Steve Jobs Gave Tim Cook One Piece of Advice. It Still Shapes Apple Today

The founder trusted Cook to lead in his own style.

BY AVA LEVINSON, NEWS WRITER

Apple CEO Tim Cook. (Photo by Karl Mondon/Digital First Media/The Mercury News via Getty Images)

Steve Jobs continues to leave his mark on Apple, largely through the lessons he imparted on the team that survives him, including CEO Tim Cook. Ironically, Cook has kept the founder’s mind alive through following Jobs’ recommendation to forget about his leadership style.

“[Jobs’] advice to me was, ‘Never ask what I would do, just do the right thing,’” Cook told CBS News Sunday Morning in an interview that aired March 8. 

Jobs Wanted Cook to Lead in His Own Way

While Jobs was working with Disney, after the entertainment giant bought his Pixar Animation Studios, he noticed the team would often become stuck trying to determine how Walt Disney would have navigated the situation in front of them.

Jobs didn’t want Cook to carry that same pressure, according to Fortune.

How Canva Became the Power Player in the AI Design Wars

“I’ll never forget that and it was such a gift for me, because he took off of my shoulder this question of, ‘What would Steve do?’” Cook continued. “I just put my head down and thought, ‘I’m going to be the best version of myself.’”

Still, since Cook moved into the CEO role in August 2011, he has kept a few elements of Jobs’ leadership style.

“[Jobs] had the vision that the collaboration was something that would produce great results,” Cook told CBS correspondent David Pogue during the recent interview. “That one plus one is equal to three, not two. That if you share an idea and debate it, it gets bigger and better. If you care enough that you call somebody at 10 at night because you just had an idea, that incredible things can come out of that.” 

© Inc.com