The One Leadership Quality Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and Marc Benioff All Share

Long before Apple launched the iPhone and changed the world forever, it was a mission driven company. Every product that left its doors, while Steve Jobs was in charge, was the result of his mission to combine technology with beautiful design.

Clearly defining his mission and executing it was an obsession. It even guided the way he recruited.

When trying to lure former Pepsi executive, John Sculley, Jobs famously asked him: “Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world?”

Born out of a strong founder-led culture, a mission-driven organization is not something leaders can fake or architect. Look at how Jobs turned Apple around and changed the way the world consumed content and bought software. In the same vein, Tesla founder Elon Musk hasn’t just built a global automotive company, he’s building a company that will help wean the world off its addiction to fossil fuels. These innovators are very successful at delivering on their vision. It wasn’t just tacked on at the end of a presentation.

As a result, mission-driven companies are forces to be wary of. A company driven by its mission is really hard to stop. Marc Benioff’s Salesforce is another really clear example where he’s managed to build an ecosystem that drives his philanthropic and business values forward.

Being driven by a mission keeps us heading in the right direction, and challenging what we’re working on so we can do beautiful work. A true mission gives you a reason to wake up in the morning, it’s empowering.

Musk, Jobs and Benioff are passionate, change the world kind of guys and as a result, their companies are doing an amazing job of transforming the industries in which they play in. But most importantly, they’re driven by their mission.

 

FULL ARTICLE