Yes, be your own leader was the clear message in yesterday’s on-line Bloomberg Businessweek tech article: Apple’s Jobs Told Cook Not to Ask ‘What Would Steve Do?’ Not that we should never consider the path that someone else might take. At times, thinking about how others might approach something gives us useful information.
But being ourselves, which means capitalizing on who we are and not taking on some wanna-be version of someone else, is the advice I resonated with. Risky. We'll likely make a few enemies. But in the end, probably more rewarding than not.
There will never be another Steve Jobs, just like there will never be an exact copy of any one of us. So I'm taking a cue from Jobs to make the most of what's unique about me that I haven't already put into play and run with it.
On a related note, I saw the segment on 60 Minutes this past Sunday (October 23) on how the iPad has enabled many with severe autism to come out of the darkness and finally be able to express themselves. This thanks to Jobs' willingness to be himself, warts and all.
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