- Apple CEO Tim Cook has been at the helm of the company since 2011.
- Cook's tenure has provided valuable lessons learned that managers and executives can use to make improvements.
- He took Apple to new heights by asking questions and sticking to his values.
Tim Cook has been Apple's CEO since 2011 and has led the tech giant through major milestones and difficult times.
The Alabama native is known for his mild-mannered demeanor and relatively private life outside of work, but he has become an iconic name during his 13 years in leadership roles at Apple.
It hasn't been easy: Apple has faced increasing competition in recent years, most recently with fines from the European Union and an antitrust lawsuit from the Department of Justice.
Still, Cook has led the company through some big releases this year alone, including the launch of the Vision Pro headset and Apple Intelligence.
Here are five things any business owner or CEO can do to run their company like the 63-year-old Apple CEO.
Lead with your values
Cook addressed Gallaudet University's Class of 2022 graduating class and gave them some important career advice.
“There's one piece of advice I want to give you, and it's so important that this is the only piece of advice I'm giving you today: Whatever you do, act in accordance with your values,” he told students in his commencement speech.
Cook continued, “Living by your values means that every day decisions, big and small, should be informed by a deep understanding of who you are and what you believe.”
Know the difference between preparation and preparation
In another commencement speech, this time to Stanford University students, Cook spoke about taking over at Apple after co-founder Steve Jobs took medical leave and subsequently died in 2011.
He said he “learned the true, visceral difference between preparation and mindset” when Jobs “really passed away,” adding that it was a lonely time for him.
“A leader may prepare you, but he won't make you ready.”
ask a question
Cook is known for putting his employees in tough positions.
In the book “Tim Cook: The genius who took Apple to the next levelAccording to Leander Kearney's book “Questioning Employees is a Management Tactic Frequently Used by Mr. Cook,” questioning employees is said to be a management tactic frequently used by Mr. Cook.
Carney writes that Cook could “wear down his employees with endless questioning,” which the Apple CEO did to ensure his employees had a deep understanding of the tasks they were given, according to the book.
“He's a very quiet leader,” Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, told Carney, according to the book. “He's not a screaming or yelling guy,” he said, adding, “He's just very calm and collected, but he does ask a lot of questions. You better know what you know.”
Don't worry about “legacy”
While Cook didn't offer this as advice, his views on legacy appear to differ from those of other leading CEOs.
In a 2024 interview with tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee, Cook said he hadn't really thought much about his own accomplishments because they were “someone else's definition.”
He's also accepting the inevitable end of his tenure as Apple's head and the beginning of a new CEO legacy.
“One day, there will be another CEO,” Cook said, “and my whole life will be focused on making them successful.”
Stay up to date
Cook has said that he reads hundreds of employee and customer feedback emails every morning to see how Apple can improve.
For him, it's a way to “get a grip on what the community is feeling,” he told singer Dua Lipa in November. In past interviews, Cook has said he receives about 800 emails every day, and reads most of them.
“I read a lot of emails from customers and employees. Customers tell me what they like about our company and what they'd like to see changed,” he said. “Employees give me ideas.”
