One strategic direction after another -- many of which seemed unlikely at the time -- was embraced with vigor and intensity by Jobs, and his ability to at least briefly convince others that it was right and certain to work (using his famous reality distortion field) is interesting and impressive. But in many ways, I am more impressed with Jobs' ability to quickly drop an old strategy when there was good evidence it was failing, and then turn to the next one with equal enthusiasm.
This may sound sort of crazy, but I also think it is how skilled strategists act when what they are doing carries a huge risk. You need to build enthusiasm about what you are hoping to accomplish, as energy and the self-fulfilling prophecy increase the chances that a risky idea will succeed. But you also need to be equally skilled at pulling the plug when your current tactic is failing
Bob Sutton, "The Pixar Touch: A Great Book by David Price," Work Matters Blog, 1 Sep 2008, bobsutton.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/09/the-pixar-touch-a-great-book-by-david-price.html via Lynn Monson.
