Duke's Fuqua posts video of Tim Cook speaking at class reunion
In April, Apple CEO Tim Cook discussed leadership while at his class reunion at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, and Fuqua has now posted snippets of Cook's remarks, giving an insight into the style of the man who took over Apple in Steve Jobs' wake.
Fuqua has posted (via Mac Rumors) seven segments from Cook's interview so far, covering collaboration, career planning, intuition, ethical leadership, and more. Asked by an interview attendee about the importance of following rules and the dictates of professors, Cook responded that it's more important to blaze a path than to stick to the norm.
"I think you should rarely follow the rules," Cook said. "I think you should write the rules. I think if you do follow things in a formulaic manner, you will wind up, at best, being the same as everybody else."
Cook quickly expanded that advice to include companies.
"If you want to excel, you can't do that. I've watched a lot of companies do that, and I think that's a rotten strategy," Cook said. "Maybe they'll be good for a few months or something."
Cook also spoke on the leaders he found most inspirational, pointing to Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. The Apple head said that photos of the two men are the only photos he has in his office, noting that he looks at them every day.
Cook has seen no small measure of success in the years since assuming the CEO position, with Apple's products achieving record sales and the company's stock experiencing record highs. Last year, Time named Cook one of the most influential people in the world.
Cook earned a B.S. in industrial engineering from Auburn University and his M.B.A. from Fuqua before taking on roles at Intelligent Electronics, IBM, and then Compaq. Steve Jobs brought Cook into the Apple fold in 1998 for the role of Senior Vice President for Worldwide Operations, where he transformed Apple's manufacturing operations, largely through sourcing those operations to manufacturing partners. Cook moved up to the Chief Operations Officer role in 2007.
Cook finally took the reins at Apple following Steve Jobs' resignation in August of 2011. Prior to that, Cook had temporarily served as Apple CEO in 2004 and 2009 as Jobs battled pancreatic cancer. He also serves on the board of directors of Nike and the National Football Foundation.
Fuqua has posted (via Mac Rumors) seven segments from Cook's interview so far, covering collaboration, career planning, intuition, ethical leadership, and more. Asked by an interview attendee about the importance of following rules and the dictates of professors, Cook responded that it's more important to blaze a path than to stick to the norm.
"I think you should rarely follow the rules," Cook said. "I think you should write the rules. I think if you do follow things in a formulaic manner, you will wind up, at best, being the same as everybody else."
Cook quickly expanded that advice to include companies.
"If you want to excel, you can't do that. I've watched a lot of companies do that, and I think that's a rotten strategy," Cook said. "Maybe they'll be good for a few months or something."
Cook also spoke on the leaders he found most inspirational, pointing to Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. The Apple head said that photos of the two men are the only photos he has in his office, noting that he looks at them every day.
I think you should rarely follow the rules. I think you should write the rules." ? Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook
Cook has seen no small measure of success in the years since assuming the CEO position, with Apple's products achieving record sales and the company's stock experiencing record highs. Last year, Time named Cook one of the most influential people in the world.
Cook earned a B.S. in industrial engineering from Auburn University and his M.B.A. from Fuqua before taking on roles at Intelligent Electronics, IBM, and then Compaq. Steve Jobs brought Cook into the Apple fold in 1998 for the role of Senior Vice President for Worldwide Operations, where he transformed Apple's manufacturing operations, largely through sourcing those operations to manufacturing partners. Cook moved up to the Chief Operations Officer role in 2007.
Cook finally took the reins at Apple following Steve Jobs' resignation in August of 2011. Prior to that, Cook had temporarily served as Apple CEO in 2004 and 2009 as Jobs battled pancreatic cancer. He also serves on the board of directors of Nike and the National Football Foundation.
Comments
Now if only they wouldn't do a WSJ on it, and would simply release the full video un-segmented.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ireland
Cook is coming into his own. He's a decent leader.
I agree. Cook is making his mark on Apple finally.
People call him boring. They say that he uses a lot of words (including repetition of "incredible") to say little. But they also can't get enough of him. Every speech he makes, every quote, every response ... all widely distributed and dissected.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SpamSandwich
I agree. Cook is making his mark on Apple finally.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ireland
Cook is coming into his own. He's a decent leader.
