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All eyes were on Apple CEO Tim Cook after he took over from the iconic and
masterful Steve Jobs. People did not believe he possessed the necessary
leadership qualities required to help Apple continue as a tech powerhouse.
We have quickly realised that this is not the case and Tim Cook is more than
capable of taking Apple to the next level.
Leadership requires skills that you must continue to refine as you progress
through your career. To help you do that, here are 11 leadership lessons we
can learn from Tim Cook.
1. Take risks
The life of a leader is not an easy one. At times leaders must make extremely
difficult decisions that can affect the lives of those around them. Although
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it’s difficult, you must be able to trust in your ability to take risks.
Steve Jobs was always a boisterous and unique individual, while Tim Cook is
far quieter and reserved. This may be because he is focused and listening
attentively to what those around him are saying. Saeed Magahsooloo, a
professor from Auburn University said, “I hardly ever saw him asking
questions. He sat quietly and studied.” The moment you notice your mind
starting to drift away from the conversation, you should focus and take down
the key points.
The old adage goes, you have two ears and one mouth, use them in that
proportion. This is a lesson from Tim Cook that should be implemented by
anyone with the goal of becoming a great leader.
Tim Cook is known as a leader who will trust the opinions and voices of the
team he surrounds himself with.
He is fortunate to have many top executives that can help share the
workload of the business. He understands these individuals are successful
people with innovative and brilliant ideas, and will often allow these
executives to take the lead. Philip W. Schiller, the senior vice president of
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marketing at Apple, has turned the image and sales around during his 14
year tenure with Apple. Mr Schiller made an impact on the company because
Mr. Cook allowed him to do so.
Part of being a leader is understanding that you don’t know everything, and
handing some of the workload to others on your team will go a long way in
helping you become a successful leader.
4. Diversity is important
Bringing the best out of people is not a quality many leaders possess and
working on refining this skill will give people the confidence to follow your
lead.
5. Be humble
Never forget where you came from. Tim Cook manages to find the time to
visit his Apple stores and engage with his customers, either face-to-face or
by reading their emails.
It’s easy to get swept away when you are CEO of the biggest company in the
world and it’s important to keep yourself grounded. During the interview Tim
Cook did with Businessweek, he said, “Not allowing yourself to become
insular is very important–maybe the most important thing, I think, as a CEO.”
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Staying humble will give you the respect of your employees and is a quality
that is necessary to becoming a great leader.
Strong leaders need to understand when they are wrong and admit it so that
they can move forward.
Tim Cook strongly believes in admitting when you are wrong. Mr. Cook spoke
about Steve Jobs and his ability to admit wrongs to Businessweek. He said,
“Maybe the most under-appreciated thing about Steve was that he had the
courage to change his mind. And you know–it’s a talent. It’s a talent.”
This is a strong lesson in leadership, having the courage to admit when you
are wrong and avoiding the mistakes of the past.
Apple is a company that is built around doing what they do and doing it well.
It may be shocking to believe, but Apple really only creates a few products.
Tim Cook stresses that this focus is a key to Apple’s continued success. “I
mean, if you really look at it, we have four iPods. We have two main iPhones.
We have two iPads, and we have a few Macs. That’s it.” Mr. Cook is patient
and understands that new and unique ideas will come. In the meantime,
Apple focuses on improving its foundation and the products people love.
To truly be a great leader you must believe in yourself and trust that you are
making the right decisions. Your actions also must reflect the belief you have
in yourself and this is a key attribute of Tim Cook.
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Many people are unaware just how much Tim Cook believes in himself to
make the right decision. According to Fox Business, when Apple’s stock was
tanking, Mr. Cook chose to forfeit up to one third of his stock-based
compensation (nearly $130 million over 8 years) if the stock under-
performed the S&P 500. There was no fine print; he chose to lead by
example and put his money where his mouth is.
Succeeding as a leader does not mean you have to give up being who you
are in the process. Staying true to yourself and being the same person will
help you become a strong leader. After all, that’s what got you there.
Many believed Tim Cook didn’t have the right personality to complete the
role as Apple CEO successfully, because of his calm and passive demeanour.
But he has more than proved he is the right man for the job. While Steve
Jobs was a far more aggressive individual, Tim Cook has not changed to fit
the mould of CEO before him; he has stayed true to himself and is
completing the job with his own strengths.
If you truly want to excel as a leader you must write your own rules. You will
struggle to find continued success if you lead based on the confines of a
textbook. You will rarely find real life scenarios and problems following those
in textbooks.
During a Q & A at Duke University, Tim Cook mentioned you must “write your
own rules”. If you do everything in a formulated manner, then the best you
can do is reach the same position as everybody else. It is a strong lesson in
leadership, knowing when to follow the rules and when to throw them away.
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11. Be transparent
Tim Cook has been an inspiration to many people since taking the role as
Apple CEO. His approach to leadership is admirable and his lessons can
teach us all how to build a solid foundation as a leader.
Source: https://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/11-leadership-lessons-
can-learn-from-tim-cook.html
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