Tim Cook's Leadership Secrets

Tim Cook, the current CEO of Apple, has not yet made a strong impression like his predecessor Steve Jobs, but initially affirmed his own image. His devout style has helped Apple maintain its pioneering position in the world of technology.

Appreciate diversity

Diversity is not just a buzzword. In fact, the diversity of expertise among employees can increase a company's revenue. The idea behind this philosophy is that everyone can have different experiences and the company can take advantage of each person's valuable experiences to achieve success. Cook understands this and considers diversity a cornerstone of his management philosophy.

He once said: “We want diversity in thinking. We want variety in style. We want people to be themselves. And that's the great thing about Apple. You don't have to be anyone else. You do not need to wear a mask when going to the office. What binds us together are our values. We want to do the right thing. We want to be frank and humble. We need to admit our mistakes and have the courage to change.”

Transparency is key

With heavy criticism of Apple employees' work standards (especially through their manufacturing partner at Foxcom), Cook publicly let the world know about how Apple operates. In this way, he not only created goodwill in the office, but also set the standard for other factories.

“Our transparency in supplier accountability is an example of how our values are clear, and we can make an even bigger difference. We want creativity in our responsibility to our employees as well as in our products,” said Tim Cook.

Read customer mail

You think you understand your customers…but do you? Even Tim Cook, the head of the most valuable company in the world, still makes time to visit the company's stores and read customer letters.

“I visit our stores,” he said. You can learn many things in one store. I get a lot of e-mail, but it's different when you walk into a store and talk to customers face-to-face. It is very important not to separate yourself from the commons – perhaps the most important thing about being a CEO.”

Confess mistakes

“I think a lot of people, CEOs or senior managers, they always get stuck with old ideas, and they refuse or don't have the courage to admit those ideas are no longer relevant to the present. Possibly the best thing about Steve Jobs is that he had the courage to change his mind and decision. And you know - that's Talent," Cook said.