Now if only they wouldn't do a WSJ on it, and would simply release the full video un-segmented.
Is he coming into his own? Is he finally making his mark? Or are we finally accepting and appreciating the upside down grin? He sounds to me like he has always sounded. Some of his methods and bromides are straight out of the business school manual - frequent reference to the word "team" and emphasis of the positive, repetition of the BHAG and never forgetful when it comes to crediting others. But he seems genuine, always humble about himself but confident about the company.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stelligent
Is he coming into his own? Is he finally making his mark? Or are we finally accepting and appreciating him? He sounds to me like he has always sounded. Some of his methods and bromides are straight out of the business school manual - frequent reference to the word "team" and emphasis of the positive, repetition of the BHAG and never forgetful when it comes to crediting others. But he seems genuine, always humble about himself but confident about the company.
I think it is a little of both of the highlights above.....As time goes by it seems we are accepting him more and appreciating him more....he is stepping into his own legacy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ireland
He's a decent leader.
<..>
I can recognize you are British....
They call him boring because they want him to be Jobs - which he is not; not Jobs, and not boring. To be fair, though, they can't get enough of him because look who he's the CEO of? Not GE.
I'm Irish. My handle is probably a slight clue, haha.
Quote:
Originally Posted by umrk_lab
I can recognize you are British....
He's Irish. The nick should've been your first clue.
(tip o' the hat to Ireland)
If Tim Cook were not Steve Jobs' successor, I would not have read this article or watched the videos.
I always looked forward to hearing what Steve had to say. His speeches were mind-blowingly insightful about technology, and his product unveilings were an exciting show.
Tim is neither a showman nor does he have a way with words, and frankly, he is rather boring to watch. I'm not saying Tim's a bad CEO because he's not like Steve, but let's face it, Tim's just not very charismatic.
Honestly, the only reason I pay attention to Tim at all is because I own AAPL stock, and I need to know what he's up to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by am8449
If Tim Cook were not Steve Jobs' successor, I would not have read this article or watched the videos.
I always looked forward to hearing what Steve had to say. His speeches were mind-blowingly insightful about technology, and his product unveilings were an exciting show.
Tim is neither a showman nor does he have a way with words, and frankly, he is rather boring to watch. I'm not saying Tim's a bad CEO because he's not like Steve, but let's face it, Tim's just not very charismatic.
Honestly, the only reason I pay attention to Tim at all is because I own AAPL stock, and I need to know what he's up to.
In comparison, Tim isn't remotely charismatic. Can he successfully steer a multi-billion dollar company? Yes.
Thank you kind Sir.
This interview is infinitely better than that of D11. We actually got some insight from Cook here, and it was both enjoyable and enlightening, giving us a look into his thought process, personality, and what makes him tick. That's what happens when you don't spend the entire fucking time asking about future products, or making backhanded attacks. Ask questions Cook is actually comfortable answering, and you get some nice responses. I like what I hear from Cook, and am convinced that currently there is noone better suited to be CEO of Apple. The guy clearly has alot of depth, wisdom, and insight into what makes his company tick.
The *what* school of business?
http://thedailytiff.com/2013/06/03/omg-apples-tim-cook-please-move-to-del-boca-vista-and-make-room-for-someone-younger-and-more-alive/
Sure, sure... Some young, brave guy who would risk the whole company, then walk away unscathed after everything collapses, right? We already had that and his name was George W. Bush.
Shallow, shallow, shallow. She needs to go to Seoul and hang out with some Samsung gangster businessmen. Maybe you too.
Edit: Then again, maybe you and the author of that blog are the same person. Here's Tim Cook's counterpart at Samsung, at least until he had to resign; you might find him sexier:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/business/worldbusiness/18samsung.html?_r=0
Originally Posted by Eleanor Kalina
i'm sorry but this guy needs to step aside and let a younger and braver person take the lead! all that's left to say is this:
Just shut your mouth and go away.
Cook is three years younger than Jobs was before he passed. Bill Gates is boring. So why pick on Cook's age and "boringness"? I don't think a large proportion of prospective customers watch AllThingsD.