An Extraordinary Legacy - Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs was not simply a skilled business executive, but an extraordinary leader and visionary. While others saw risk and danger in technology investment, Steve saw opportunity. He also saw around corners. He had the uncanny ability to tell what was coming next because he had a hand in creating it. He built loyalty, enthusiasm, and exceptional quality into his brand. There is, quite literally, no one else like him in the world today.

Perhaps most telling about Steve Jobs is the culture he built at Apple. Depending on which survey you read, it’s either the largest or one of the largest companies in the world in terms of market capitalization. That came about as a result of exceptionally bright, insightful, loyal employees who’ve turned the Apple brand into something of a consumer cult.

The trick now for Tim Cook is to support and nurture the culture and encourage all of those who were attracted to Mr. Jobs to sustain their momentum. He won’t have the same genius insight into technology that Jobs had, but he has enormous resources and some of the best minds on earth working for him. He won’t have the same personal charisma and communicative abilities, but who would?

Steve Jobs changed the way we communicate and made all of us better at what we do. That’s an extraordinary legacy.

James Scofield O’Rourke, IV, Ph.D.

Professor and Director – The Eugene D. Fanning Center, University of Notre Dame