The Winds of Change
Becky Hansmeyer with a keen take on good leadership in response to some of the recent criticism directed toward Apple’s leadership team:
I’ve said this before, but I believe one of the single most important leadership qualities is humility, which by definition requires listening. If Apple executives listen to their employees and developers, decide their requests are not in line with the company’s core values, and say as much, that is one thing, because at least it’s honest. If, however, their requests or ideas align with the company’s values, but clash with its traditions or shareholder expectations (or simply aggravate the executives’ hubris) and they dig in their heels and tighten their grips, they are rightly deserving of criticism and, dare I say, scorn. And I think they’ll find, as the winds of change continue to blow, that they’ll eventually be caught in a storm they can’t escape, driven along on a course they did not chart for themselves.
Becky’s post is much more positive and optimistic than this quote would suggest, but it was too good a metaphor not to share. Her full post is short and should be required reading before WWDC.