The passing of Steve Jobs is a loss to the world.  Jobs may have been an imperfect and sometimes difficult, leader, yet he has warmed the hearts of millions with his joyful, beautiful and super-functional technology.

Did Steve Jobs have a magic wand?   Or was he a super hero whose kryptonite was cancer? It does seem like Jobs had supernatural powers to be able transform an entrepreneurial venture into the number one brand in the world, producing products that have changed our lives dramatically

In fact, today APPLE is the number one most successful brand and corporation in the world.  And one of the few companies that is creating jobs, instead of cutting them, in this recession.

So what makes Steve Jobs the super hero of business?  First off, Jobs was a true visionary.   He envisioned brilliant products and created and marketed them beyond effectively.  Second, he was a perfectionist when it came to both engineering and design.  He settled for nothing less than the best, when making APPLE’s products, marketing, packaging etc. aesthetically beautiful with cutting edge design and international appeal.  He also recruited a team of top notch engineers, designers and marketers who bring his genius to life.  But no matter how smart and talented they were, Jobs was always the final decision maker.  He was the decider.  And most of his team accepted this.  

Finally, he did not believe in research.  He said, he knew what consumers wanted.  And he created it for them.  And he has was right 100% of the time. MacBooks, itunes, ipods, ipads.  You name it and we bought it.  Steve Jobs   always read our minds.  He was totally confident in creating innovative break-through products and making the final decisions regarding them.  In other words, he trusted his gut...his intuition...his inner knowing.

So what can we learn from Jobs?  He was not the perfect leader per the book.   His collaborative and listening skills may have been weak.  He may not have had all the qualities we like best in our leaders, but the skills he practiced outshined everyone else on the block.  He always got an A plus on:  vision,  communication  courage  and confidence – 4 leadership traits.  Steve Jobs' extraordinary success is a great lesson for us all.  While none of us are perfect leaders, we can be authentic leaders - honing our inner leadership skills, and not second guessing ourselves.

When Jobs stepped down as CEO, for the second time, last August, I said that I couldn’t wait to see what Jobs and APPLE created in the next decade. Sadly, we now know that he’s not returning.  Our hope is that his legacy at APPLE continues, inspiring his successor and the Apple team to continually innovative in the spirit in which Steve instilled in all. Most of all, I hope the young generation will be inspired to pursue the opportunities that technology provides us.  And that the products  they create will be in line with Steve Jobs’ philosophy of designing products that connect humanity, packaged in beautiful design that delights the senses and inspires the heart.  Live on, Steve Jobs.  Live on.

Leslie Grossman, Cofounder, Women's Leadership Exchange; President, Leslie Grossman Leadership

 (This blog is revised and adapted from a post  written by Leslie Grossman, which appeared originally on www.womensleadershipexchange.com on August. 28th when Steve Jobs stepped down from his post as CEO of APPLE.)