Steve Jobs’ secretary was late for work because her car wouldn’t start, so he gave her the keys to a brand-new Jaguar, saying, “Here, never be late again.”

With a few exceptions, most of us hate waiting. And this can be particularly frowned upon at work… Steve Jobs, one of the greatest visionaries of the technological age, was no exception to this rule. 

In fact, the Apple co-founder had a strict policy on punctuality, not hesitating to start his meetings without any late participants. 

However, behind this strictness sometimes lay surprising gestures, such as the one he made to his secretary, a single mother, when she arrived late for work.

 This story was told by Ron Givens, former Quality Director at Apple from 1981 to 1986. 

According to Givens, when Jobs’ secretary arrived late one day, rather than reprimand her or even fire her, as might be expected given her strict nature, Jobs simply asked her what had happened. 

He listened to her explanation and seemed to understand the situation. She then admitted that she had had difficulty starting her car.
But what happened next did not fail to surprise.

After this incident, Steve Jobs arrived one day with the keys to a car, a Jaguar, and handed them to his secretary. “Take them, so you’ll never be late again”, he told her. 

Far from being an insignificant gift, it was a pragmatic solution to a logistical problem. Jobs wanted to ensure that his secretary could arrive on time, but by giving her a car, he was also giving her a solution for being more punctual and managing her time better.
    

The Bigger Lesson:  

For leaders, the lesson isn’t just "give employees Jaguars." It’s about:  

- Listening-to the root cause of failures before reacting.  

- Solving problems-creatively when the employee’s contribution justifies it. 

- Setting clear expectations (his "never be late again" remark still held her accountable).