Stop Studying Steve Jobs. Start Stealing His Systems.

By Grace Kim

Eighty-seven percent of U.S. office professionals treat workplace volunteer programs as a factor when deciding whether to stay with their employer, a 2024 Deloitte survey of 1,000 workers found. The number sits at the center of a recent Entrepreneur contributor's argument that small business owners should stop idolizing founders and start borrowing the systems behind their results.

What do great companies actually sell?

Not inspiration, the contributor writes — repeatability. The writer describes the reflex every owner knows: looking at Salesforce, Costco or Patagonia and thinking "I wish I had thought of that." The mistake is worshipping founders. The opportunity is studying the communication, accountability and process systems that turn ordinary employees into consistent performers.

The writer's own experience shows the move in action. Years ago, a large business partner rolled out a philanthropy initiative that wasn't an occasional activity. It ran on a measurable process baked into the company's culture. The contributor's first reaction: "That's great, but we're not them." Replicating the exact program wasn't realistic, but the principle was portable. The contributor's company built its own version — tracking volunteer hours and rewarding team members. The structure looks different; the principle stays the same. That 87% Deloitte number is the reason the principle pays off in retention.

What are entrepreneurs studying instead?

Founders. The contributor calls out the obsession with Steve Jobs' black turtleneck, Elon Musk's work hours, leadership podcasts and personality tests. None of that explains why one company consistently beats another. The drivers that matter — documented communication systems, accountability structures, performance standards — rarely make keynote speeches. They explain why one company outperforms another year after year.

A 2015 Harvard Business Review study of more than 250 companies found that only 55% of middle managers could name even one of their company's top five priorities — and those were large organizations with formal communication processes. Ask your leadership team to write down the company's top three priorities for the next 12 months. If the answers don't line up, the contributor argues, you don't have a people problem. You have a communication problem.

How clear is "clear enough"?

Gallup's mid-2025 data shows just 47% of employees strongly agreed they know what is expected of them at work. The strongest organizations define what success looks like before performance slips, the contributor writes. They set expectations, communicate priorities and address gaps when standards aren't met.

Small business owners hesitate because accountability feels personal. Owners know their employees' spouses, kids, lives. Avoiding hard conversations creates confusion, not kindness. Directness and harshness aren't the same thing, and the best organizations understand the difference.

What four questions should an owner actually ask?

The contributor closes with a four-question framework that turns admiration into implementation:

• What behavior is the admired company trying to encourage?
• What system reinforces that behavior?
• How could I build a smaller version inside my business?
• How would I measure whether it's working?

The exercise shifts focus from founders to operations. The goal isn't to become Patagonia, Salesforce or Costco. It's to identify the systems behind their consistency — and adapt them to fit a smaller scale.

The most valuable things to steal from successful companies, the writer argues, are the ones hiding behind the scenes.