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This paper explores the implications of using Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs as a “paradigm case” of transformational leadership by comparing the practical metadiscourse of remembrances published at the time of his passing to the theoretical metadiscourse of transformational leadership. The authors report the frequency of transformational leadership characteristics that appeared in characterizations of Jobs in the months after his passing in October 2011. Results show that people do remember Jobs as a leader, and as one who possessed three key personal characteristics of a transformational leader: creative, passionate, and visionary. People also remembered Jobs as an innovator, which is not typically associated with transformational leadership but which does reflect the discourse of the consumer electronics industries upon which he had an impact. However, the results also show that two important interpersonal characteristics of a transformational leader were absent in the remembrance discourse: empowering and interactive. The authors discuss the implications of the two missing terms for pedagogy and theorizing, including how problematizing Jobs as a paradigm case might lead to fruitful discussions about the importance of a transformational leader’s engagement with followers.

This paper observes that Apple illustrates the right and wrong ways to bring about organizational change, and emphasizes the key role of personalities in the process.

Compares and contrasts the performance of Apple under the leadership of Steve Jobs and John Sculley.

Advances the view that Steve Jobs was more successful because he focused on innovation, while John Sculley paid more attention to current products and profitability.

Describes how the Steve Jobs era saw the introduction of such iconic Apple products as the iPod, iPhone and iPad, which helped the company to gain pre-eminence in its field.

Argues that, in today’s globalized business environment, organizational change is a must. Demonstrates how to achieve this successfully.

Describes two sides of the Apple story and draws the lessons for other businesses involved in organizational change.

Focuses on the successful leadership techniques of three unexpected leaders: Steve Jobs, Robert Polet and Tim Gunn.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments.

In 1976, at the age of 21, a then unknown young innovator co‐started a company in his parent's garage. Four years later he was worth $200 million, but when he was thirty his own company threw him out. Twelve years later they begged for him back, and Steve Jobs returned to Apple. In the fashion sector, France's Pinault family paid $8 billion for Gucci, sacked the company's CEO and most famous designer and hired the so called “ice‐cream” man Robert Polet to come and direct the show. Equally unpredictable, young CEO of Liz Claibourne Inc. William McComb decided to hire Tim Gunn, a man with a background in education and, more recently, TV, to change the fortunes of his company. In all three cases, hiring and firing decisions have been the subject of outrage, derision and very nervous stock brokers. But in all three cases the decisions have proved good. What is it about these three leaders that have them succeeding against the odds?

Offers advice to aspiring leaders in the business world.

Presents three successful but different leadership personalities, pointing out what three diverse men actually have in common.

Many charismatic leaders are renowned for their exemplary rhetorical skills and powers of persuasion and their sense of drama. Interpreting the charismatic relationship as a drama invokes a cast of characters, with the charismatic leader and followers as main protagonist and co‐protagonists, respectively, and competitors and opponents as antagonists. Viewing the charismatic relationship from this perspective also suggests tensions and dilemmas that the leader, in particular, must resolve for the drama to have an outcome mutually acceptable to the actors and their audience. This paper describes the kinds of impression management techniques used by Steve Jobs of Apple Computer, a well‐known charismatic leader, to resolve the dilemmas and tensions resulting from the dramatic nature of the charismatic relationship.

Acting entrepreneurially in nascent industries is a complex endeavor characterized by uncertainty and ambiguity. Nevertheless, entirely new industries do emerge, often as a direct result of entrepreneurial behavior. We extend and apply discovery and creation approaches to study entrepreneurial behavior during industry emergence by means of qualitative analysis of a film about the personal computer (PC) industry℉s formative years. We find that discovery and creation behavior are fundamentally interrelated and share a common element: bricolage. Moreover, ideological activism is a major component of entrepreneurial behavior in a new industry℉s formative years during both creation and discovery processes. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to suggest and state that an individual or company who aims to follow through the strategic leadership improvement pathway will find Bloom’s taxonomy useful practically when it comes to self-evaluation and simplification.

The global leadership survey statistics and findings are stated to define why global leadership is important and needed. In addition, there is an emphasis on the global confluence of markets, economy and technology, and how in the upcoming decades individuals would be required to build the skills stated in Bloom’s taxonomy in order to sustain and enhance their employment value. A strategic leadership development toolkit is used. Then Bloom’s taxonomy is infused with it, hence providing a practical implementation of how taxonomy simplifies the strategic leadership development process in organizations.

Statistics and facts of global leadership and technological surveys and studies are highlighted to emphasize the significance of strategic leadership. The required abilities needed in strategic leadership are linked to the six levels of thinking in Bloom’s taxonomy, thus implying that it can be used in the strategic leadership development process.

It is suggested that Bloom’s taxonomy should not only be used for educational purposes but can aid leaders in their quest to develop strategic leadership abilities and simplify the process to start and sustain their organization’s prosperity.