Our MCM today is the CEO of Apple and has been a long standing well respected tech executive for two decades plus, I present to you; Tim Cook.
Cooks most notable position within the tech world is the one he currently holds as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Apple Inc. He attained this post, having previously served as the company’s Chief Operating Officer, under its founder the late great Steve Jobs.
Recalling his initial introduction to Jobs, and the best ‘job’ to come; Cook said this:
“The people who knew me best advised me to stay at Compaq (because of the benefits etc at compaq outweighing what they knew of Apple at the time)
However on that day in early 1998 I listened to my intuition, not the left side of my brain or for that matter even the people who knew me best, no more than five minutes into my initial interview with Steve, I wanted to throw caution and logic to the wind and join Apple. My intuition already knew that joining Apple was a once in a lifetime opportunity to work for the creative genius, and to be on the executive team that could resurrect a great American company.”
What better story could be told, to show the world that if you listen to your intuition, and put IN hard work you could pay off all TUITIONs and graduate with honours from the school of success !
After accepting the role, working alongside Jobs (whom is often referred to as our generations most influential innovator) Jobs and Cook proceeded to forge a strong partnership, and rescued the company from its death spiral, which took it from $11 billion in revenue in 1995 down to less than $6 billion in 1998. As Forbes reported, under their leadership, the company went from its nadir to a remarkable $100 billion today.
In April 2012, Time included Cook on its annual “100 Most Influential People in the World” list.
Not content with simply being acknowledged as one of the worlds most influential people, Cook became the first Chief executive of a Fortune 500 company, to publicly identify as gay, encouraging others to be brave and attempt to open many more doors, beyond the closet door which many in the LGBT community deem the most daunting door to open.
It also worth acknowledging the philanthropic heart of Tim Cook, in 2012 he was awarded compensation of one million shares and vowed to donate his entire stock fortune to charity.
Though Cooks love for humanity and equality should come as no surprise to us, as he’s been at the forefront of multiple headlines (most recently in 2017) for his forward thinking, inclusive stance on equality. Tim Cook took to Twitter this month (July ’17) to protest U.S. President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender soldiers, he was joined by other tech executives like Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Google’s Sundar Pichai and Twitter’s own Jack Dorsey.
Here are 3 tips to being inspired by great innovators, and unlocking your greatness within :
Use your time wisely and you can never be counted out: As Apple Inc. CEO, Cook regularly begins sending emails at 4:30 am and previously held Sunday-night staff meetings by telephone to prepare for the next week. Reminding us GD’ers that dedication to routine = results. In fact Cook once shared that his leadership strategy focused on people, strategy, and execution; he explained, “If you get those three right the world is a great place”. Invest in good people, great plans and groundbreaking execution.
Wellbeing – Solitude does not make you a recluse: Make time for yourself whilst you are on your path to success. Cook is a fitness enthusiast whom enjoys hiking, cycling, and going to the gym. Your choice of activity to release endorphins (happy feels) may lie within yoga, meditation or a dance off in your mirror each morning. Whatever it is recharge and realign your energy to a positive frequency avoid static chaos that others may emit, by setting the tone of your day before society does it for you. Cook is known for being mostly solitary. He uses an off-campus fitness center for privacy, and very little is known about his personal life. Yet he is respected and acknowledged and revered when necessary.
3. Only go with your gut if you know, there’ll be no surprise sh*t: Within a speech given at a university Cook emphasized the importance of intuition during significant decision-making processes in his life, and further explained that ‘preparation’ and ‘hard work’ are also necessary to execute on intuition. In short, if you’ve impulsively partaken in a load of unhealthy activity, then you can only expect a messy outcome; however if you are in control of what you allow in and around you, it’s a much safer gut to GO with.
I think it’s fair to say Tim Cook, will continue to build and leave behind a legacy built on innovation, inclusion and integrity. In closing as per the words of Cook himself, “We pave the sunlit path toward justice together, brick by brick. This is my brick.”
Until next time be good to yourselves, kind to others and above all GROW DAILY.
Written by Karen Sherise
@fashionfacek
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