Mile to Go to Stay Hungry
Imagine having the opportunity to brainstorm
with Steve Jobs! One of my favorite video clips to this date is the commencement
speech delivered by Jobs to Stanford University in 2005. Posted by Jed Joe
(2012), it portrays an older, wiser Jobs recalling three life stories,
connecting the dots, and encouraging the next generation to adhere to the quote
appearing on the last publication of The
Whole Earth Catalog, “stay hungry, stay foolish”.
It wasn’t until today I
realized Jobs was only five years my senior. As I listened to the speech, I
caught his description of The Whole Earth
Catalog and couldn’t help but think of his venture after Apple, NeXT, a
company “idealistic, overflowing with neat tools and great notions” (Jed Joe,
2012). I wonder if Jobs connected that dot.
Nathan
(1989) captures many of the brainstorming sessions experienced by a young,
start-up company. As espoused by Labrecque and Conroy (2012), when personality
characteristics are identified through tools such as Myers-Briggs, and then
paired with data gathered from hundreds of thousands of top business school alums,
a correlation, with a 98% success rate, between personality and career path
allows one to better understand how to seek and find the ideal business niche. In
order to imagine how my characteristics would have contributed to the
brainstorming sessions at NeXT, I thought I should have a better understanding
of the characteristics of Jobs. An online blog, titled “The Book Addict’s Guide
to MBTI”, authored by Arvid Walton (2015), provides not only the four letter
code for Jobs, “INTJ”; but, an analysis of his characteristics follows.
16
Personalities (2016) describes INTJ types as “imaginative yet decisive,
ambitious yet private, amazingly curious, but they do not squander their energy”.
They share knowledge, favor designing and executing, and “tend to believe…
nothing is impossible”. As Jobs tells his stories to a crowd of young
graduates, certainly the dots he connects demonstrate the INTJ personality. The
opening scene of Nathan’s (1989) video depicts a young Jobs, alone, gardening,
and pondering his NeXT step. Throughout the video, it is apparent Jobs
struggles with the ouster from Apple; and, as Walton (2015) provides, finds it difficult
to stay away from challenges left on the personal computer industry table.
Walton (2015) states, “As soon as he (Jobs) finished one project… he started on
a new, more complicated project”. Isn’t that the essence of NeXT in a nutshell,
or more fitting, a Cube (Nathan, 1989)?
NeXT
is a start-up company that spent $100,000 on a logo design. It took retreats,
every three months at Pebble Beach. Envied for his communication skills, the
frustration from his team is both visible and palpable with each passing
retreat (Nathan, 1989). As Walton (2015) provides, Jobs focused on the vision,
often complex, and immersed himself with details. His primary concern was what
the product was supposed to do and why it wasn’t doing it (Walton, 2015). His
characteristics shields him from the emotions of others which is why the worker
in the purple-plaid shirt and his body language tell the story of the utter
vexation the NeXT team experienced (Nathan, 1989; Walton, 2015). To watch the
team members and witness their facial expressions and see their concerns
essentially disregarded was quite difficult for this INJF.
NextSteps
Research (2016) and Humanmetrics (2016) provided a management assessment profile
(MAP) and personality typing, respectively, for this future leader who would
have clashed with the INTJ, “the architect” (16 Personalities, 2016). During a
personal interview with Rachael Lubarsky of NextSteps, occurring on May 5,
2016, one my strengths is an understanding of using resources. I know myself
well enough I would have questioned spending $100,000 on a designer logo, that,
quite honestly was not impressive. The team could have and should have been
encouraged to develop the logo, thereby fostering a more cohesive environment.
Instead, six months into a start-up company, complete with a complex vision;
yet lacking the product, money is an issue and managers simply cannot identify
enough areas to save (Nathan, 1989). According to my MAP, I prefer to work in a
sub-unit of a larger, more structured environment (NextSteps, 2016). NeXT was a
start-up organization. Although it would have certainly provided me with the
challenge upon which I thrive; the much needed metrics of achievement were
sorely lacking (NextSteps, 2016). Deadlines are pushed out. Priorities are
questioned and reprioritized (Nathan, 1989). Numerous problems are voiced
throughout the video; yet, few solutions are offered, other than get a product
to marker in sixteen months or go broke (Nathan, 1989). This would not have
married well with my ability to problem solve, find creative processes, or
introduce a sense of “inventiveness” (NextSteps, 2016, p. 2). Further, Jobs’
leadership style would have clashed with mine.
Jobs
is defined by Walton (2015) as a what and why leader, a cross between a
strategic and tactical leader, outlined as one who mobilizes, devises,
systemizes, envisions and persuades, negotiates, troubleshoots, and appreciates
(NextSteps, 2016, p. 6). The level of “who”, people, does not register on Jobs’
graph; however, I am a what and who, a logistical leader, driven by facts; yet,
because of my INJF type, systems are built with “human beings and human values”
(Humanmetrics, 2016; NextSteps, 2016). The idea of extended deadlines and long to-do
lists, without realistic metrics to accomplish the goals needed to realize the
vision would have driven this INJF nuts.
In
his speech before Stanford, Jobs opines one can only connect dots by looking
backward; yet, through those connections, we come to trust our experiences so
that steps into the future, along a path that charges us to stay hungry and
foolish, can be trusted. I wonder if I would have the same conclusions had I
been assigned this task at age thirty, Jobs’ age when he took his NeXT step.
Would I have welcomed the unstructured setting and later reveled in the victory
that led to the core technology of Apple? I am now 56, the age of Jobs when he
passed. I know who I am; yet, I also know there are “miles to go before I sleep”.
References
Humanmetrics, Inc. (2016).
Humanmetrics Jung Topology Test. Retrieved from
http://www.humanmetrics.com/hr/jtypesresult.aspx?EI=-16&SN=-19&TF=-19&JP=66
Jed Joe. (2012, May 29). Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement
Speech 2005 high definition.flv.
[Vide file].
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHWUCX6osgM
Labrecque, T., & Conroy, C. (2012, Nov. 30). Leading High Performance Teams – Assessment
Tools. [Power Point slides]. In Modules A631.8.3. – GA – Lecture.
Retrieved from
https://erau.instructure.com/courses/35269/pages/a631-dot-8-3-ga-lecture?module_item_id=1574228
Nathan, J. (1989, Mar 17). Entrepreneurs. Nathan/Tyler
Productions. [Video file]. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loQhufxiorM&feature=related
NextSteps Research. (2016, May 2). Management Assessment
Profile Candidate: Kimble
Medley.
Alexandria, VA.
16 Personalities. (2016). INTJ Personality (“The Architect”).
NERIS Analytics Limited.
Retrieved from https://www.16personalities.com/intj-personality
Walton, A. (2015, May 25). The Book Addict’s Guide to MBTI:
Steve Jobs: INTJ. [Web log].
Retrieved
from https://mbtifiction.com/2015/02/06/steve-jobs-intj/
No comments:
Post a Comment