But having worked in Marketing at Apple, I think there's an interesting angle to the Steve Jobs story that we're not discussing. Rather than focus on what Steve has done, I think it's more thought provoking to understand how Steve was successful. Because in some ways his approach runs counter to how we're told enlightened companies should operate.

For example, we're often told that great businesses treat the customer as king. At Apple, the consumer is never consulted. Surveys aren't conducted. Focus groups would never make it past security. My boss was once shouted down for requesting budget for consumer research. In part this was due to Apple's highly-secretive culture, but I'd argue that a larger factor is Steve's belief that great products will create markets. In the classic movie, "The Agony and the Ecstasy," Michelangelo (played by Charlton Heston) asks the Pope why the Cardinals are critiquing his Sistine Chapel: "Why do you bring fools to judge my work?" I think Steve would share a similar perspective on a genius incorporating consumer judgment.

Similarly, we hear that enlightened companies keep few secrets from their employees, encouraging cross-departmental discussion and collaboration. Contrast that with Steve's approach, where information is disseminated on a strict need-to-know basis, where senior leaders often kept key information from their teams, and where one person's opinion is all that matters.