I've yet to run my own company, but I have been in many leadership rolls throughout my young life and one thing that I think all great leaders have is their ability to connect with people. Whether it be the the quite guy in the corner, the angry customer, or the hotshot who thinks he invented the wheel. Great leaders demand respect but they also understand the power of giving respect. Obviously Steve Jobs knew what his customers wanted even before they did, but after reading this post I realize that what made Steve such an incredible leader for Apple was the passion and dedication he brought to his job each day. Whether it be pushing innovation or connecting with his employees. My respect for Steve Jobs only grows.
I couldn't agree with you more; it doesn't take millions to build an innovative product that actually helps people. Of course you'll run into hugely successful companies like Gilt that require significant upfront capital, but no real innovation is going on there. Yes they have a great business model and great execution going on, but if your mindset is that you need millions to go after a big idea, you're probably thinking the wrong way.
Definitely, an interesting idea. I do a ton of follow-up emailing and it's crucial because because the first email often falls through the cracks. Plus, dealing with several different follow-up tabs on my gmail isn't nearly as efficient and Followupthen. My only concern is that it wouldn't be as easy for me to get an overview of my current email situation if I didn't have everything tabbed.
If you don't have the confidence to go after something solo, maybe you shouldn't be in charge in the first place. Having said that, personal experiences have taught me that a great partner can help innovation through the checks and balances that occur during brainstorming.
I definitely understand the resistance to this merger, especially on Dan Hesse's part, but lets step back and think about what a "big two" would look like (Don't we live in a free-market?). A Verizon, AT&T dominated market is still going to drive innovation and maybe even more important an AT&T merger with T-Mobile will help to improve the quality of their service for their customers. As an AT&T customer myself, I'm all for it. One thing I know for sure; $7 Billion in failure is going to drive AT&T to do what it takes to make this happen ($3 billion breakup fee in cash an additional $3 to $4 billion in spectrum and services).