The Decision that Changed the World

Jobs then demonstrated that this new “smart” device had a multitouch interface that let iPhone users smoothly pinch to zoom, employ physics-based interactivity that included inertial scrolling and rubber banding, and finally multitask to move seamlessly from listening to music to making a call, web surfing, or sending email, and back. 

Almost overnight, a market that had been dominated by international cell phone manufacturers became obsolete. A revolutionary new paradigm of communication, digital interfacing, and portability was established causing everyone else to play catch-up.  

Apple could have focused on a myriad of other ventures, but they chose to focus their efforts on one large bet: the iPhone. This decision started at the top with Steve Jobs and cascaded down through the organization, aligning everyone to this new focus. Legions of teams planned, designed, decided, and executed on all of the necessary hardware and software elements to make the iPhone one of the most successful product releases in the history of technology.  

Leadership is often distilled to prioritizing—deciding what to stop doing to focus on what you need to do. A leader must analyze opportunities, problems, and challenges from a big-picture perspective. Anticipate and plan for any and all variables. Focus tactics and team energies on key actions that will maximize and sustain organization position in the marketplace. This is the essence of strategic leadership. 

Effective strategic practitioners always remember the big picture. They look for new discoveries and improvements every day. They create and deploy short- and long-term strategic and tactical plans to attain prioritized goals and objectives, measuring progress and outcomes along the way. For Apple, success in their new venture started with the clarity of an informed decision by a committed leader—a decision that ended up changing the world! 

Application

Here are a few points for reflection: 

1. In your daily work, do you prioritize some of your decisions? Or do you see them all as equal?  
2. How do you stay informed on current and future market trends? Is this activity prioritized in your schedule? 
3. Are you willing to make the effort to ensure that constant, clear communication occurs to align all individuals with the specified goal? 
4. What metrics and reporting practices do you utilize to monitor progress toward identified goals?  
5. Are the people who will be most impacted by the decision involved in making it? While seeking the opinions, insights, and perspectives of others, make sure you allow them to share freely before they know anything about your position in the matter.