Fastcompany iconFastcompanySep 3, 2026 ~1 min source read

Steve Jobs said great leaders make 1 difficult choice most managers avoid

Capable employees miss opportunities to improve because nobody respected them enough to tell them the truth. Teams are navigating constant change, artificial intelligence is rewriting jobs, and many managers are leading people they rarely see in person.

Steve Jobs said great leaders make 1 difficult choice most managers avoid

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Useful takeaways from this story.

Capable employees miss opportunities to improve because nobody respected them enough to tell them the truth.

Teams are navigating constant change, artificial intelligence is rewriting jobs, and many managers are leading people they rarely see in person.

Will you prioritize comfort over hard conversations, or will you help push people to grow and become better?

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The useful part

Capable employees miss opportunities to improve because nobody respected them enough to tell them the truth. Teams are navigating constant change, artificial intelligence is rewriting jobs, and many managers are leading people they rarely see in person. Will you prioritize comfort over hard conversations, or will you help push people to grow and become better?

How it works

  • Challenge people and clear the path Jobs's full explanation deserves more attention than the famous quote.
  • He described his job as bringing different parts of Apple together, clearing obstacles, securing resources for critical projects, and pushing talented people to im...

Details worth keeping

If you care about employees, you should avoid making them uncomfortable. Other times, it is managerial cowardice disguised as servant leadership. Leaders who avoid difficult conversations leave people guessing.

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