Lenovo Takes a Page From Steve Jobs' Playbook

 In theory, you could create a better Steve Jobs -- at least with regard to his product creation-presentation skills -- by finding someone with similar passions but without the personality flaws. That's what Lenovo is trying to do with Ashton Kutcher. He won't run Lenovo, but he could become its public face and do what currently isn't being done at Apple. He could do what Steve did: create magic.

If you look back at what Steve Jobs did, he took a hard look at Porsche and Sony, and then he effectively built a better Sony. As Apple's star rose, Sony's star crashed, but Jobs never targeted Sony directly. He just figured out what Sony wasn't doing right, and he did that extremely well while Sony lost its way.

He didn't copy Sony's products, he copied its mission. He then used Porsche-like concepts -- simplicity, focus, high quality -- to rebuild what once had been an amazing company into a far better one. Lenovo is looking at both Apple and Samsung, and it's moving to create a company that could eclipse both by taking the best parts from each. I'll share my thoughts about that this week. 

 

I'll end with my product of the week, which is steeped in irony because it is the best thin client ever created. Given thin clients were created to put companies like Dell out of business, the irony is that it is from Dell. Go figure.

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs is one of the most documented CEOs in history. There are books not only on his life, but also on his unique practices for both management and presentation. Over the years, I've read and reviewed a large number of them, and there is clearly enough information out there to actually turn yourself into a Steve Jobs-like CEO. Part of what you'll learn is that Jobs himself was built. He started out as a drug-using kid who didn't take baths, cried when he didn't get his way, refused to flush toilets, or wear underwear to become -- at least in public, because privately he didn't change that much -- the suave, smart, CEO you saw on TV and events.
Some things clearly couldn't be taught -- like his passion for products and quality, and his drive for details. Those were built into his DNA, but all the rest was learned. The information is out there for others to learn it, too. By the way, the two books to start with are by Carmine Gallo, who focused most on the mechanisms of Steve Jobs' Success. Here is a slideshow on his first book.
Now, Steve had major weaknesses. He was very insecure. He didn't like talking to media, he had a nasty temper -- and, well, a lot of the stuff I glossed over above detracted from his image. In theory, you could create a better Steve Jobs -- at least with regard to his product creation-presentation skills -- by finding someone with similar passions but without the personality flaws.
That's what Lenovo is trying to do with Ashton Kutcher. He won't run Lenovo, but he could become its public face and do what currently isn't being done at Apple. He could do what Steve did: create magic.