I think this starts to make more sense if you realize that there’s a lot of organizations where a manager can’t make an outsized improvement in results but can do a lot of damage; in those places, selection effects are going to give you risk-averse conforming people.
But in places with very objective performance numbers — finance and sales in particular — there’s plenty of eccentric managers and leaders.
Same with tech and inventing, though eventually a lot of companies that were risk-seeking and innovative do drift to risk-averse and conforming. It’s admirable when organizations fight that off. I don’t have very many data points, but the managers I’ve met from Apple have all seemed noticeably brilliant and preserved their personal eccentricities, though there is a certain “Apple polish” in way of speaking and grooming that seems to be almost de rigeur.
That’s probably not a bad standard to be expected to conform to, though, since it’s like, pretty cool.
I think I’ve actually never met anyone who worked at Apple, at least that I can remember. If anyone can stall this by sheer force of will it would have been Steve Jobs. I would be curious to what extent Apple is/was unique due to Steve Jobs, and to what extent it has or is even trying to hold onto that now. The new regime seems from simple outside impression to be much more normal-corporate.
I think this starts to make more sense if you realize that there’s a lot of organizations where a manager can’t make an outsized improvement in results but can do a lot of damage; in those places, selection effects are going to give you risk-averse conforming people.
But in places with very objective performance numbers — finance and sales in particular — there’s plenty of eccentric managers and leaders.
Same with tech and inventing, though eventually a lot of companies that were risk-seeking and innovative do drift to risk-averse and conforming. It’s admirable when organizations fight that off. I don’t have very many data points, but the managers I’ve met from Apple have all seemed noticeably brilliant and preserved their personal eccentricities, though there is a certain “Apple polish” in way of speaking and grooming that seems to be almost de rigeur.
That’s probably not a bad standard to be expected to conform to, though, since it’s like, pretty cool.
I think I’ve actually never met anyone who worked at Apple, at least that I can remember. If anyone can stall this by sheer force of will it would have been Steve Jobs. I would be curious to what extent Apple is/was unique due to Steve Jobs, and to what extent it has or is even trying to hold onto that now. The new regime seems from simple outside impression to be much more normal-corporate.