Steve Jobs

Nelson

Mandela
Contents

Page 1 : Images of Leaders Steve Jobs and Nelson Mandela

Page 3 : Introduction
Page 4-6 : Steve Jobs
Page 7-9 : Nelson Mandela
Page 10 : Leadership Comparison
1

Introduction : what is leadership? Leadership has been defined as the ability to change the
world or fight back against those who would. Leadership isnt something that everyone
has because leaders have a drive to change things, a drive to achieve a goal, a hunger
which they use to influence others.
Skillful use of these power bases by a leader is likely to bring success to them, and
success in some cases can add to the power of them as a leader. A successful leader gains
more credibility in the eyes of people; they often tend to ignore other deficiencies in
themselves to focus on others.
we are all born with an innate drive for power, importance and attention. Some people
achieve this through a profession , some through a business or society . True leaders
understand that having an idea that appeals to their community or co workers this will get
them further than anyone else. Although leadership may be difficult to learn most leaders
share a common set of traits which sets them apart from others. From Leadership Class I
learned some of these including: 1) to have Confidence 2) to have high morals 3) to
develop a team spirit and 4) to take risks.
Most of these traits tie directly into emotional intelligence . Leaders with high emotional
intelligence are more self-aware. They understand their mental processes and know how
to direct themselves. Theyre more in touch with what they love and are passionate about.
They naturally care more for others and receive more compassion in return . Also good
leaders are more socially in tune. Leadership is more often than not about soft skills
like self confidence, an ability to communicate effectively and network with others rather
than hard skills which are often learned like a persons ability in maths, accounting,
computer programming or languages.
Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs was an unconventional yet iconic leader, who invented the Macintosh
computer and went on to create music players and mobile phones that everyone
loved, and his tiny cellphones were packed with so much processing power, they operated
like miniature Macs. His management style wasn't the stuff of university textbooks. Jobs
wasn't known for his consultative or consensus building approach, he was a "highmaintenance co-worker" who demanded excellence from his staff and was known for his
blunt delivery of criticism.
Steve Jobs co-founded Apple in his parents garage in 1976 with Steve Wozniak. He was
ousted from Apple in 1985, returned to rescue it from near bankruptcy in 1997, and by
the time he died, in October 2011, had built it into the worlds most valuable companies!
Along the way he helped to transform seven industries: personal computing, animated
movies, music, phones, tablet computing, retail stores, and digital publishing. He belongs
in the pantheon of Americas great innovators, along with Thomas Edison, Henry Ford,
and Walt Disney. None of these men were saints but great leaders which got them to this
high level.
From establishing Pixar he developed Toy Story, which was such a high quality
movie that industry-leader Disney snapped up the company. Jobs final innovation was
the iPad, tablet computer to displace the PC. Jobs wanted a tool to expand the
brains processing power with all the worlds information available on a small screen. He
wasnt afraid to cannibalize his own products by being an amazing leader. Here are some
of the leadership traits Jobs had:
Focus
In a world full of possibility, one important trait to learn from Jobs is the ability to focus.
This is part of why his products have become some of the most loved in history. He
picked a need, developed a product and spent every ounce of energy perfecting it. He
picked technology and made technology his life. His ability to set a goal and stay
committed gave way to tremendous success throughout his life
Adaptability
Adaptability may be the most subtle and easily missed quality of Steve Jobs, yet it is
possibly the most important. He wasnt perfect. One of Jobs coworkers in apple Henry
Blodget describes Jobs actions as out-of-control disruptive behavior and incompetence
as the leader of the Mac division. This is why Steve Jobs was stripped of his operating
role at Apple and fired from the organization.
Keep in mind; these are descriptions of 30-year-old Jobs. Leaping 12 years into the
future, Jobs returned to the company a changed man and went on to pioneer worldchanging technology. His struggle with emotional intelligence was life-long, but it was
his continuous efforts to grow that made him great. Had Jobs not been open to criticism
and able to admit his flaws, he wouldnt have grown to be a better leader. Without
determination and adaptability to change, Jobs would never have left such an amazing
mark on the world.

