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Is Steve Jobs the 21st Century Edison? How Inspirational Leaders Drive Innovation
"Genius is one-percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." These are the most frequently cited words ever spoken by Thomas Edison. For better or for worse, they stand as a benchmark for the relationship between inspiration and human effort.
Every time he hears these words, Edison fan and IDEO geek Tom Stat, retorts that "99% perspiration means we're applying too much effort. Things just shouldn't be that hard."
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Steve Jobs with the new MacIntosh computer (1984),
challenging IBM's dominance in the
budding PC market. Sporting a bow-tie,
Jobs' attire is reminiscent of Edison's signature look. (AP wire) |
Although I agree things shouldn't be that hard, my objection to too much "perspiration" is different than Tom's. Most people actually need more than 1% inspiration to DO ANYTHING! As a genius, Edison only needed 1% inspiration...but the rest of us need closer to 50% (maybe more!) to move us to action.
The mark of an inspirational leader lies in his or her ability to get others to risk something visible and important...often reputation, fame, money, friendship, or power. Inspirational leaders move others off dead zero - even people they don't know, or will never meet. They exude a contagious authenticity that motivates others to "take risks" they would otherwise never consider, in pursuit of a goal whose outcome is unknown.
While it's a bit cliché to compare Steve Jobs and Thomas Edison (see also 5 media articles and videos in this month's Events & Resources) there are two key qualities that position them both as inspirational leaders whose legacy will endure.
Innovation Catalysts: Edison and Jobs Created Dense Networks Inspiring Action, Creativity
In the US, we admire risk-takers. We admire inventors and entrepreneurs who start from scratch and build something new that offers value.
Although both Steve Jobs and Thomas Edison were certainly entrepreneurs early in their careers, what's different about them is their sustained ability not only to endeavor risks themselves, but to be catalysts who inspired employees to take risks right along with them.
The endpoint for these risks was never positioned by Edison or Jobs as financial gain. Instead, the goals they envisioned entailed creating sweeping changes to the world and our ways of doing things...goals that would improve life on a daily basis.
Scores of business leaders and CEO's have held a higher "purpose" in their mission, and many enjoy a storied legacy. Consider Walt Disney (Disney), Akio Morita (Sony), Thomas Watson (IBM), or Sam Walton, (Wal-Mart).
But inspirational leaders like Edison and Jobs created value in a different way than these other successful folks. They created value through big juicy networks of people and resources called "dense networks." (See the February 2011 edition of Edison's Notebook for more on dense networks.)
Both Edison and Jobs built complex networks which combined an intangible combination of their respective philosophies plus a unique work environment, unique product development processes, and deep passion. As well, they took aim at "institutions" - concepts or actual bodies that we either fear, or hold dear - such as the faceless "black box" nature of  computers (Jobs), or the desire to disrupt the unquestioned purveyor of scientific knowledge in the late 1800’s, the Royal Academy of Science (Edison).
In this graphic is a "map" of what a dense network looks like. A term coined by author and University of Virginia professor James Davison Hunter in his book To Change the World, dense networks are a unique structure for driving change.
In the right hand section of the chart you can see the spot for the inspirational leader. Working around the map, you also see where "institution" is referenced, and where "passionate focus" and "network access" come into play.
The unique philosophies of each leader stirred deep passion in others, satisfying the "passionate focus" facet of the dense network. This passionate focus attracted a unique type of employee, and prompted them to take different kinds of risks than were being endeavored by competitors:
"My philosophy of life is work - bringing out the secrets of nature and applying them for the happiness of man. I know of no better service to render during the short time we are in this world." - Thomas Edison
"I want to put a dent in the universe." - Steve Jobs, Apple CEO
Reaching outside their organizations into communities of customers, engineers, and scientists, both Jobs and Edison also allowed "network access" to forces outside the walls of their firm. Ironically, both leaders actually came to invent new forms of network access which revolutionized society and the way we live. For Jobs this came in the form of iTunes, and for Edison in the platforms of light, sound, and moving pictures.
By creating dense networks, each leader inspired creativity and risk-taking behaviors in their employees which became self-perpetuating. Neither Jobs nor Edison had to be physically present for these actions to carry on. They were both consistently able to attract employees who would contribute to the innovation culture in a self-designed, self-propelled way, creating new innovation catalysts within the organization itself.
Are you shaping your company in ways that echo these two extraordinary leaders? What could you do to shift your course, and employ more of the dense network elements they used?
Edison and Jobs as Inspirational Heroes: Innovation Czars or Game-changers?
The second facet of what makes Steve Jobs and Thomas Edison inspirational leaders brings us to their dark side...the "contagious authenticity" part.
 Within the "innovation catalyst" role they each played lurked the fiery tongue of both leaders. Woven through the inspirational environment, the disruptive product development process, the radical designs, the endless experimentation, and the conquering of new markets was each man's relentless drive for perfection, and their stark willingness to let you know if it had been achieved.
Simultaneously feared and admired by employees and competitors alike, Edison and Jobs garnered passionate enemies as well as unwavering followers. Yet, their "take no prisoners" attitude remained a key driver of a unique ability to crack the code in finding new markets, and getting employees to take action alongside them.
Here are two quintessential comments about Steve Jobs that summarize his inspirational leadership style. The first comes from a competitor, the second from an employee:
"Steve Jobs is on my eternal heroes list. There's nothing he can ever do to get off it. He's also obnoxious. This comes from his high standards. He has extremely high standards. And he has no patience with people who don't share those standards or perform to them."
- Bob Metcalf - Founder, 3Com (in a video interview)
"He wanted you to be great. And he wanted you to create something that was great, and he was going to make you do that."
- Larry Tesler, Chief Scientist, Apple Computer (in a video interview)
Edison engendered similarly dichotomous emotions. Called "muckers" by Edison as a term of endearment for the cadre of employees who labored tirelessly to deliver the breakthrough innovations which were the signature of his laboratory, the first quote comes from an unnamed "mucker." The second is from Arthur Kennelly, a valued expert in electricity who left Edison's lab and started his own successful enterprise:
One mucker said that Edison "could wither a man with his biting sarcasm or ridicule one into extinction."
"The privilege which I had being with this great man for six years was the greatest inspiration of my life."
- Former Edison employee and electrical expert, Arthur Kennelly
By pushing people to the extreme limits of their potential, Edison and Jobs succeeded in creating innovation-driven cultures which churned out leading edge products and services. Through inspiring others in their roles as innovation catalysts, Jobs and Edison created dense networks of resources and self-propelling creative capacities that expanded the footprint of their operations beyond the walls of their organizations.
Thinking back on your own career, who has inspired you? What does it take to inspire you? In the coming weeks, reflect on what moves you to take risks. Make a list of the risks you've taken, and who has encouraged you to take them. See if you can find any patterns in your answers that will move you one step closer to becoming an inspirational leader who inspires action in those around you.
Next month: In the Next Issue: Structuring the Ideal Innovation Team
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