CEO Use Case: Steve Jobs, a Born Promoter
In his 2011 biography of Steve Jobs, journalist and writer Walter Isaacson made continuous references to three characteristics in the personality of the founder and most charismatic CEO of Apple. First was just how much a difficult person Jobs was to work with; there are a large number of stories and anecdotes about the thin, tall man yelling at employees and partners while piercing them with his unsettling stare. The second characteristic, which may seem contradictory, was his supernatural ability to motivate the people around him and push them beyond their apparent limit. The third characteristic was his outstanding capability as a communicator. Jobs is still considered by many as the greatest corporate narrator there ever was, based on his ability to engage audiences with his vision of simple, powerful, and elegant products.
These traits would often coalescence into something that Apple employees called the “Jobs Reality Distortion Field.” Named after a science fiction story where aliens create an alternative reality by using their mental force, Jobs seemed equally able to, by sheer force of will, change the conditions of the world around himself and convince others that his vision, contradictory to circumstances as it may seem, was the correct one. Even at the conception of the company and still a young man, Jobs pushed his friend and Apple’s cofounder, Steve Wozniak, to complete in 4 days a computer program he had estimated would take months to prepare. Despite Wozniak’s initial reticence, he was compelled by the absolute certainty his friend irradiated.1
Isaacson includes in his book a similar anecdote about the “Jobs Reality Distortion Field”:
One day, Jobs marched into the cubicle of Larry Kenyon, the engineer who was working on the Macintosh operating system, and complained that it was taking too long to boot up. Kenyon started to explain why reducing the boot-up time wasn’t possible, but Jobs cut him off. “If it would save a person’s life, could you
find a way to shave 10 seconds off the boot time?” he asked. Kenyon allowed that he probably could. Jobs went to a whiteboard and showed that if five million people were using the Mac and it took 10 seconds extra to turn it on every day, that added
up to 300 million or so hours a year—the equivalent of at least 100 lifetimes a year. After a few weeks Kenyon had the machine booting up 28 seconds faster.2
It is interesting to note that neither in this description nor in any of the others Isaacson includes in his book did Jobs tell his team how to accomplish what he was asking for; he just demanded results.
Outside of Apple, Jobs’s powers of persuasion were also legendary. The most quoted part of his 2007 iPhone launch presentation showcases the depth of his promotional skills:
Today, we’re introducing three revolutionary products. The first one is a widescreen iPod with touch controls. The second is a revolutionary mobile phone. And the third is a breakthrough internet communications device. So, three things: a widescreen iPod with touch controls; a revolutionary mobile phone; and a breakthrough internet communications device. An iPod, a phone, and an internet communicator. An iPod, a phone—are you getting it? These are not three separate devices. This is one device, and we are calling it...iPhone.
Today Apple is going to reinvent the phone.
In all these episodes, there are two patterns of behavior exhibited by Jobs repeatedly.
- He had a vision. Jobs’s basic formulation for all Apple products was based on providing a flawless consumer experience via (a) simplicity, (b) efficiency, and (c) design. During his conversations with both internal and external audiences, he would issue demands or promote values, but he would always refer back to the underlying vision in order to anchor his ideas.
- He used emotion to share that vision. Jobs was as famous for his quick temper and scant patience as he was for his passionate product presentations. When it came to chastising and, on occasions, praising his employees, he did not use a logical approach to evaluate their performance. Similarly, when engaging the market, he appealed to the audience sense of wonder by using storytelling techniques, humor, and surprises.
Both internally in Apple and externally in the market, Jobs was a born augur for his business, tirelessly driving his vision forward and engaging his audience at an emotional level. From a behavioral perspective, he falls squarely into a highly energetic, driven, and charismatic business style: the promoter.
The Bases of the Promoter Behavioral Style
The promoter behavioral style belongs to a dynamic and motivating type of person who places emphasis on big ideas. This is a style often seen in politics and entertainment, where charisma and smooth communication skills can be used to influence and persuade others. Government figures like Bill Clinton, TV personalities like Oprah Winfrey and Jay Leno, and actors like Will Smith have all been classified as promoters in the past.
