I just got done watching Steve Jobs give his keynote address at the 2005 Worldwide Developers Confrence. Watch it Here I am amazed at how well he is able to cast the vision for the future of Apple. A couple of things struck me as I watched this address…
#1 – He grabbed everyone’s attention – Steve Jobs is not the most dynamic speaker I have ever heard, but his content is so compelling that I was hanging on every word. It showed me that it isn’t just the best speakers communicators. It’s the people who have great content and give their audience a relevant message t o their lives. He gave everyone a jolt when he spoke about Podcasting and the newest version of itunes which will have podcasting built in. It got everyone’s juices flowing just like a great introduction should.
#2 – He creates a culture of change – Steve outlined the major transitions that Apple has gone through in its’ history. Every one of them made the company better. It made the listener feel that change is simply a part of life and that chagne is necessary and good. It made me think about the church and if I am creating a culture where change is normal. Have I outlined the transitions in our church where change helped us accomplish our mission and vision?
#3 – He Breeds confidence – He laid out the switch to Intel as a logical progression if Apple is going to remain at the forefront of innovation. When I hearad the news of the Intel switch, I was worried. When I was done listening to Steve’s presentation, I was not only relieved, I was excited about getting my own Powerbook with an Intel chip! When he revealed that the G5 tower he was using had an Intel chip, I gasped! But when I saw that it worked, it gave me confidence in his ability to lead the company to where it needs to go. Church leaders should take note. Everything Steve was doing was building credibility for him to be ablet to take the company to then next level. Are we as leaders building credibility with those who we are leading? It starts by making great decisions and when you and I can link a bunch of good decisions together, people will believe us when we say God is leading us because they will have seen a track record that proves it.
#4 – The change was calculated – When the news of Apple using Intel chips was leaked last week, everyone thought this was an overnight decision and that’s why mac users like me were in a panic. But when he showed that this was a project that’s been in the works since the inception of OS X, I was amazed at the forethought and wisdom of the leadership at Apple. Churches has a tendency to do the opposite. We get hairbrained ideas on Monday night, and by Thursday we are changing the entire direction of the church. Instant change takes a great deal of time, testing, and tact to be successful.
#5 – He ended with a great commission – Steve ended the keynote with a message that this transition is not possible without every developer getting on board and being part of the process. I wanted to start developing software after this speech! It shows the power of a compelling vision and the desire we all have to be part of something that is not only bigger than us, but something that will make a difference. This is where the church should shine. Every christian has the ability to make a difference for the kingdom every day of their lives and even moreso when they commit to being a part o the local church.
I hope this makes us better leaders and makes us all buy a Mac!
