The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs

His saga is the entrepreneurial creation myth writ large: Steve Jobs cofounded Apple in his parents’ garage in 1976, was ousted in 1985, returned to rescue it from near bankruptcy in 1997, and by the time he died, in October 2011, had built it into the world’s most valuable company. Along the way he helped to transform seven industries: personal computing, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, retail stores, and digital publishing. He thus belongs in the pantheon of America’s great innovators, along with Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Walt Disney. None of these men was a saint, but long after their personalities are forgotten, history will remember how they applied imagination to technology and business. (more…)

Forget Retreating – Charge Forward with a Plan

By Russell Lookadoo, TAB Salt Lake Metro

When developing an annual strategic plan, many companies go offsite to a “retreat.” I often cringe when hearing this term (although I heartily endorse the process). Retreating is an inherently defensive and reactionary move that implies the leaders of the company are leaving the field with their tails between their legs. Employees may ask themselves: Why are they hiding? Is it time to wave the white flag? Will we be able to keep our personal firearms and horses…?

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Donniel Schulman

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) provides information technology (IT) products and services worldwide. Its Global Technology Services (GTS) segment provides IT infrastructure and business process services, including strategic outsourcing, process, integrated technology, and maintenance services, as well as technology based support services. As a part of GTS, IBM’s Global Process Services division offers end-to-end outsourcing solutions for Human Resources, Customer Relationship Management, Finance and Accounting, and Supply Chain Management. These solutions help reduce the complexity of business operations to make enterprises more scalable, agile and efficient