Talent Management Lessons From Steve Jobs

In his 56 years, Steve Jobs earned accolades not just for the technologies he created, but also for the way he managed his staff. Under his leadership, the team at Apple grew from a group of individual geniuses to a cohesive team that could unite itself to bring some truly unique products to the market. With new leadership taking over for the company and the world coming to grips with the passing of an unquestioned visionary, there are a number of key talent management lessons to be learned.

Hunger matters. Jobs often referenced a need for his talent to stay hungry for success. Employees interested in maintaining a status quo didn’t cut it with him. He wanted people who were hungry to change the world, hungry for innovation, and hungry to make an impact. As a result, deadwood in the workforce was ruthlessly trimmed, leaving hungry performers room to exceed at Apple.

Perseverance matters. The ability to work long and hard for a goal, even in the face of difficulty, was an essential requirement in top talent at Apple. In interview after interview, Jobs discussed the intensity and dedication needed to bring Apple’s products and innovations to market. To use Jobs’ own words, “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”

Excellence matters. One of the things Steve Jobs observed early in his career was that not everyone he met was used to working in an environment where nothing less than the best was accepted. A “good-enough” culture was something he couldn’t tolerate, and you shouldn’t either. Ensure that your talent knows, just as Apple’s does, that excellence is expected of them each and every day.

Independent action matters. As Jobs put it, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking … have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” Jobs didn’t live waiting for someone else to step up, and he trained his staff to be similarly action-oriented. By all means watch the competition, but realize that emulating or fearing them is no path to success.

Boldness matters. Jobs was instrumental in Apple’s “Think Different” campaign, an expression of his belief that no one would get ahead taking the safe road or holding back. He was an eternal advocate for the pioneering spirit in all his team members, encouraging them to make bold, proactive choices.

Steve Jobs will certainly be missed, but his body of work will live on, both in the technology world and in the lessons he left with his talent management practices. Training talent to be hungry, persevere, outperform, think independently, and move boldly has the potential to harness the same power Jobs brought to his team. While it may not make your firm the next Apple, it can help you follow Jobs’ lead and move your talent to the next level of creativity and performance on behalf of your organization.