To say that Steve Jobs, co-founder and former CEO of Apple, was an unusual individual is an understatement of considerable proportions.  Possibly, although not quite, as considerable as the impact he had on technology (generally), the computer industry, PCs, the music industry, retailing, animated movie production, telephony and the software application market.  In each of these massive and heavily contested sectors, the influence of Steve Jobs resulted in profound changes.  Given the influence technology has had on human development , it is not too great a leap to argue that Jobs has in part shaped the way we work and play in modern times.

Unlike many creative and industrial geniuses, the contribution of Jobs was not limited to his early years.  One of his greatest inventions, the iPad, was released the year prior to his death at age 56.  How can one person have such an impact across such broad areas in such a relatively short time?  A clear answer is his flair for creativity, understanding consumer wants (before consumers did) and commercial nous.  But also, his ability to simultaneously think both strategically and with devout attention to the minutiae.

Jobs had the unusual ability to focus on just a few things, the few things that really mattered, and within those few areas to immerse himself in every detail; first to understand and then shape outcomes from the ground up.  This required extraordinary allocations of time and an exclusionary laser-like focus on the work at hand.  The attention to detail was prolific, as evidenced by a Monday morning executive team meeting taking 30 minutes of the group’s time to determine the shade of grey to be used for the Exit signs in the soon-to-be-opened Apple stores.

Too much attention to detail?  Perhaps, but that attention was focused in so few areas that Jobs and his team could be absolutely sure they got every detail right to make the Apple store concept a success.  Just to illustrate the success of the retail strategy, while Apple was designing its new store concept, Gateway Computer decided to close their retail network.  Gateway’s downtown New York store was receiving just 250 visitors per week and stores across the world were losing money.  Apple’s Fifth Avenue, Manhattan store opened to 50,000 visitors per week for every week of the first year.  In 2010 Jobs announced, “This store grosses more per square foot than any store in the world”

This laser focus carried over into Apple’s product strategy while Jobs was at the helm.  When he returned to Apple following the Sculley/Amelio regimes, Jobs immediately cancelled work on 70% of the company’s products, refining the focus into just four areas: consumer, pro, desktop, portable.  The mandate: one product per quadrant.

“Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do,” Jobs said. “That’s true for companies, and it’s true for products”.

I would say that is strategy: deciding what to do and what not to do.  It is strategic thinking at its very best.  The art is deciding the few elements that will have the greatest impact on your Purpose and therefore on which to focus.  Within those areas, leaders can and often must drill down as deeply as necessary to understand and resolve the issue or exploit the opportunity.

To do this, first define your organisational and individual purpose with absolute clarity.  Next, identify less than six of the top issues that will have the greatest impact on your purpose.  If you are a chairman, ensure those strategic issues are discussed at the beginning of every board meeting over the course of at least a year .  If you are a CEO, ensure your executive team is constantly focused on first understanding then resolving these issues.  Make the necessary allocations of time in team agendas and individual executive diaries.

As we come to the start of a new calendar year, now is the time to bring your strategic planning together to ensure you, your board and your executive team are clear about addressing the real issues that will have the greatest impact on your purpose.

Company Director magazine – September 2011, Vol 27, Issue 8
Click on this link to read the article John was recently interviewed for. Author Domini Stuart questioned John on how boards can steer their companies through uncertainty and tougher market conditions.

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Our Client

Our Client is an ASX-listed mining company, exporting to customers in China. The mine’s production is covered by a life-of-mine off-take agreement with its major shareholder.

The Problem

The ASX requires the Company to report annually on the management of its material business risks. As the activities required to achieve the organisation’s objectives become more complex and the availability of skilled people and resources more scarce, our client faced two major ongoing issues:

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