- Tim Cook told The Wall Street Journal he uses Steve Jobs’ leadership lessons to guide Apple.
- Jobs’ influence on innovation and small team dynamics remains crucial for Apple’s success.
- Cook emphasized the importance of hiring top talent to challenge leadership at Apple.
Apple CEO Tim Cook still uses lessons from his predecessor to help guide the tech giant.
Although Steve Jobs, cofounder and former CEO of Apple, died over a decade ago, his unique leadership style has had a lasting impact on current tech heads. During a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Cook opened up about some of the knowledge he inherited from his time working under him.
“He taught me the value of innovation,” Cook said.
Under Jobs’ management, Apple introduced the world to MacBooks, iPods, and the revolutionary iPhone. As the artificial intelligence arms race continues and Apple fights to beat out local competitors in important regions like Greater China with the iPhone 16, Cook will need all the wisdom he can muster to stay ahead.
Over the years, Cook has spoken highly of working under Jobs. He’s revealed nuggets of advice from Jobs during speeches and interviews throughout his tenure at the company.
Here are three more things Cooks said the late Jobs taught him about management.
“Small teams could do amazing things”
Cook saat the teams responsible for creating the iPod and iPhone were “very small teams in the scheme of things.”
The iPhone team might’ve been small, but it’s responsible for the device that revolutionized smartphones.
Hire people that challenge you
Apple is known as one of the top places to work in the tech industry, but it’s also one of the hardest places to land a job. There’s a reason for that, according to Cook.
He told the Journal that Jobs taught him to hire “the best people to surround you that challenge you.” He added that your employees should also “have skills that you don’t,” and managers should feel confident about that.
Don’t be afraid to change your mind
The good thing about hiring “the best people” is that you can trust that their ideas might be better than yours. Cook said he learned “not to be married to your past views” while working with Jobs.
Jobs could change in an instant when “presented with new evidence and things.”
At first, Cook said he was taken aback by the tactic, but he soon became “so enamored with it.”
“Very few people have that skill because they get so married to their past views. And, I thought it was a brilliant skill,” Cook said.
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