Get All Access for $5/mo

Steve Jobs Shares the Secrets to Successful Team Leadership in This Throwback Video The Apple co-founder reveals what he really thinks about professional managers

By Nina Zipkin

Michael L Abramson | Getty Images

Though Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died six years ago, his outsized influence is certainly still felt. A recently surfaced video interview with the late CEO -- which based on his haircut seems to place him in the mid-1980s -- shows him sharing his views about best practices for hiring and what makes a great manager.

Up front, he says that the greatest employees are the ones who have the ability to manage themselves. But they can only do that if the leadership at the top is clear about what they want. "What leadership [is] having a vision, being able to articulate that so the people around you can understand it and getting a consensus on a common vision," Jobs says.

Related: Steve Jobs Systematically Cultivated His Creativity. You Can Too.

Jobs goes on to explain that one of the most important jobs of someone in his position is recruiting new employees. He notes that he isn't necessarily looking for someone who is an industry veteran, but rather someone who understands where technology is and where it could go in the future. He also recalls a moment when as the company was growing, that he and others executives thought they needed "professional managers," but that ultimately turned out to not be the case.

"We went out and hired a bunch of professional management [and] it didn't work at all. Most of them were bozos," Jobs says with his characteristic brutal candor. "They knew how to manage, but they didn't know how to do anything. If you're a great person, why do you want to work for somebody that you can't learn anything from?"

Related: What the Creation of Apple's iPhone Teaches Us About Innovation

Ultimately, he notes that the best team leaders are the ones that aren't angling for power for power's sake. "They are the great individual contributors who never, ever want to be a manager," Jobs says. "But decide they have to be a manager because no one else is going to be able to do as good a job as them."

Do you agree with Jobs's assessment? Let us know in the comments and check out the full video below.

Nina Zipkin

Entrepreneur Staff

Staff Writer. Covers leadership, media, technology and culture.

Nina Zipkin is a staff writer at Entrepreneur.com. She frequently covers leadership, media, tech, startups, culture and workplace trends.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Side Hustle

This 20-Year-Old Student Started a Side Hustle With $400 — and It Earned $150,000 Over the Summer

Jacob Shaidle launched his barbecue cleaning business Shaidle Cleaning in 2021 when he was just 15.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

Mark Zuckerberg Is Now the World's Second Richest Person, Behind Elon Musk

Meta's CEO jumped ahead of Jeff Bezos in Bloomberg's rankings this week.

Marketing

Ad Fatigue is Real — Why Trust and Influencers Are Shaping the Future of Cybersecurity Marketing

With the rapid evolution of cyber threats, businesses are becoming increasingly careful when choosing cybersecurity providers. Therefore, cybersecurity companies must center their marketing strategies around trust, not ads.

Making a Change

Learn a New Language with This Fresh Approach

Read and listen side by side.

Franchise

How California's New Disclosure Law Could Affect Franchise Sales Nationwide

The bipartisan legislation introduces new registration and pre-sale disclosure requirements for third-party franchise sellers, including brokers, broker networks and franchise sales organizations.