The death of Steve Jobs two weeks ago will undoubtedly leave a huge gap in the Apple Empire, but as the immense level of inspiration he had on the industry becomes clear I can’t help but wonder; how does an individual become such an industry icon?

Reading his obituary and news reports what is obvious is his love for his product and brand. He reached the top of his profession by pure determination, drive and passion. In 1976 he was a stranger to the personal computing industry, but he died the best businessman in the industry. 

As the co-founder, chairman and face of Apple, Jobs was known to be hard and direct in his approach as an influential leader but people still wanted to work for him because of who he was in the industry, what he stood for and the brand he created. He connected with his employees and he lead by example.

This made me think about the content of the recent Hodes Connectivity Conference. One particular speaker that sprung to mind was inspirational CEO of EasyJet, Carolyn McCall who gave an excellent presentation about how she gets to the core of her organisation and understands the importance of employee engagement and connectivity. Carolyn spoke with such passion for the brand and it was obvious she gets 100% buy in from her employees.  I was on an easyjet flight yesterday (Milan to Gatwick) and got talking to the Cabin Manager. I asked her thoughts of McCall and she said ‘a breath of fresh air’ and ‘she is exactly what we needed’. So how does McCall engage with such a mobile workforce? One of her initiatives is to record a weekly message whereby the staff call a number and listen to the updates on the business. McCall will talk about the successes from the week and the challenges ahead.

It is the role of these industry leaders and HR professionals to get the full brand support from employees. Passion for your brand is key to success within business and providing a brand that employees are proud of is key to engagement. Steve Jobs taught us that with total belief, determination, drive and passion and by using your skills in the right way you can achieve anything.