Comparing My Leadership Skills with Those of Tim Cook
My leadership skills and strengths
My leadership skills and strengths include significance, futuristic, individualism, focus, maximizer, strategic, learner, achiever, responsibility, and belief. I like being significant wherever I go and in whatever I work on. If I am not making any impact when taking part in something, then I do not deserve to be part of it. I prioritize the projects that I believe will make me more influential to the people around me. I am futuristic. I get inspired by what the future holds. Therefore, I like to formulate the visions to guide me into achieving what I want in the future. My individualization strength allows me to view my partners as individuals and not as a group. Even if they are working together, I like to acknowledge each person’s strengths and weaknesses. This allows me to understand how different people can complement each other’s strengths to achieve the same goals.
I am focused on my job. I do not like to be distracted. I like to prioritize the most important matters and then stay on track until I achieve the targeted goals. I am also a maximizer. I believe in making use of every person’s strengths to achieve excellence in a group. I believe everybody has something to bring to the table. Therefore, I ensure everyone is involved. I am strategic. I always have a plan, which acts as a map to a given goal. Having a plan helps to achieve a goal easily, rather than just getting things done with no plan. I am a learner. I believe that life is a school and we learn every day. I have a desire to learn because I believe it’s the only way to become better. Therefore, I focus on learning from the people around me because I know that everybody has something they can offer. I am an achiever. I am very confident in my abilities. I work hard so that I can achieve what I want in life. I take responsibility for my actions. I am also honest and loyal, and I appreciate people who reciprocate the same. I have my own beliefs regarding things. I believe that everyone has a purpose in this world to fulfill. Therefore, I have the values that help me serve my purpose in this world. Clifton tests state that if I amplify on these strengths, I can reach my full potential as a leader.
Leadership strengths and skills of Tim Cook
Tim Cook took over as CEO in Apple Inc. after Steve Jobs died. In the beginning, the public barely knew him, and many doubted his ability to lead the company. However, thanks to his qualities and skills, Cook has managed to prove himself to the company and the public itself. After he took over, Apple’s market cap hit $700 billion, which exceeded Steve Jobs, proving that Tim Cook is a better leader than the former CEO. Tim Cook has been named among the top 50 world’s greatest leaders in the Fortune Leaders list.
Tim Cook is a risk-taker. When he joined Apple, he knew that he needed to take risks to succeed. Tim stated that he takes risks bearing in mind that some trials are bound to fail, but there is no way a person will succeed without failing. Tim Cook believes in trusting those around him. He is popular for keeping trust in the opinions of his partners and team members. He acknowledges that even when one is the leader, he cannot accomplish all things independently. Therefore, he has to leave some roles to his team members and trust that they will do a good job. He has many top executives who he assigns roles to.
He trusts and believes that these people have innovative and brilliant ideas that the company could us. He trusts in his executives quite much. Tim Cook is also known as a humble leader. Firstly, he does not like to work in the spotlight. Also, becoming the CEO of one of the greatest companies did not change him from his humble nature. Tim Cook makes trips to the Apple stores and interacts with customers and retailers. Being close to them allows him to understand his market more. During his interview in the Business week, he mentioned that “Not allowing yourself to become insular is very important-maybe the most important thing I think, as a CEO.”
TIM Cook values collaboration. He states that a leader should look for people who value different perspectives. He likes to have the kind of people who will have an idea at midnight and call to talk about it because the idea excites them, and they would like to actualize it. He believes in having people who think that working together on an idea is better than working alone. Cooks believes that leaders are humans, too, and are bound to make mistakes, just like any other person. He acknowledges that it is okay for a leader to change his mind, admit he was wrong, and appreciate corrections.
One of the advice Cook gives to leaders is never to pretend to be anyone else. Many people thought that Cook was not qualified to be the CEO of apple because he was calm and passively behaved. This did not stop him from assuming the role and leading the company while all this time being himself. Steve Jobs was known for his aggressive nature, meaning that he had set high standards for succeeding CEOs. However, Tim remained a calm and polite leader and has still managed to drive Apple to success. He believes that leaders do not have to give up who they are to become successful.
Tim also advocates for leader writing their own rules. He states that if a leader truly wants to succeed, then he must have his own rules. He states that following the same established rules only means that a leader will reach the same level. Having their own rules guides one into achieving their full potential rather than being restricted by old rules. He also believes in transparency. Tim Cook faced harsh criticism about the working environment of Apple. Therefore, he opted to open the doors to the public to allow people to witness how operations are run. He managed to be transparent with the public and, in the process, instilled confidence in the public. Tim Cook is futuristic and strategic. He focuses on strengthening the company so that it can achieve long term goals. He also emphasizes o diversification, being focused and attentive, and maximizing his own and other people’s strengths.
