Chantytown

I found this interesting. Kinda makes since when you consider the youth vote support for Obama.

NPR: Clinton is the Established "Brand" Candidate

Clinton's management style is old-school hands-on where direction comes from the top down, says University of Denver business professor Jim O'Toole -- like Wal-Mart, where Clinton served on the board of directors for six years.

Obama, on the other hand, is a hands-off, delegate authority manager, says O'Toole -- more like an Internet start-up. These differing management styles mirror a debate that has been taking place at business schools over which style is more effective.

"Young people are comfortable with the flannel-shirted software CEOs," says O'Toole. "A lot of older people are more comfortable with the General Motors approach."

Which style do you prefer? Steve Jobs or Sam Walton?

Comicsartist

Steve Jobs all the way.

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Chantytown

I have to go with the man who gave me my ipod.

Comicsartist

It's quite simply a matter of 'old and busted' versus 'new hotness'.

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itsmeeeeeee

my rig's a mac!
so for me, it's jobs, all the way.

i want innovation.

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kaycee

Nicely put! I concur.

guest1234567

I thought this thread would get more action, so I waited to post.

But consider Steve Jobs very spotty record of success and ethics.

Apple/Apple II - huge success (I still have my Apple II that I bought in a health food store)
Apple III - failure
Lisa -
Macintosh - Success, and was the second computer to use a mouse. (first mouser Xerox PARC with CPM operating system) but Jobs did not start the development of this machine, he took over and then was relieved of his responsiblities because he was basically a whiny prima donna and they were losing money and were forced into massive layoffs. So that makes it a huge failure.

He leaves Apple as a failure


NeXT - huge failure, probabably technologically superior to just about anything there was, but a biz is supposed to make money.

Apple meanwhile continued its implosion and they bought NeXT and Jobs returned as CEO. The NeXT operating system morphed into Mac OS X. - Success at first but many think the OS has gotten stale while he turned his attentions to new ideas.

iPod and iTunes - Big Success but the iPod can also be looked at as an example of style over substance because there are more functional mp3/video players for less money.

Ground floor involvement of what was to become Pixar: Successful and he is (or at least was) Disney's largest single stock holder by a landslide (7% vs. Eisners 1.7% and Roy Disney's 1%)

Now say to yourselves, how many of you have ever uttered "Walt would be rolling in his grave" when you think about Eisner. Do you think Walt feels any better that the renegade is such a big deal now?

Ethics:

Stock Option fiasco that many think he tried to cheat on $20 million of taxable income by backdating the options.

Cancer: He recently had surgery for pancreatic cancer. HE TOLD NOONE ABOUT THE SURGERY! That can be considered fraud against the stock holders because he is the face of the company and if he died without a successor strategy, Apple is fucked.

Managerial Style:

Charasmatic as all hell, but as a manager people hated him, period.


Now do you really want to work for an egomaniac that left so much ruin in his wake while he became wealthy beyond his dreams.


Moral of the story: If Jobs is a "hands off" manager, then realize that Bush is a "hands off" president. Both have a history of leaving massive casualties in their wake as they ascended their personal thrones.

I don't want Obama to be hands off.


I remembered much of this but I did get some technical details from wiki: Steve Jobs - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

CosmicRocker

utterly ridiculous.
How can " brand names" ( the most overused phrase in marketing) - tell us anything about a politcians managing style?

If there was even a bit of an ex. to back up the claim, I'd consider it.
But the article is empty of anything but "branding" claims.

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Traveling Wilburys (l to r)

Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, George Harrison, Roy Orbison

guest1234567

It kind of is silly because if people look up Sam Walton they would realize that many people's current perceptions of WalMart are the results of actions taken after he died way back in 1985. Sam was very community oriented and charitable.

I disagree with the concept.

kaycee

Okay, first of all, please don't say bad things about iPods, because I just got one and it is my newest favorite thing!!!

Secondly, what would Hil look like if her job performance was rated in the same categories you put forth for Jobs?

I was strictly referring to management style, and delegation is something I prefer, personally, as a subordinate to one and as an administrator to others.

I don't want Obama to be hands off either, but I don't see how delegation and "hands on" are necessarily mutually exclusive.

You shouldn't delegate a task and then ASSUME it's done properly, follow up is a vital part of delegating responsibility. Ultimately the delegator is responsible, and we all know what happens when you ass-u-me. You get Brownie in New Orleans.

I don't anticipate Obama revealing the same kind of delegatory weaknesses.