Three Great Business Leaders: Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, and Bill Gates - Essay Example

Section/# A Comparative analysis of Three Great Business Leaders: Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, and Bill Gates When one considers the three names which have been listed within the title to this brief research paper, they may be quickly inclined to think that due to the nature of these individuals as well as the distinctly different realms of business that they represent that there would be little to any similarity between them. However, the truth of the matter is that even though the products that they might be representing and/or selling are inherently different, the methods by which they engage the consumer with and the means by which the actual communication takes place is far more similar than different. As a function of understanding this, the following research will focus upon the means whereby each of these leaders ascribe to the following communications strategies: captivation of listeners by tone and body language and the integration of a tailored/lasered message meant to engage the listener. Due to the fact that it would be foolish and shortsighted to minimize the extent to which key differences play into the process of leadership and communication development, this analysis will include a brief analysis within each of the following sections with regards to how the affected business leaders in question further help to differentiate themselves within such determinants. With respect to the Oprah Winfrey utilizes the first aspect of communication listed above, the observer can quickly note that Oprah herself provides a unique level of interest with regards to the subjects she discusses; acting as a prime motivator for how the shareholder views the product or the situation in question. Rather than merely filling in every space with words, such as many individuals who have received their professional start in talk show hosting are prone to do, Oprah’s ultimate strength is her knowledge of when to allow a sense of effect to develop and when to continue on; when to utilize body language and when not to (Sellers 2002). Similarly, with respect to the second determinant listed above, Oprah exhibits that she understands full well the importance of tailoring and “lasering” her message to meet the given need within the allotted time frame. This is a skill that many might otherwise overlook; however, it is one of the utmost importance due to the fact that without the ability to target the given shareholder with identifiable and gripping information, no matter how important the subject or how great the need to increase sales might be, the message will doubtless appear flat and otherwise stale (Sweeny 2011). Comparatively, Steve Jobs, during his brief lifetime, utilized the body language as well as verbal imagery to engage shareholders with the excitement and uniqueness of Apple’s product designs. As a means of presenting himself as the sole individual on an otherwise empty stage and methodically yet engagingly discussing these products with both a physical and multimedia audience, Jobs was able to convey a sense of awe and excitement that would likely not have been engaged by a lesser CEO (Gallo 2011). With regards to the second determinant, Steve Jobs seemingly had a type of built-in understanding for the type of language that would grip the consumer and provide them with a sense of awe with regards to the given product. As a function of this, his communication style was not one that wandered from topic to topic during the few brief minutes which he engaged with the public. Rather, there was a direct point, key functionalities, and technical specifications that were related to the would-be user within terms that would not frighten those that otherwise would not have a great deal of technical expertise or understanding (Cusumano 2011). This primary knowledge of the market with which he was ultimately engaging was the primal reason why Apple has become such a fixture of US technology and engineering that it is today. By realizing what the consumer needed relayed to them and tailoring his message as appropriate to meet such an end, Jobs is perhaps the best exemplification of the three business leaders that will herein be discussed. The final business leader that this brief analysis will engage with is that of Bill Gates. Gates himself is a unique example of an individual that was actually responsible for the development of the final product rather than merely a CEO that oversaw projects completed under his/her watch. As a function of this technical standpoint from which Bill Gates necessarily approached the business world, his communication style differentiated extensively from that of either Oprah or Jobs. However, even though his individual style differentiated and the means whereby Gates accomplished his goals were somewhat different, the same communication framework which has herein been defined was utilized extensively to build the product, direct the organization, and integrate key concepts and ideas with the public. Yet with regards to the means whereby Bill Gates was effectively able to utilize both verbal and non-verbal communication (i.e. body language) as a means of engaging key ideas with shareholders, this is an area of the communication process detailed within this analysis that Gates fell short on. As a function of not being a polished public relations guru and not necessarily having a natural spark for the form of communication, Gates would oftentimes come across as dry, stodgy, and/or a bit boring. This shortcoming has and continues to have detrimental effects on Microsoft and its viability within the business world. One need look no further than the recently widely popular “I’m a Mac and I’m a PC” advertisements to see how Windows and by extension Gates, were viewed as stiff uncool products incapable of catching the nuances of conversation and meaning that the Macs within the commercial represented (Carr 2012). Though Gates himself was definitely one of the most successful businessmen of our time, it is worth noting the degree to which his drawbacks in communication ultimately harmed the firm he represented and doubtless continues to cause a fundamental perception issue with relation to Microsoft and its products. As the prompt for this essay has noted, the ability for a communicator to truly realize their full potential comes only as a function of being able to plan, organize, direct, staff, and control each and every aspect of the business process over which they preside. Due to the universal communication strengths that have thus far been discussed as a means of engaging with potential customers and providing an exciting environment for which the firm/organization can hope to grow, all of these internal functions are served by the leader that represents the aforementioned qualities. In short, the development and exemplification of a successful business communicator is tried and proven within the internal environment before it ever has a chance to take hold within the outside environment. In other words, if a communicator such as the ones which have thus far been listed does not exhibit the ability to engage with the internal shareholders that represent the interests of a given firm or organization, they will doubtless have little if any success transmitting this same type of communication style or strategy into the outside environment. In this way, the communicator’s ability to engage with and excite the internal components of the firm is the ultimate litmus test for whether or not the entity will be likely to experience a high level of growth in the external environment. When one considers the case of planning, it is conceivable that planning could take place in a vacuum and be disseminated by a leader that has little if any trust in the component parts of his/her organization. However, when it comes to organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling, there is little if any hope that any of these will take place effectively without a clear, concise, and effective communicator at the helm which is capable of implementing his/her goals as a function of buying shareholder support and input into the process. References Carr, A. (2012). MICROSOFT WIPES THE SLATE. Fast Company, (169), 122-148. Cusumano, M. A. (2011). The legacy of Steve Jobs. Communications Of The ACM, 54(12), 26-28. doi:10.1145/2043174.2043184 Gallo, C. (2007). Steve Jobs' Greatest Presentation. Businessweek Online, 4. Sellers, P., & Watson, N. (2002). the business of being Oprah. (cover story). Fortune, 145(7), 50-64. Sweeny, A. (2011) Most Powerful Women in Cable 2011: The Top 50. CableFAX Magazine, 6-24. Read More