Comparing Tim Cook’s and my leadership strengths and skills
Cook and I share leadership skills and strengths include being futuristic, strategic, individualism, trustworthiness, authenticity, learner, and maximizer. Like Tim, I like to focus on long-term goals, ensuring that today’s decisions will benefit my projects even in the future. Tim views his employees as individuals and not a group; he recognizes that everybody has an idea that they can share with the company. Like Tim, I always like to recognize each member of my team’s strengths, which helps me understand how people with different skills can work together to achieve a similar goal. Tim and I also value trustworthiness and transparency. Tim trusts his employees to make the right decisions concerning the company’s operations. He has made operations transparent to the public to gain their trust. Just like Tim, I value trust among my team because I give the team confidence in one another. I have also discovered that Tim likes to write his own rules. He emphasizes that leaders should not be tied down to old company rules that may hinder their success. If the rules need tweaking, then a leader should go ahead and do so. I have my values and focus on following them to achieve my set goals. Tim and I believe in honesty and teamwork as well.
Tim is a more experienced leader than I am and has more qualities that I do not. Firstly, he is a risk-taker. Becoming the CEO of such a huge company was a risk on its own. He emphasizes that leaders who want to be successful should be ready to take risks at whatever costs. I haven’t begun to take risks because I fear that the cost will be too high, and I will end up losing what I have been building. Tim has reminded me of a leader to be successful. They have to be willing to take risks. Tim also believes in being yourself, always regardless of the situation. He states that leaders should never compromise their nature to please people. I always find a problem to be myself all the time. It is really hard not to pretend to be someone else when you are in leadership. Tim is also quite calm and approachable. I love being aggrieved in leadership. I like people who focus on providing perfect work.
Leadership and management
Before Apple, Tim was the VP of Corporate Materials for Compaq. His responsibilities involved procuring and managing Compaq product inventory. He had also served as the chief operating officer at the intelligent electronics. He served 12 years in IBM, where he was in charge of IBM manufacturing and distribution functions. Before becoming CEO of Apple Company, Tim served as a chief operating officer and was responsible for its global sales and operations. These included sales activities, managing the supply chain and supporting the markets in all countries.
He participated in the continuous development of supplier relationships and ensuring flexibility in the market place. He is currently the CEO of Apple Inc., and managerial roles include being a leader. He advises the Board of directors, supporting and motivating employees in the organization. He also advocates for changes by encouraging employees to contribute to ideas that can develop innovative products. He is a decision-maker. He comes up with policies ad plans which he recommends to the Board. He also guides the course of actions in operations. He acts as a manager, where he oversees all operations in the company. He manages the human resources, financial and physical resources as well. He is also in charge of communication and public relations, overseeing designs, marketing, product delivery. In general, he is aware of every single role in the company.
When I compare Tim’s roles and his leadership skills, they do not vary; rather, they sort of aligning. He works hand in hand with the Board, entrusting that they will help him make the right decision. As a manager, he is responsible for ensuring that all operations align with its goals, which aligns with Tim’s futuristic goals. His risk-taking skills and love for diversification align with his managerial roles, where he is in charge of quality delivery. One of the differing rules may be formulating his own rules. Tim believes in following his own rules, but we see that as a CEO, rules and policies have to be validated by the Board. Tim is a leader who is true to himself and manages the company according to his skills and abilities and does not let the situations change who he is.
Impacts of Tim Cook’s leadership skills on the company
Tim’s leadership skills have helped the company make developmental changes in ways that Steve jobs couldn’t. As stated, Tim Cook is a trustworthy man. He believes in transparency. He stressed transparency and teamwork within the company, which streamlined the operations. He even opened the doors of people to the public to understand how operations were carried out. His calm and humble nature made him more approachable that job. This improved the relationships between the lower subordinates and the higher subordinates, as Tim believed that everybody has an idea to share with the company. Currently, the employees strive to foo new ideas because they know that they will be considered, and when one is implemented, they get to be rewarded.
His trusting nature has also strengthened Apple’s organization’s structure. Tim does not make decisions on his own rather;, he trusts the Board of directors to help him in decision-making. This also increases the cohesiveness in the top management. When the top management is united, the company has a chance of making it to succeed because its stability depends on the strength of its organizational structure. Cook also encourages his employees through an open door policy. Employees are free to give their opinions and grievances. This encourages a collaborative environment. During the job era, employees worked under pressure because perfection and excellence were expected of them. Unlike Jobs, Tim approves that leaders can make mistakes as well. Therefore, employees are not afraid to make mistakes as they try to create innovative ways to run operations. Providing such a platform for employees makes it easier for them to report any mistakes they make because they are not afraid of scrutiny or even losing their jobs.
Impacts of Tim Cook’s leadership and managerial roles
Tim Cook’s management roles and functions have improved its organizational structure, operations, and communication. Being the CEO and leader of the Board of directors, he allows the members to freely contribute ideas and participate in decision-making, strengthening the organizational structure. He manages all the operations in Apple, ensuring that they align with the company’s objectives. This has streamlined apple’s operations because he preaches transparency and has even gone to the extent of opening the doors to the public to witness the environmental conditions that the employees work under. In the process, the company has established strong bonds between the employees and the customers. He has enhanced communication by making himself approachable and giving employees the privilege to participate in decision-making. He also motivates employees through rewards for every idea that is incorporated into the company’s operations. He has managed to drive innovations that have benefitted the country in greater lengths through his authoritarian management style. Tim Cook has also facilitated the efficiency of Apple’s operations by building strong relationships with the suppliers. The also makes his own rules that help him to achieve his newly set goals.