Some days I wonder why people like Chris Brogan, Steve Jobs, and Tony Hsieh are considered such great leaders.  Sure they have done some amazing things with some really big brands, but why are they held in such high-esteem by tribes and tribes of loyal fans and followers?  I don’t think it’s their education.  I don’t think it’s their personalities.  I don’t think it’s the way they dress, the cars they drive, or the people they hang around.  I think it’s the way they execute.  The way they hone in on a single idea and a singular approach to business: do things the right way, at the right time, all the time.  

In the video below, you’ll see Mark Parker, current CEO of Nike as he talks about a recent conversation he had with Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple.  The conversation may surprise you a bit.

I’m not sure about you, but I’d venture to say that the majority of business leaders would praise Parker for what he’s done with his brand.  Nike is on top of the world, an industry leader, an innovator, a world-class business, and the embodiment of all things athletic.  To Steve Jobs, Nike is a great brand with a lot of great products.  To him, that’s not good enough.  Nike needs to be a great brand with only great products.  It’s that slight difference (“a lot of” vs. “only”) that differentiates Steve Jobs from other CEO’s and industry execs.  It’s that difference that separates a success from a failure.  It’s that difference that separates the good from the best.  It's that difference that has led businesses like Apple and Zappos to the top and it is that difference that we should strive for everyday in our professional lives.

Inaki Escuderdo, Creative Director at GlobalWorks and one of the most creative and inspiring minds in the business says on his blog, “I’d like to be part of some conversations... Steve Jobs talking to Mark Parker is one of them.”  The amount of information we could learn is almost endless.