Steve Jobs’ return to Apple marked a really important moment in time in the evolution of business. It was the rebirth of a company that is now dominating so many marketers. In just 8 months he managed to turn everything around thanks to a really great strategy that did save the company. Charles Phillips, Infor’s CEO, has been likened to Steven Jobs because of similar approaches in business. It should come as no surprise to notice that Jobs left a mark on business but what were the important decisions he made? We will just highlight some of them.
Taking Over The Company
One thing that many do not know is that Steve Jobs did not really need to take control of the company. The CEO that Apple had simply brought in Jobs as an advisor. Steve could have simply offered advice and not get involved. However, because of all that he did, Jobs eventually nominated himself as a CEO potential replacement. Jobs was right back in charge after the board of directors agreed to the nominalization.
Eliminating Unsuccessful Products
This is a really important decision that Steve Jobs took. When he ended up in charge at Apple the company was creating so many gadgets and computers that simply did not generate a profit. Jobs basically analyzed all products and ended up eliminating 70% of the software and hardware products created by the company. This allowed the firm to focus on the products that were generating profit. In business it is important to focus on what brings in money and give up on the bad products. That is a lot easier than said, especially with the smaller companies.
Eliminating Press Leaks
Gil Amelio’s leadership automatically meant that employees frequently leaked information about the company in order to embarrass the CEO. All this automatically stopped when Steve Jobs took the rein. There was an almost instant ban put on the employees on discussing with the internet. There were also many key layoffs, all done in order to create a good working environment. Dissent was quelled and Apple managed to go forward as the employees started working together.
What is interesting is the no-press policy imposed by Jobs created a sense of urgency, suspense and secrecy. Apple’s product announcements basically started to be really important and created a lot of buzz. The cult created around Apple’s gadgets and devices is connected with this decision.
Creating A New Boards Of Directors
When Steve Jobs took over, most of the boards of directors members were interested in selling Apple. They did not really want or care about the future success of the company. Steve Jobs identified this and automatically wanted to get rid of the negative attitude. As time passed he managed to force many board members to resign. This did include Mike Markkula, the individual that actually offered most of the money that made Apple grow in the initial stages.
Conclusions
There is a reason why Steve Jobs is considered to be one of the most brilliant of all the CEOs in history. Decisions like the ones above helped apple to become the giant it is now.
