Main Discussion#1- Based on the readings for the week, would you say that Steve Jobs was an  ethical leader?  State your rationale. Are you an Acolyte or a  Rejector? Why? Respond to the observations of at least two of your peers  for this post. 

  The Story of Steve Jobs: An Inspiration or a Cautionary Tale? (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (http://www.wired.com/2012/07/ff_stevejobs/all/) 

Charan, R. (2006). Home Depot’s blueprint for culture change. Harvard Business Review. 84(4), 60-70. Retrieved from EBSCOhost database

Grow, B., Foust, D., Thornton, E., Farzad, R., McGregor, J., & Zegal, S. (2007). Out at home depot (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. Business Week. 

Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2007-01-14/out-at-home-depot

Stark, A. (1993). What’s the matter with business ethics?. Harvard Business Review, 71(3), 38-48. Retrieved from EBSCOhost database

REPLY TO EDWARDS DISCUSSION-

After reading the article on Steve Jobs being an inspiration or  cautionary tale, I must contend that he was a partial ethical leader  and more of an unconventional leader that demanded excellence. The  ethical leadership traits that he possessed was honesty and justice.  When it came to the employees he always told the truth and never showed  favoritism to nobody. “In 1994, Jobs announced he was firing a quarter  of the Lisa computer team, telling them, “You guys failed … Too many  people here are B or C players” (Austen, 2012). However, most of his  leadership was considered unethical because he did not consider their  feelings when he constantly used profanity towards colleagues.

When comparing myself to an acolyte or rejector, I would  consider myself half and half because I believe in having the ambition  of letting nothing get in your way of being the best, but I don’t  believe in going to the extreme where I have to runover top of  everybody. In regards to Steve Jobs, I would demand excellence from my  employees and reward them when they meet expectations. If I see workers  with potential that have made minor mistakes, I would not talk to them  like trash or call them names. Instead, I would give them honest  criticism along with motivating and instilling confidence in them. More  importantly, I would never take credit for another person’s work because  that will turn employees against you, which means there will be no  communication.

References

Austen, B. (2012, July 23). The story of Steve Jobs: An inspiration or a cautionary tale? Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/2012/07/ff_stevejobs/all/ (Links to an external site.)