6 Most Creative Leaders in the Tech Industry

Creative leaders are like prized possessions for their organizations. They are commonly known as innovative leaders or innovators who are the masterminds or creative thinkers of leading industries. Who are these leaders? What kind of attributes, attitudes, skills, and qualities do these personalities possess? What drives them to be innovative within an organization? Creative leaders not only think out of the box but envision a path that leads their followers to take big, bold steps to turn an innovative idea into stark reality. It is a famous quote that the creative genius comparatively holds less significance in an innovative leader’s success than the ability to form an insight around an idea or set of ideas. So before we go on a hunt to find out the topmost creative leaders of recent times, let’s first discuss what distinctive behaviors set this group apart: They

• Are known for displaying excellent strategic vision.
• Are experts in developing a feeling of reciprocal trust
• Emphasize speed (testing their ideas quickly)
• Persuasive.
• Tend to be candid in their communication.
• Are proficient in setting stretch goals.
• They are passionately loyal to their organization and customers.
• Inspire and motivate by being practical.

All these characteristics are indifferent to culture, nationality, organization or industry. There are many influential people, who are an asset to leading technology companies, which bring off the wall ideas and have an inspirational real-life story of a successful career. However, we’ll be doing a detailed inspection of the 5 most creative leaders in the tech industry:

1. Jeff Bezos- The 55-year-old wealthiest man on the planet is also the topmost innovative leader of 2019. He founded e-commerce colossus Amazon in the year 1994 that started from his garage in Seattle. In 2018, Amazon had revenue of $230 billion and a record of $10 billion in net profit which was only $3 billion the year before. So how did he do all of it? Well, as we mentioned among many traits of an innovative leader, to be fearlessly loyal to the customers is invaluable. Bezos is focused on the customer to the extent that at every meeting he leaves an empty seat at the conference table which virtually represents his clientele. This shows that the customer is a key component in his business strategies and the most important person in the meeting room. Such a concept helps in cultivating customer value which is extremely beneficial for your company’s performance.
2. Bill Gates- The superman of the world of technology. It is his legacy that the internet is rapidly advancing each passing year since it started three decades ago. His Microsoft Company and Bill Melinda Gates Foundation have been gigantically influential and are duly credited for revolutionizing the computer industry. His outstanding record of consistently being the richest man in the world is proof that he is a creative visionary with a unique leadership style that is inborn. Gates is known to be a transformational leader because he focuses on personal creativity in himself as well as the rest of the team. Also, he believes in supporting every individual on a singular level rather than considering it as a resource for the whole group. This is why the Microsoft Windows expert Bill Gates’ net worth in 2019 is estimated to be $106 billion even though he gave away $35 billion to charity.
3. Mark Zuckerberg- This young Facebook mastermind in his mid-30s has got a lot of capital, monetary as well as innovatory. One of his keys to success is his passion. He follows a doctrine when hiring an employee for his company; which says that passion is more important than skill. It’s a culture at Facebook offices that employees are encouraged to pursue their interests before going for the assigned project. It is rather a true form of leadership, creating an atmosphere of motivation and engagement at one’s workplace. An employee who feels excited about his job will do his best and contribute most positively. His real-time net worth in 2019 is estimated to be $66.9 billion. He is also the co-founder and a board member of the solar sail spacecraft development project Breakthrough Starshot.
4. Steve Jobs- The phrase “small world” is a real thing since Steve Jobs achieved what he did. A world without an iPhone seems impossible for Generation Z. Jobs is widely recognized as the man who revolutionized the tech industry with microcomputers in the 1970s and 1980s. He is the CEO and co-founder of Apple Inc., the chairman of Pixar and a member of The Walt Disney Company’s board of directors. If he was alive today, Steve Jobs would have been worth about $31.6 billion. He is famous for his exceptional leadership qualities. He believed that the following excellence is more effective than chasing money. His unique, innovative ideas made Apple a tech giant. Another thing that mattered to him was perfection. Aiming for excellence and not willing to compromise on it is what made him an accomplished leader. He said that a great leader asks its followers to express their voice as co-creators which makes employees feel emotionally invested in the project or vision. Steve Jobs has unwavering faith in his people and their power to create better things. 
5. Reid Hoffman- LinkedIn is the modern go-to site for networking and job hunting. Reid Hoffman is an author as well as co-founder and executive chairman of LinkedIn. In 2014, along with his partners, he wrote a book called ‘The Alliance’ which talked about rethinking the relationships between employers and employees. It was written that this can be achieved by opening up, initiating communications and rebuilding trust between both parties, and LinkedIn came into being in December 2002. His net worth today is of $1.8 billion which makes him among the world’s top billionaires and a tech innovator. He believes managers should consider their employees' allies and power dynamics must be used positively.     
6. Elon Musk- As a South African born American entrepreneur, his companies include X.com, which became Paypal, SpaceX, OpenAI, The Boring Company, and Tesla. The products of his companies include online payment, space rockets, electric cars, solar batteries, robots, and artificial intelligence. He is often compared with the Iron Man from the Marvel Comic world. It is very obvious that whatever he can accomplish what he sets his mind to.         

Not only are they all creative, but they all also share a similar fanatical devotion to their products. The sheer determination they put into their goal is purely inspiring. Feel free to read more about them with the links cited below. 

Citations
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2018/07/10/eight-influential-tech-leaders-making-a-difference/
https://www.thomsonreuters.com/en/products-services/technology/top-100.html
https://www.businessinsider.com/stack-overflow-most-influential-people-in-tech-2019-4?r=US&IR=T
https://www.creativereview.co.uk/creative-leaders-50-innovation-in-tech/
​https://www.businessinsider.com/the-rise-of-elon-musk-2016-7