- A Pixar executive said his former boss Steve Jobs would call “at any time, day or night, three in the morning,” even if “you’re on vacation, doesn’t matter.” It’s a leadership trait he doesn’t want to emulate at the $7.4 billion animation studio. Other CEOs like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have fostered company cultures that expected workers to be “always on.”
While Steve Jobs may be best known for revolutionizing tech with the iPhone and iPod, few people may know about his double life bringing beloved films like Finding Nemo and Toy Story to life. He was one of the three founding fathers of Pixar Animation Studios, purchasing the group from Lucasfilm in 1986. But in helping lead the iconic movie company, Jobs had a certain habit that would drive any employee up the wall.
“He would call—especially the producers—at any time, day or night, three in the morning, you’re on vacation, doesn’t matter,” Pete Docter, chief creative officer at Pixar who formerly worked under Jobs, said at Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies Gala last week. “He wants to talk to you about it, you’re on.”
Docter assumed the Apple cofounder disregarded people’s downtime because he was so passionate about the work—after all, Jobs was particularly skilled at problem-solving and relinquishing authority at Pixar to let the animators really shine. But Docter said the after-hours calling is one leadership trait he doesn’t want to emulate, even though he slips up sometimes.
The leadership skill Jobs had that’s hard to replicate
Even though the late Apple CEO did not seem to respect staffers’ personal time all too much, he did hold their work in deep reverence. Docter recalled how Jobs was “pretty amazing at saying, ‘this is not my business,’” and letting the creatives have control over their projects.
Docter said Jobs carried a disposition that “I’m not going to come in here and direct this movie or tell you what to do.”
If it weren’t for the financial backing, supportive leadership, and animation geniuses at the helm of Pixar, it might not be the filmmaking giant it is today. The studio’s first movie was Toy Story, released in 1995—one of the most beloved films to come from Pixar, launching a five-film franchise, and counting. Pixar then went on to churn out hits like The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, Finding Nemo, and Up over the next 15 years. Under fierce competition to keep pace with the studio’s immense popularity, Disney acquired Pixar for $7.4 billion in 2006.
There were undoubtedly growing pains in scaling the studio, but Jobs had a particular talent in helping employees solve problems. Docter said he was able to understand issues quickly and provide guidance.
“He could walk into rooms where he knew nothing about what was going on…sit for about five minutes, and analyze what the conversation was really about.” the Pixar executive continued. “I think that came from years of practicing.”
CEOs who expect their employees to be “always on”
The expectation that staffers should be “always on” at the whim of their bosses is no new fad; it’s often the culture of high performance, so businesses can “move fast and break things.” Tesla leader Elon Musk is famous for sending out emails at odd hours, as early as 2:30 a.m., and expecting his staffers to match his intense work ethic.
“There are way easier places to work, but nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week,” Musk tweeted in 2018.
Amazon is also known for fostering a pretty tough work culture. A New York Times article from 2015 reported that employees were expected to be on top of communication, even if emails came in past midnight. If staffers didn’t answer promptly, they would get text messages asking why they didn’t reply. Founder Jeff Bezos has since promoted work-life harmony over “balance.”