Vision
Like many innovative game-changers, Jobs wasnt looking to replicate whats already
been done, he had his own vision . He didnt like to play the I can do it better game. He
played the Im going to do something completely different game. This thinking is
illustrated with the iPad. Before its introduction into the market, no one would have
wanted a cross between a Smartphone and a computer. But now, it has stolen the hearts of
consumers like in my school, where almost everyone uses an ipad for text books.
Urgency
Steve Jobs had a sense of urgency that gave him drive. Many times, he spoke of life and
death; time being one of lifes greatest tools for success. He knew that not grabbing onto
an idea or waiting until its the right time, would never cut it. This is why he searched
for innovative solutions and built products before a customer realized they needed it.
Jobs won over an entire planet with his stunning designs, technically complex and yet
simple to use. The devices were remarkable yet elegant, each with an endearing touch of
humor and he did all this by being a superb leader.

Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela was the first black President of South Africa. Mandela lived for 27 years
in prison, mostly on Robben Island, where every day with a small hammer he broke rocks
apart in the blazing sun only to retreat into his only home, an 8 by 8 cell, the reason
mandela was sent to prison was because he was found guilty of conspiracy and sabotage
to overthrow the government of South Africa.
Mandela became the most famous prisoner in the world as He never gave up, even the
prison guards admired him. At last , in 1988, the South African government began to
make changes. One change was to let black students into 'white' universities. From
around the world, the calls got louder to Free Nelson Mandela!
In 1990, South Africa's new President FW de Klerk set Nelson Mandela free. Mandela
and de Klerk agreed: no more fighting. Mandela called on all South Africans to work

together in peace. After Mandela was reliesed from prison his aim was to help unite
South Africa and dismantled the cruel system of white minority rule.

In May 1994, Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first black president. In 1995,
South Africa was host for the rugby World Cup. President Mandela wore a Springbok
rugby shirt. The springbok antelope is South Africa's national animal. South Africa's
rugby team, the Springboks, had been all-white. Mandela wore the shirt to help bring
white and black together. Sport helped to do this.
Mandela was welcomed around the world as a great world leader. He was given many
honours. In 1993, Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk shared the nobel peace prize.
Mandela wrote a book about his struggle called 'Long Walk to
Freedom'.Nelson Mandela retired as President in 1999. From 2004, he gave up politics,
to enjoy a quiet life with his family.
Here are some of the leadership traits Mandela used to archive greatness:
Humility
Effective leaders like Mandela do not let their egos get in the way of them accomplishing
their mission. When Mandelas death became public, many people who knew him
commented on how humble he was. When meeting someone he frequently said: Its an
honor to meet you. He never presented himself as being above or better than other
people. He also famously wrote in his memoir I am not a saint, unless you think of a
saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.
Forgiveness
Mandela forgave those that imprisoned him for 27 years. He invited a former guard to
his inauguration and shared the Noble Peace prize with his predecessor, F.W. de Clerk.
He won trust and set an example of how an entire nation could move forward by
forgiving. Why was he so willing to forgive? His answer- Hating clouds the mind.

The ability to Embrace Change

After his African National Congress was banned by the apartheid, South African
government in 1960, Mandela advocated that the party abandon its policy of nonviolence. It was his activities in support of the partys new stance for violence that lead to

his life sentence. However, while in prison Mandela studied the teachings of Mahatma
Gandhi and watched the tactics of Martin Luther King, Jr. He began to understand the
fight for justice was the moral high ground gained though a commitment to non-violence.
After coming to this conclusion Mandela faced a dilemma. The government offered to
release him if he would renounce violence. Mandela maintained his commitment to
violence publicly while privately urging the ANC to fight the struggle with non-violent
means.I must be creative enough to find a way to change without comprising my
principles

Comparison and summary

Although Steve Jobs and Nelson Mandela seem very different they both had some
similarities. They both had a clear vision. Steve Jobs vision was to create Apple products
that could help change the world, Mandelas vision was too get equal rights for all
citizens of South Africa. Both men devoted there time and effort to these visions to try
and make them happen. Both of their work affected the world positively. Finally, we see
that both men were determined and hard working. Steve Jobs spend most of his life
working extremely hard to build the empire of Apple that it is today. Nelson Mandela
was also hard working and determent throughout his life, trying to help citizens get equal
rights.
I leaned a lot about Leadership when doing this project and what it takes to be a great
leader.

By Lily Rafferty