As demonstrated in the video, Steve Jobs was a very
motivated individual with a clear vision. He knew what he wanted and through
charismatic leadership, he was able to inspire others to leave Apple and work
with him on his NeXT adventure. As for my ability to fit into an environment
like that, my test results are mixed. Not everyone is able to fit into such a
fast-paced and highly charged setting.
First, in the area of independence characteristics, my score
was in the middle. I do not believe that I would leave to work for a start up
company because I like stability, which is contrary to what the results showed.
In general, my confidence level is high when I feel as though I am
knowledgeable about my job role and responsibilities. In a start up
environment, I would think that roles and responsibilities are not as clearly
defined as they would be in an established company. Employees are more likely
to be able to characterize their roles. The final attribute in this area shows
that I have a strong desire for structure. Based on the video, Jobs appears to have
vision but not a great amount of structure. I definitely like a certain amount
of structure at work and even somewhat controlled chaos is not appealing to me.
Once again, my scores were in the middle for achievement
attributes. What stood out to me in this section was my tendency toward
conservative goal ambitiousness and a high level of motivation by challenges.
The goals I normally set for myself are goals that I feel as though I can
achieve. They do challenge me, but they are not so lofty that I feel as though
I cannot attain them. In Jobs’s company, he has set a very hefty goal of
launching his product in a little over a year. Although this is quite a
challenge and I understand the need for deadlines, I do not feel as though I
would be able to achieve that goal and do my best work. My philosophy is I
would rather do it right that fast.
Risk is another area where my test results revealed a
tendency to stay in the middle. In Jobs’s company, NeXT, there is great
personal and professional risk involved. People left what I assume were stable,
well-paying jobs to branch out with Jobs. Professionally, they are exploring
new, unchartered territory which brings with it high risk. Even though the test
results were not conclusive, I generally am not a huge risk-taker and am not
sure that I would fit into this organization well.
Again, when it comes to innovating, problem solving, and
being creative, my results put me in the middle of the road. In a new company,
employees get to create their own culture and processes. The test showed I have
an inclination for using rules and standards and am not a fan of creating new
processes and being creative. In addition, Jobs was looking for people to be
innovative and solve problems they were facing. The test indicates that I am
more likely to identify problems rather than solve them and have an aversion to
creating and inventing. Because
this business venture is in the highly volatile and rapidly changing world of
technology, problem solving and inventing is an absolute necessity. Having
someone on board who does not possess those qualities is more of a hindrance
than a helping factor.
This venture is obviously one where individual recognition
is not likely. According to the test, recognition is an area that was
identified as important to me and with which I agree. The focus would be on the
team effort rather than individual effort. In my eyes, both would be highly
important but not necessarily provided in this environment.
Finally, the results showed that I do not define success
financially and clearly, financial success is essential to this start up as
they are already discussing how to cut costs just a few months in.
If I were considering or being considered for a job at NeXT
and only based my decision of employment on the results of the test, it would
seem that I would be a fairly safe choice. Most of my results were in the
middle of the spectrum, indicating that I am overall balanced and don’t fall on
one extreme or the other. I think that I would enjoy being involved in
something new and the challenges that come with it. However, after watching the
video, personal instinct tells me that I would not enjoy working there.
Although it would be exciting and challenging, the fast-paced nature, looming
deadlines, and stress that accompany both of those do not appeal to me. I
prefer to work at a more relaxed pace and reserve the right to change the
deadline if necessary without severe repercussions. Therefore, I do not believe
that I would fit into the culture at NeXT and, if given the choice, would
choose not to work there.
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