You can probably tell from my previous post that my own windows mobile device (DASH) is loaded up with 3rd party applications and I can’t imagine using my DASH without them. With the launch of the iPhone however, Apple has declared that there will be no 3rd party application support. Charlie O’Donnell argues that apple’s software is so superior that it needs no other applications. Though I will concede that this is indeed true at the moment, it is hard to believe that 3rd party programmers will never catch up. Case in point, firefox on OSX is in many ways a better browser than Safari. What is more disturbing to me however, is another Apple related story that also came out recently:
Apple’s Steve Jobs Is Company’s $20 Billion Asset
By Connie Guglielmo
Jan. 17 (Bloomberg) — Apple Inc. may find its most valuable asset is something it can’t protect through patents or secrecy: Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs.
If Jobs were to leave, shares of the Cupertino, California- based company might drop 25 percent or more, analysts say. That would erase about $20 billion in Apple’s market value.
Though to many, this may seem like a great thing for Apple. Unfortunately, it is actually a disaster waiting to happen. The greatest responsibility that a CEO can be said to have is the development of potential leaders around him. Borrowing from Jim Collins‘ Good to Great terminology, what enduring companies need are level 5 CEOs.
Level 5 leaders channel their ego needs away from themselves and into the larger goal of building a great company. it’s not that Level 5 leaders have no ego or self-interest. Indeed, they are incredibly ambitious – but their ambition is first and foremost for the institution, not themselves.
It is fairly clear to me that Steve Jobs does not have level 5 leadership skills, but is instead an EXCELLENT level 4 leader. There is no clear succession plan at Apple, and Steve Jobs’ persona is too domineering for the proper development of his other executives. Let’s hope Steve Jobs can put his ego aside, and Apple doesn’t collapse the moment he leaves!
