Tim Cook Being a strong CEO at Apple

1. Leadership in the
Technology Industry
By: Kyle Yergenson

2. Article Overview
 The title of the article is Apple’s Tim Cook Leads Different
 Article talks about difficulties that Apple CEO Tim Cook had to
over come when he took over as CEO of Apple when Steve
Jobs got sick and later died
 Most people and critics were skeptical of Tim Cook when he
took over as CEO of Apple (How can he fill the shoes of Steve
Jobs???)
 Cook openly admitted he was gay to the public to help others
by getting the message of “It is okay to be yourself” no matter
who you are

3. Article Overview (Continued)
 Tim Cook never tried to be Steve Jobs, he always tried to be
himself
 He ignores what critics say and does what he thinks is best
for Apple
 When informed of major problems, he would say, “Let’ see
what we can learn from it”
 Cook behaves like a coach who trusts his players unlike
Steve Jobs
 Tim Cook is one of the few CEO’s who openly talks about
problems in society like Alabama’s slowness to act on racial
equality, educational opportunity, and equality for the gay
community
 Apple is doing better than ever with Cook as the CEO

4. Trait Theories
 According to the text book Organizational Communication:
Approaches and Processes by Katherine Miller, one model of
leadership is trait theories, where leadership is based on
personality, social, physical or intellectual traits
Leadership Traits:
 Ambition and energy
 Determination
 Honest and integrity
 Self-confidence
 Intelligence
 Sociability

5. Tim Cook’s Leadership Traits
 Tim Cook has all of the traits of a great leader, but he is very
honest. He will speak for what he believes in even if others
don’t agree with him
 The article states multiple times that Tim Cook is confident
and courageous
 Alabama recently passed a bill to not allow gay marriage
and Cook spoke his mind about what he thought about it at
a conference and he knew most people in the room did not
agree with him

6. Style Theories
 According to the text book
Organizational
Communication:
Approaches and Processes
by Katherine Miller leaders
have particular behavioral
styles that make them more
or less effective leaders

7. Tim Cook’s Leadership Style
 According to Blake & Mouton’s Leadership Grid, I would
say Tim Cook falls under the middle of the road manager
 Article states that he is like a coach who trusts his
players, so he cares about his workers and trusts
them to do what they are supposed to do
 He’s aware and involved at the high end, and he gets
involved as needed.

8. Contingency Theory
 According to the text book
Organizational
Communication:
Approaches and Processes
by Katherine Miller,
contingency theory states
that there is no one best
style of leadership. A
leader's effectiveness is
based on the situation. This
is the result of two factors –
"leadership style" and
"situational favorableness”

9. Tim Cook Contingency
 Tim Cook is a very versatile leader, he was thrown into
one of the most difficult positions ever, becoming the
CEO of Apple after Steve Jobs became sick
 Everyone was skeptical of him at first, but he has led
Apple to its most successful point so far
 He changed the culture at Apple by making it more open
to communication between its employees and putting
more trust in the workers instead of watching their every
move

10. Transformational Leadership
 According to the text book Organizational Communication:
Approaches and Processes by Katherine Miller, relationships are
created between leaders and followers that helps followers reach
their full potential and has the potential for transforming both the
leader and the follower
 Intellectual Stimulation -- challenge the status quo; they also
encourage creativity among followers. The leader encourages
followers to explore new ways of doing things and new opportunities
to learn.
 Idealized Influence -- serve as a role model for followers. Because
followers trust and respect them, they emulate this individual and
internalize his or her ideals

11. Tim Cook: Transformational Leader
 Tim Cook is a perfect example of a transformation leader
 He is a great role model since he stands for what he believes
and what he believes is best for Apple, its employees and its
customers even when others do not agree with him
 He is running Apple different than Steve Jobs did, but its working
and Apple is seeing its biggest revenue ever
 He puts more power in the employees and lets them explore
much more than Steve Jobs ever did, the employees like it and
they are performing better

13. Satya Nadella (Microsoft CEO)
 Number 1 most
influential leader in the
tech industry right now
 Changed Microsoft’s
business model with the
release of Windows 10,
which is centered on
Windows as a service
instead of an operating
system

14. Dara Khosrowshahi #5 on Tech Top CEO List
 “The leadership really
cares about their
employees and takes the
time to make sure that
everyone has the tools
they need to succeed and
excel.” – Expedia Credit
Card Reconciliation
Specialist

15. Tim Cook #4 on Tech Top CEO List
“Top level leadership is
great. The common
philosophy is all about
doing the right thing for
our customers.”
- Apple Systems Design
Engineer

16. Scott Scherr #3 on Tech Top CEO List
 “A CEO that truly cares about
his people... he walks the walk.”
– Ultimate Software Solutions
Consultant
 “Always being able to talk
openly, without conflict, the
CEO knows every team
member in Ultimate Software
by name.” – Ultimate Software
Services Mentor & Training
Specialist

17. Mark Zuckerberg #2 on Tech Top CEO List
 “Zuck is a legend in his own
time, his Friday Q&A's are can't
miss and it is awesome to hear
him handle the tough
unexpected questions.” –
Facebook Client Partner
 “Leadership is driven by a
tremendous and long-range
vision, and does not optimize
for near-term share price.” –
Facebook Employee

18. Larry Page #1 on Tech Top CEO List
 “You’ll see Larry and Sergey at
TGIF and you’ll admire how
they lead the company. They
are brilliant, goofy, low key but
intense, and likeable.” – Google
Employee
 “Hires the best and the
brightest people and works on
ambitious goals. You work on
things that matter in the world.
Larry has a great vision for the
company.” – Google Employee

19. Thoughts/Future Research
 Every successful organization has a successful leader
as seen in the technology industry
 I would ask Tim Cook or other successful tech leaders
like Mark Zuckerberg if there is anything they would like
to change about their leadership to better themselves or
their companies
 I would also ask what they see in the future for their
companies and how they plan to prepare for the future

20. Works Cited
 Lashinsky, Adam. "Apple’s Tim Cook Leads Different." Fortune
Apples Tim Cook Leads Different Comments. Fortune, 25 Mar.
2015. Web. 09 Nov. 2016. <http://fortune.com/2015/03/26/tim-
cook/>.
 Bort, Julie. "The 16 best CEOs in tech, according to their
employees." Business Insider, Business Insider, 10 June 2015,
www.businessinsider.com/the-16-best-ceos-in-tech-2015-6/#-16-
airbnbs-brian-chesky-1. Accessed 9 Nov. 2016.