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Hitendra Wadhwa, professor of practice at Columbia Business School and founder of the Mentra Institute, teaches the university’s most popular class on personal leadership and success. These are two of his topics that most business students would like to know more about.
The extent of this was evident on a rainy January day when I attended an afternoon session at Wadhwa’s course. Despite the unfortunate weather, the energy was palpable, with every seat taken and some attendees even standing in the back.
Wadhwa literally wrote the book about looking inward to find outward success.in Inner Mastery, Outer Influence: How Your Five Core Energies Are the Key to SuccessWadhwa reveals how activating purpose, wisdom, growth, love, and self-actualization can help people make their true mark on the world.
Image credit: Courtesy of Mentora Institute. Hitendra Wadhwa.
Related: 8 inspiring quotes about leadership, courage, and success from Nelson Mandela
During the session I attended, Mr. Wadhwa told a compelling story about Steve Jobs, capturing his core energy in action: Even when times get tough, the best leaders are willing to pivot. It showed that.
“Innovation distinguishes leaders from followers.”
The story begins in 2001, just before Apple opened its first retail store. Ron Johnson, the company’s senior vice president of retail from 2000 to 2011, was driving to weekly planning meetings with Jobs when he shared his concerns about the proposed layout of the new store.
Like most retailers, Apple planned to organize its stores by product. But Johnson saw an opportunity to draw on the innovations that had helped Jobs’ brainchild already become one of the categories, designing according to activities such as making movies or listening to music. .
However, Mr. Jobs did not think so. With the store opening imminent, he didn’t think he had time for a complete overhaul. Mr. Johnson and Mr. Jobs sat nervously over their disagreement the rest of the way to the meeting.
Related: Steve Jobs once said, “People with passion can change the world.”
About 10 minutes later, when the two were in a meeting, Mr. Jobs told the team that Mr. Johnson believed the store’s design was completely misguided, and Mr. Johnson agreed. It surprised me. Mr. Jobs said he would step aside while everyone worked together to find the best way forward.
By telling the story of Johnson and Jobs, Wadhwa makes a valuable point. What kind of leader someone is in one moment need not determine the type of leader they will be in the next. The willingness to change your mind and think outside the box is a strength, not a weakness, even if it means more challenges in the short term.
And as Jobs himself once said, “Innovation distinguishes leaders from followers.”
Related: Is your leadership style more like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk? Learn how to communicate and why it’s important.
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