In 1997, Apple was weeks away from collapse. The company was losing money. Its product line lacked focus. Many experts believed its best days were behind it. When Steve Jobs returned, he certainly had vision. But one decision often receives far less attention. He simplified.
Instead of trying to compete everywhere, Apple concentrated on doing a few things exceptionally well. That required discipline. It also required something else. The willingness to abandon ideas that no longer served the company’s future. This resulted in the company adopting it’s 21st century philosophy “Think Different”.
That’s harder than it sounds. Many leaders become emotionally attached to strategies they’ve created. Great leaders become attached to outcomes instead. That’s an important distinction.
At OMT Human Capital, we’ve spent considerable time asking a simple question.
What characteristics will define successful leaders over the next twenty years—not the previous twenty? The answer isn’t simply technical expertise. Nor is it traditional executive experience. It’s cognitive agility. The ability to absorb change without losing direction. The confidence to challenge established thinking. The discipline to execute while remaining intellectually flexible. These qualities sit at the heart of the OMT methodology.
Open-Minded Thinking forms the foundation.
Linear Thinking provides structure and execution.
Divergent Thinking expands possibility.
Lateral Thinking connects unexpected ideas into practical innovation.
Together they create leaders capable of thriving in environments where certainty is increasingly rare.
Artificial intelligence isn’t replacing leadership. It’s raising the standard for it. Routine analysis will increasingly be automated. What becomes more valuable are the distinctly human capabilities that technology cannot easily replicate.
Judgment. Curiosity. Perspective. Wisdom. Adaptability.
These are becoming strategic assets. Apple’s turnaround wasn’t simply about better products. It was about better thinking. Different Thinking. That’s the lesson every organization should remember as we enter the AI economy. The companies that outperform tomorrow won’t necessarily have access to better technology. They’ll have leaders who know how to think differently when everyone else is thinking the same.
That’s the future OMT is building toward. And we believe it’s only the beginning.
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