The same as with the supporter behavioral style, the promoter displays an informal, people-oriented alignment, and it is this informality that makes them socially outgoing and friendly. But while the supporter has genuine interest in others from a human perspective, the promoter takes a more utilitarian approach and looks to gain influence in pursuit of specific goals or get approval from those they admire.
The promoter is doubtlessly the most enjoyable type of person to be around; he or she has creative imagination and excels in motivating groups to work toward a common goal. Where the controller does this via example and stern direction, the promoter has a softer touch, and their competitive spirits are collaborative rather than abrasive.
At its extreme, this type of behavior can become boasting or careless, jumping ahead to conclusions too rapidly. The promoter is not given to detailed analysis and can easily make generalizations that miss the mark. The promoter’s freeflowing nature often benefits from working with styles like the analyst or the controller, the two formal-leaning styles that focus on planning and structure, where the visionary aspect of the promoter fits well with the more down-to-earth approach the analyst and controller provide. If put under pressure, the promoter’s initial reaction would be to try and talk his or her way out of trouble, and on occasions, the promoter may throw a tantrum in order to escape a difficult situation.
In any event, the biggest asset the promoter style brings to a work environment is the promoter’s creativeness and expressiveness. He or she can help a team or organization to constantly keep in mind the bigger picture and define both the business value they provide and their corporate identity.
The Promoter at the Table: Negotiation
and Communication Style
The promoter is an innate salesperson, a prophet, and a guru all rolled into one. His or her default position when communicating is that of persuasion: trying to get others to share their point of view and, often, doing this in a charming way. The promoter is a highly sociable person who prefers to solve any existing issues by engaging in direct communication rather than drafting charts and memos. His or her capability to connect through many relationships may be seen as insincere by others, especially because the promoter can be selective in the connections they grows, developing more those that provide greater value.
During negotiations, the promoter can drive a hard bargain, but he or she does so in such an alluring way that it seems they are conceding on all points.
When communicating with the promoter, it is important to keep in mind that he or she generally has genuine interest in including points of view from others but may be derailed by their own vision. Making sure they look at issues from multiple aspects will help the communication process.
The biggest flaw of the promoter is his or her carelessness when dealing with details. A way to smooth a working relationship with them is by making sure (supervising them if necessary) that they have prepared and done their homework and by making them accountable for working through the mundane, mechanical tasks. Otherwise, there is a risk that decisions are made based on intuition with no facts supporting them.
The Promoter at the Helm: Leadership Style
While the other proactive behavioral style, the controller, is driven to win, the promoter finds that is not enough; the promoter wants to win and to do it in style. They have penchant for showmanship that fuels their popularity and prestige. The reason for this is that the source of authority for the promoter does not come from their technical or specialize knowledge, not even from his or her business savviness. Instead, the promoter is a leader by force of conviction and self-image.
The leadership style of the promoter can be relentless and puts great pressure on his or her team, but because it comes articulated around an inspirational style, it is readily accepted. As a result, the promoter will tend to focus on the positive outlook of things regardless of how dire they may be and will rally the troops around themselves and provide direction. Such enthusiasm may not change the nature or size of the problem, but it is contagious in a way that makes the task seem more meaningful.
The promoter leader is willing to take risks and aim for bigger prizes. This is partially due to his or her ambitious nature but, also, to the way he or she enjoys the excitement of fast-paced environments. Working under a promoting behavioral-style type of manager requires someone to buy into and share the grand vision and ultimate goals the leader sets, in order to endure the tougher aspects of the job.
The Promoter: Relationships Chart
1 W. Isaacson. 2012. “The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs.” Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2012/04/the-real-leadership-lessons-of-steve-jobs
2 W. Isaacson. 2007. “Steve Jobs.”