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Leadership Profile Essay

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Leadership Profile Paper This paper will profile Jeff Hawkins, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for PalmOne, Inc. examining qualities that Mr. Hawkins exhibits that make him influential leader. The paper will also examine details of the business strategy that make this man an exceptional innovator and his contribution to eBusiness technology. Vision Jeff Hawkins a graduate of Cornell Universityis best known as “the inventor who, in 1994, took blocks of mahogany and plywood into his garage and emerged with a prototype for the PalmPilot” (PC Magazine, 2000). Joining forces with friend Donna Dubinsky, Jeff “pulled off one of the most successful new-product launches in consumer electronics history, selling 400,000 units when they debuted in …show more content…

He co-founded Handspring in 1998, and created the Visor, “whose thrift and expandability forced other makers to be more competitive. Visor, is among the fastest–selling computer hardware products ever” (Willis, 2001). Strategy When examining Jeff Hawkins business model during his time as CEO with handspring there was no definitive answer. Hawkins Business model seemed more like a question. “How do you make an exciting product that's pushing the envelope in some ways, but on the other hand is usable and accessible to a very broad populace?”(Barnett, 2000). Hawkins had a business model that relied on strategic partners to perform business tasks such as manufacturing and distribution. Hawkins strategy is to generate ideas to promote increased efficiency and cost reduction while striving to predict future consumer needs. For example, the Visor “can morph into just about any handheld device you can imagine, from a pager to an MP3 player to a global-positioning satellite receiver, simply by replacing a small module on its back” (Time, Inc., 2005). Leadership Successful leaders continuously show connections between vision and strategies. Mr. Hawkins exhibits many leadership qualities that inspire confidence and belief in the future. Jeff is able to articulate a vision depicting where he wants his organization or team to be. During earlier business project failures Jeff remained calm and

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