"I'm a simpleton..."
Wednesday, June 8, 2011 | 2 Comments Maybe it’s too easy to succumb to the charm, or his infamous reality distortion field, but this clip of Steve Jobs presenting plans for a new Apple office campus to the Cupertino, Calif. city council is just wonderful.
Most striking is the disarming humility, candor and utterly “human-scale” personality of the leader of the world’s most valuable technology company. This is a great communicator — and rare business and organizational leader — at work.
What’s also striking is what’s missing — the all too common mask many CEOs wear, the one that demands (or pleads for) deference, creates an air of inaccessability, and fails to connect as a human being with other human beings from whom they need commitment, trust and understanding.
What we know about Mr. Jobs is that he loves to create great products and do great things. Evidently, this desire consumes far more of his intellectual energy than the need most mortals have for large quantities of smoke to be blown at their posteriors.
Joe Fusco
BONUS!: We also get a glimpse of Jobs’s political thinking, which may lean libertarian/conservative. A member of the city council lifts him up by the ankles and shakes him to see what might fall out of his pockets when she asks if he’d consider providing free wi-fi to the city as part of the construction project. He replies:
“I’ve always had this view that we pay taxes, and the city should do those things. If we can get out of paying taxes, I’d be glad to put up a wi-fi network.”
Clear as a bell, and unshrinking, as usual. You can view this exchange around 13:15 in the clip.
BONUS BONUS!: When did Lloyd from “Entourage” become chairman of the Cupertino, Calif. City Council?
Reader Comments (2)
Beyond the presenter, I find the plans for the building astounding. The architect who designed this captured the essence (accessible innovation) of the company, as well as a large part of its (and humanity's) heritage; the wheel.
Now I wonder if Apple would be willing to construct such lavish facilities at its manufacturing sites in developing countries.
It really is an amazing building, and seems like it will be a great place to work. You're right about the wheel symbolism; hadn't thought about that!