Leading Apple With Steve Jobs: Management Lessons From a Controversial Genius

Checklist: Is Your Organization Pirates . . . or The Navy?

Do you have an organization that Steve Jobs would have approved of or, instead, one that would have pleased Peter Drucker? To determine how supportive your current organization is in fostering innovation, test yourself with this series of questions.

Is a climate of innovation continually supported by the board of directors, CEO, VP, and team leaders?

Any organization that wants to be fully innovative needs to have support for that innovation at every level, from the board of directors to the team leaders. This priority has to be continually communicated to all employees down to the newest hire and on display in every press release and public event.

Do you have the right people?

Not everyone who has spent his or her working life in traditional companies can really transform into the kind of independent thinker and performer that is so essential for an innovative team. Still, given the opportunity, most people are motivated to do what it takes to be creative. The right people will be very entrepreneurial in nature, have the ability to be flexible in their focus, and be able to change direction easily. The talent always needs to be open to change and open to the ideas of others. They need to be people who believe instinctively that the focus must be on the product, not the process.

Is there a method in place to monitor the team?

Steve was extraordinary in his hands-on managing of product development, at every level. I’ve never ...