Are you an Individual Contributor and want to become a leader?

Ashish Chand
Apr 19, 2025
2 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

A burning flame — Igniting the indomitable human spirit

You know who the best managers are? They're the great individual contributors, who never ever want to be a manager, but decide they have to be a manager because no one else is going to be able to do as good a job as them."

What comes to your mind when you read the quote?

Individual contributors rarely are good managers, and the premise does not work. However, if I say this was famously told by the great Steve Jobs, you would say, "Hmm."

Take the leap and become a leader!

Born unique, we each possess the potential to create our own path. We all harbor hidden talents that emerge over time—from music and sports to cooking and the arts.

Some find wonder in the natural world of plants and trees, while others look upward, eager to decode the laws of the universe.

Some are driven to understand the complexities of human behavior, and others are captivated by the logic of numbers or the marvel of machines that mimic human intelligence.

The education system is designed to give us a taste of everything and leave us to chart our path.

Despite the hundreds of restaurants already serving us, new ones constantly appear. From fund managers and insurers to banks, new players emerge with clockwork regularity. Even in high-stakes industries like hotels or airlines, where the risks are immense, fresh competitors continue to take flight.

In each of these cases, someone believes not only that he/she is good at something but also that he/she can do better than the rest.

That is Mr. Jobs's point.