I want to shadow Steve Jobs

From somebody who must know I received the following statement “He [Steve] doesn’t work the way most CEOs work”.

I am quite sure that what I would learn from Steve Jobs wouldn’t be management best practices. Actually I think that some of the things he does are pretty high on the list of “Don’ts” for effective leadership. If the stories about him are only halfway true, he is probably not an easy person to work for. Perfectionist to a degree of obsession, people who do not live up to his standards are doomed. Other people’s ideas have a tough stand if they are to survive a presentation to El Jobso. It even seems that his employees deliberately show him first their worst work knowing that the first idea presented would be rejected by default.

Not really what you would want to learn, I agree. And definitely not what they teach you at business school.

But what makes him successful then? Is it that in the meantime he can rely on a team of trusted people who do the work and “only” need him to provide the vision? Or is he pushing his people so hard because Apple is an extension of himself and only the best and the perfect thing is good enough? I would gladly sacrifice seeing effective leadership in action and trade it with understanding the kind of dynamics that keeps Apple rolling…