology levels as a whole. Through Jobs' ultimate passion for success, he has taught the world that by doing what one loves; one can achieve great things in life.

Jobs' enduring perseverance towards his company and products resulted in success. Jobs paired with Wozniak to accomplish their dream of developing effective mechanical devices departing from PARC's model, a well known company known for its contribution to the development of technology: Both computers were redesigned to exploit and refine the PARC [Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated] ideas, but Jobs was explicit in favouring the MacIntosh, or Mac, as the new computer became known. Jobs coddled his engineers and referred to them as artists, but his style was uncompromising; at one point he demanded a redesign of an internal circuit board simply because he considered it unattractive. ... In January 1984 Jobs himself introduced the Macintosh in a brilliantly choreographed demonstration that was the centrepiece of an extraordinary publicity campaign. It would later be pointed to as the archetype of 'event marketing (Levy, Jr. Steven. "Insanely Great." ). Jobs was not willing to sacrifice. He was determined and tirelessly worked to design and maintain a slick yet meticulously considered device. Jobs wanted his company and the image of the "Apple" to be known for designing unique and technologically modern devices; he wanted to be known for his cutting edge computers. He understood that only by sticking to the tasks at hand, things would get done. He continually improved, developed, and redesigned his products until he was convinced of its potential to change the world. He wanted his business to be this way too. When Apple was in trouble due to Jobs' fearless actions, others were attempting to phase him out: ...The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over. I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life (Jobs, Steve. "'You've Got to Find What You Love,' Jobs Says."). His failure, described as "epic", of getting fired from his own company helped push him to gain more experience at other companies and consequently make Apple an even greater company. Instead of Jobs quitting after his obvious failure, he knew he wanted to return to Apple as a consultant. Jobs had the determination it took to strengthen his business. He never stopped believing in himself and in the potential of his company and did whatever he thought was necessary to make it continue to succeed. No matter how many hardships he had to encounter, he never let anything push himself out of his destined path or his goal.

Jobs had further took his success one step further with his courage for overcoming obstacles. As others describe Jobs as: "Much like Steve Jobs instigated Apple's success in the 1970s, he is credited with revitalizing the company in the 1990s. With a new management team, altered stock options and a self-imposed annual salary of $1 a year, Jobs put Apple back on track. His ingenious products such as the iMac, effective branding campaigns, and stylish designs caught the attention of consumers once again ("Steve Jobs Biography." A&E Networks Television.). Jobs immediately brought back Apple on its two feet, by taking leadership. Deciding to take immediate action, he cut through the rationalizations. He did not quit; instead of putting it off, he simply decided to finally tackle the situation and head on. He gave his best by innovatively thinking of new ideas to bring his company forward. He did not let his fear for consequences or anything hold him back from his happiness and goals of developing and maintaining a successful business. Eventually when Jobs regained control of his company after being fired, he chose a decision that risked loss of money: "Apple eventually bought the company [Pixar] in 1997 for $429 million. That same year, Jobs returned to his post as Apple's CEO" ("Steve Jobs Biography." A&E Networks Television. ). Steve Jobs did not hesitate to take risks. The self-confidence in him was integral to his courage. He took a chance, and that is what separated him from the people who just dream about things to happen. He had the courage to follow through on his dream, by becoming CEO again and making changes. Many actions in his career were controversial and at certain times kept the company in danger. However, with his extreme trait of being fearless, he had an extraordinary ability to push his company and employees to the limits without going over the edge.

Having passion for success, perseverance for never giving up, and courage for facing complications, Steve Paul Jobs had accomplished many things in his life that have not only benefited him but also others worldwide. He was a man of great talents. Jobs' passion to introduce something new to one's life instead of being a college dropout and doing nothing immensely impacted his life. Who would have thought a person who lacked interest in their early years of school, and was soon a college dropout, would be able to engineer a product that could do everyday useful work and that satisfied the needs of consumers. His passion is what motivated him to work harder and stayed focused. It enabled him to do the impossible. His perseverance is what makes him so successful, it is what let him to overcome all the limitations. He proved through his innovatively designed technology that nothing is impossible if one has the intention to work hard and dedicate themselves to achieving what they love. And it is because of his courage for overcoming obstacles that he was able to make Apple the second largest company today. Steve Jobs is truly an inspiration to me and many others. The way he took leadership and tried to be a motivational leader to make things happen makes him a hero like no other. Jobs is someone whom I look up to, to whom I can listen and who I can follow. His determination and ability to focus on achieving what he wanted to do, really made him stand out. Steve Jobs cofounded Apple first in his parents' garage in 1976, was fired in 1985, returned to rescue it from near bankruptcy in 1997, and by the time he died, in October 2011, had built it into one of the world's most valuable company. Coming from a financially tough background, he funded himself and worked hard to develop his company. Along his journey he had successes and failures, but he only pushed the potential in his company and himself to new heights by believing, to not give up. Because of this great man, Steve Jobs has taught us that we are limitless. By breaking physical and mental records during his lifespan, Jobs has inspired me and others to go above and beyond expectations. Personally, I learned sometimes collaborating with others when working together is not enough. We should not only collaborate when working with others, but also to take leadership roles, in order to progress the status of the team. He gained wisdom and became more experienced over the years as he worked in multiple companies. What was important to Jobs was not making money, but the process of creation: "Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me," he said. "Going to bed at night saying we've done something wonderful . . . that's what matters to me" (Biddle, Craig. "TOS Blog: Daily Commentary from an Objectivist Perspective.). Also, I am inspired and touched by his endless courage of always doing what he loved and staying committed to always making a difference. To me the famous are those who are leaders that choose to make a difference, to those who want things to happen instead of watching and wishing for things to happen. It has inspired myself to make a difference, to immediately put my dream and goals into action. He is a mentor to all in the world, and a "legendary leader to the Apple community". Jobs was and will always be an icon in our lives and for future generations to come. After battling pancreatic cancer for nine months, fifty-six year old Jobs died on October 5, 2011. Remembering Steve Jobs will be easy, but replacing his endless passion, pursuit for perfection, and his courage for overcoming obstacles is impossible.