In an era with few heroes, Steve Jobs is at the top of my list. There is no one I admire and respect more. His vision and leadership are so extraordinary no one comes close. This country needs more Steve Jobs in business and in government.
The genius of Steve Jobs is twofold: he combines intellectual firepower second to none with an unbelievable level of common sense. What I admire most is his complete faith in himself and his unwillingness to compromise what he instinctively knows to be right. As any entrepreneur can tell you, perseverance is often the quality that separates the men from the boys. The ability to hang in there when all looks lost and then to come out a victor in the end is the hallmark of someone truly special. That is the story of Jobs. Can you imagine being fired from your own company? A firm that you started, nurtured, and built into one of the great tech powers on the planet. The suits that comprised the Apple board thought that they needed a “businessman” to run the firm. So they hired John Sculley, former head of Pepsico and figured a man who made soda water knew more about computers than Steve Jobs. In a “its him or me showdown” Jobs was dismissed. But he hung in there, formed NEXT, bought Pixar and was eventually asked to come back. The rest is history.
There will never be another quite like him. Apple will find Steve Jobs irreplaceable. I wish he could run the company for another 100 years, heck I would take 10 right now. Imagine all the brilliant new things he would have invented. He is truly the Edison of our age.
My wish for Steve Jobs is a speedy recovery, good health, and a return once more to Apple.