Member-only story
Beware the Cult of the Leader
Leading is good. Worshiping leaders is not.
When Steve Jobs passed away, many pontificators predicted that Apple’s best days were gone.
Jobs cult of personality loomed large over Apple. His death only made it more prominent. Analysts and fans alike worried that the company would flounder without him.
And yet, the company has thrived since Jobs stepped down. Moreover, Leander Kahney makes the case that Tim Cook is a better CEO than Steve Jobs ever was.
In Tim Cook: The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level, the biographer argues that Steve Jobs was never a great CEO. At least, not in the traditional way.
He was fired from Apple for sowing terror. When Jobs returned, he did an amazing job of saving Apple. Once the ship was heading in the right direction, he turned over the day-to-day to Cook.
As Kahney explains, Cook became the de facto CEO for many years before he officially took over.
This point is not who deserves the credit for Apple’s success. Both Jobs and Cook contributed to it. But so did the other 132,000 Apple employees. We must stop worshiping leaders. Let’s move beyond the myth.
The cult of the leader is not doing leadership a favor.
