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Steve Jobs ‘one of the greatest leaders,’ says Google’s Vic Gundotra

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Google executive Vic Gundotra offered up a memory of now-former Apple CEO Steve Jobs on his Google+ page, praising him as ‘one of the greatest leaders I’ve ever met.’

The account gives us a bit of insight into just how hands-on Jobs has been over the years, during which he’s been described in many ways -- as a perfectionist, a control freak, a visionary.

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Gundotra, a senior vice president of engineering who is overseeing the Google+ project, described a 2008 phone call between himself and Jobs on his Google+ profile, and presented Jobs as a person who not only cared about details others may otherwise miss, but also who reached out in a personal way to make things happen.

The memory was posted on Wednesday night following the news that Jobs had stepped down as Apple’s chief executive and was being given the role of company chairman.

The move -- which was a bit of a shock even to many of those who knew this day was coming sooner rather than later -- essentially formalized what had been taking place all year.

Tim Cook, Apple’s longtime operating officer, is now officially chief executive after filling in for Jobs to run day-to-day operations since January when Jobs went on a leave of absence for medical reasons. CEO is not a new role for Cook -- he’s not only filled in most of this year, but also in 2004 and 2009 during other of Jobs’ leaves.

In a nod to Jobs’ health problems, the details of which are not public, Gundotra said his ‘prayers and hopes are with you Steve.’

Here’s Gundotra’s full account, as written on his Google+ profile:

One Sunday morning, January 6th, 2008 I was attending religious services when my cell phone vibrated. As discreetly as possible, I checked the phone and noticed that my phone said ‘Caller ID unknown’. I choose to ignore. After services, as I was walking to my car with my family, I checked my cell phone messages. The message left was from Steve Jobs. ‘Vic, can you call me at home? I have something urgent to discuss’ it said.Before I even reached my car, I called Steve Jobs back. I was responsible for all mobile applications at Google, and in that role, had regular dealings with Steve. It was one of the perks of the job. ‘Hey Steve - this is Vic’, I said. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t answer your call earlier. I was in religious services, and the caller ID said unknown, so I didn’t pick up’. Steve laughed. He said, ‘Vic, unless the Caller ID said ‘GOD’, you should never pick up during services’. I laughed nervously. After all, while it was customary for Steve to call during the week upset about something, it was unusual for him to call me on Sunday and ask me to call his home. I wondered what was so important?’So Vic, we have an urgent issue, one that I need addressed right away. I’ve already assigned someone from my team to help you, and I hope you can fix this tomorrow’ said Steve. ‘I’ve been looking at the Google logo on the iPhone and I’m not happy with the icon. The second O in Google doesn’t have the right yellow gradient. It’s just wrong and I’m going to have Greg fix it tomorrow. Is that okay with you?’Of course this was okay with me. A few minutes later on that Sunday I received an email from Steve with the subject ‘Icon Ambulance’. The email directed me to work with Greg Christie to fix the icon. Since I was 11 years old and fell in love with an Apple II, I have dozens of stories to tell about Apple products. They have been a part of my life for decades. Even when I worked for 15 years for Bill Gates at Microsoft, I had a huge admiration for Steve and what Apple had produced. But in the end, when I think about leadership, passion and attention to detail, I think back to the call I received from Steve Jobs on a Sunday morning in January. It was a lesson I’ll never forget. CEOs should care about details. Even shades of yellow. On a Sunday.To one of the greatest leaders I’ve ever met, my prayers and hopes are with you Steve.-Vic

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-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles

twitter.com/nateog

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