Saturday, December 20, 2014

A631.9.2.RB - Video Debrief of Team MA


After watching the video above, write a well-written reflection blog, discuss how your characteristics would have fit with the makeup and culture of the NeXT startup team. Your reflection should be very specific to the environment that you witness in the video. Make sure that you use your MA results as the basis for your discussion.

         Considering the age of the video, the session about NeXT featuring Steve Jobs demonstrates that innovation and entrepreneurship is something that will never go out of style.  What worked in the past can and will still works in the future.  It is amazing to see leadership in action.  You get to see the birth of a company that would change the technology world as we know it.  Steve Jobs definitely had his own style of leadership; many would say overly aggressive and somewhat pompous.  Sometimes, those are the leadership traits one has to have to create something the world has not seen.  However he was very definitive in his expectations; which seemed to stress out those working for him; however history has shown that many including those in the video bought into his vision. 

After watching this video twice and then looking at my assessment I am not sure if I would have fit into the working group.  I know I could have started out with the team, but I am not sure how long I would have lasted.  I had an enlighten discussion with Tom Labrecque in regards to my Management Assessment Style.  As I reflect back on the conversation, I realize that my Management Assessment Style were very similar to my Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment results.  I considered how my assessment results and personality type would benefit me in order to be successful with such a team.  My personal Management Assessment (MA) shows that I am best fitted for a large dynamic, venture business environment organization.  Although NeXT was not there yet, that was the vision of Jobs.  I am not surprised, because I tend to gravitate toward such operations.  The MA shows me that I am very goal ambitious and highly self-motivated (like Jobs) to succeed, but reserved in wanting recognition. If I were a part of the NeXT team; I would find myself in an optimal working environment.  I would be ok with the overall business venture risk because there was no personal risk involved. 

I attribute most of the assessment conclusion due to my 20 year career in the United States Air Force.  The assessment classified me as someone with a confident, highly introverted logistical leader management style and I contribute all that to my time in the military.  However, I do feel there would have been conflict between the way Jobs operates and the way I operate.  Hopefully, any conflict regarding our management styles would only be healthy productive conflict.  I’m motivated to solve problems not to create them.  However, the team relied upon someone else to solve their problems.  I am not sure if I could have been completely okay with that type of approach to problem solving.  It’s funny that my military career (aviation operations) was focused on problem solving and fact finding.  Those are two areas in which I agree with the MA, which stated I gravitated towards environments that required disciplined and constrained thought.

In conclusion, I could have fit within the NeXT culture; however, I do not have a strong desire to be recognized publically.  I just take pride in knowing I am doing my part to help the team.  Let Steve Jobs take all the attention he needs for his ego. As my MA results show, I would have loved the challenges they faced for this startup.  I have always been aware of my leadership traits and that I am motivated by internal recognition.  Being a role model is and has never been high on my list of priorities.  I am an operations manager and professional trainer by trade and I know very little about the internal workings of a computer or its programming; however it would have been such an outstanding experience to work with the NeXT team.  I think overall the management assessment results support the fact that I would have been a great contributor.  In the past, I have worked with plenty of bosses like Mr. Jobs and I have been successful. 

  

Youtube: Steve Jobs Brainstorms with NeXT Team.  https://www.youtube.

      com/watch?v=loQhufxiorM&feature=youtu.be

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