Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was notoriously hard to work with and for — as is often the case with brilliant innovators. But is there something to be admired, and maybe even sought out, in his diva-like behavior?
Billionaire tech innovator Eric Schmidt thinks so. He’s long given the advice that temperamental types with a certain petulance about them have attributes that all bosses and workplaces need, even if they tend to drive us all a bit crazy.
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt said ‘divas’ are the best people to hire, even if they are … well, a pain.
Schmidt first gave his hot take on “divas” in the book “How Google Works,” which he co-authored with former SVP of Products at Google Jonathan Rosenberg. Rosenberg is now an advisor to Google’s parent company Alphabet.
In the book, and in several appearances since its publication in 2019, Schmit has extolled the virtues of hiring divas, those temperamental, maybe even egotistical pains in the you know what, who are often also the most brilliant people out there.
“You should hire the divas right now,” Schmidt said in a now-famous speech. That advice is definitely counterintuitive, of course — especially nowadays, when what is and is not acceptable behavior in the workplace is shifting.
Divas (which is important to note is not a gendered term in Schmidt’s use) have long been a fixture in American workplaces, especially in the upper echelons. Nowadays, though, this kind of combative, aggressive behavior is frequently frowned upon.
“By the way, if you read any management text, it says, ‘don’t hire the Divas,'” Schmidt went on to say in his speech. “Because they’re nothing but a pain in the (expletive) — and by the way, they are.” But, Schmidt said, that is also what makes them incredible assets.
Schmidt said ‘diva’ behavior comes from an often unrecognized asset — they passionately care about their job and team.
Divas, Schmidt said, are “the people… who believe” in the company, the team, and its mission, and it manifests as a passion that, yes, can be difficult to deal with. But the end result of that passion, he said, is greatness.
“…Divas… are the ones that will drive the culture of excellence,” he says, “and they’ll drive you to that excellence.” We’ve probably all known or worked for someone like this — exacting, a complete and utter pain in the tuchus, but whose undeniable brilliance rubbed off on us and made us better at what we do in the end.
For Schmidt, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is the quintessential example of this — who, to be fair, was pretty legendarily on the “bully” side of diva.
But Schmidt shares many people’s estimation of Jobs: A genius who, despite being a thorn in the side of his colleagues in many ways, regardless won pretty much unanimous respect from everyone who worked with him.
“Steve Jobs is a diva,” Schmidt said, “and I mean this in the most flattering way. They expect a lot. They drive people hard; they’re controversial.” But, he added, there’s one more thing that elevates them above the rest: “And they care passionately, right?”
Schmidt contrasts ‘divas’ with what he and Rosenberg refer to as knaves, whose egotism is entirely self-serving.
As any of us who know or have worked for a “diva” know well, they do tend to think VERY highly of themselves, right? There’s an egotism that is part of the package, and we tend to consider that a negative across the board.
Schmidt and Rosenberg disagree, however. In their book, they draw a distinction between divas and what they call “knaves,” the old-fashioned word for scoundrels and villains of all stripes. These people, they say, are just as difficult and annoying as the divas, but with one key difference — they offer nothing of value to the team or the organization as a whole.
“Knaves are not to be confused with divas,” Schmidt wrote in his book, because whereas divas are about “exceptionalism,” knaves are about “low integrity.” And most crucially, they are only in it for themselves.
“Knaves prioritize the individual over the team; divas think they are better than the team but want success equally for both.” That is a huge difference — a make-or-break one, in fact, as anyone who’s worked with or for a “knave” will tell you. Hence, Schmidt said, “Knaves need to be dealt with as quickly as possible.”
Of course, there’s a difference between being difficult and being abusive. A bully is a bully, no matter how good they may be for the big picture or bottom line.
But there’s something to be said for that diva-like “passion” Schmidt describes, especially given how lacking in vision so many companies and institutions are nowadays.
John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice, and human interest topics.
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