Jobs was a character with a philosophy: a thought leader whose colleagues were believers. He understood that leading in the workplace is about more than making major business decisions. Strong leaders set the tone for their business and guide their company—and employees—to be the best they can be.

It helps to have some principles in place that guide you—here are five of the best:

1. SELL YOUR MISSION STATEMENT TO YOUR TEAM AS YOU WOULD AN INVESTOR
You know that elevator pitch you've got memorized—what your company is all about, what your overarching goals are, why you come into work each day? That's an important message for potential investors and partners, but it's especially important for the people working every day to achieve it.

In a recent TED Talk, leadership expert Simon Sinek discussed the value of "why."

"Every single person, every single organization on the planet knows what they do, 100%. . . But very, very few people or organizations know why they do what they do. And by "why" I don't mean "to make a profit." By "why," I mean: What's your purpose? What's your cause?"

An inspired leader gives their employees' work meaning: managing their feelings of inspiration and value is as much a part of your job as overseeing their work.

2. A TEAM IS ONLY AS STRONG AS ITS PLAYERS
Apathy is one of the workplace leader's greatest adversaries. Given the choice between a staff of worker bees and a staff of self-motivated, goal-oriented leaders, I'd choose the latter.

While that may seem harder to manage, consider this: each employee has a specific job, and a specific role within the corporate culture. Each person has the opportunity to be a self-motivated "internal entrepreneur." From that level of motivation come ambitious new ideas and creative problem-solving methods.

A culture leader in the workplace should encourage that. Give people room