When it comes to Apple, it has always been largely about the late but legendary Steve Jobs. It is, of course, inevitable given the remarkable heights Jobs got Apple to. However, Tim Cook has carried the baton forward and has been Apple’s CEO since 2011. Steve Jobs was so iconic that some people sometimes lose sight of Tim Cook’s great work since then. At first, many people felt Steve Jobs’s shoes were too big to fill. Tim Cook has proven many critics wrong. That is why today it is relevant that we explore some things we can learn from Tim Cook.

Why Tim Cook Is Worth Mentioning

Before getting into the lessons, explaining why Tim Cook is worth mentioning is essential. The short of it is that Apple has grown bigger and better under him. To better understand this, you must look at global market capitalization (total value of all company shares) numbers. The biggest global stock market is the US – worth over US$40 trillion. That is roughly 60 percent of the total global stock market capitalization. Apple’s market capitalization when writing this article is US$2.9 trillion. This makes Apple the company with the biggest market capitalization in the world. Compare that to some entire stock markets in the world. Some examples are Canada, France, Switzerland, Germany, India, and Australia. Apple is bigger than any of those stock markets. This is a testament to how Apple continues to innovate and grow.

Recently Apple Vision Pro has been trending. It is arguably one of the most notable innovations to come out in recent times. Like the iPhone revolutionized smartphones, Apple Vision Pro is considered the same in the augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) space. All these and more are developments attributable to Tim Cook’s reign. Remember that Apple’s market capitalization was US$364 billion when Tim Cook took over.  That means he has boosted Apple’s market cap by almost 800 percent in over 10 years. No wonder Tim Cook is worth mentioning; now, some key lessons from the man:

The Power Of Vision

Understandably Steve Jobs left a huge legacy. No wonder many people felt Tim Cook would not measure up or surpass. Steve Jobs was known for being a visionary. That is why most of Apple’s products have become pioneers or standards in many aspects. Thus anyone taking the baton from Jobs would have to be even more visionary. That is something that Tim Cook has proven and continues to prove.

It demonstrates that he is fully in touch with the power of vision. The remarkable thing about Tim Cook is that he did not necessarily follow the same path. , he came in with his thought processes and way of doing things. Regardless, Apple has continued to grow and grow. You should take a cue from that to understand the power of vision. After all, the hallmark of a great CEO is being visionary.

Strategically Building From The Past

Some of you may know the famous filmmaker Christopher Nolan. He is the one behind some of the most mind-bending movies, e.g., Interstellar, Memento, Inception, and Tenet. He once said something about the importance of strategically building from the past. He once said:

I feel that with every film I do I want to be pushing myself. I want to be moving on from what I have done in the past; building on what I have done. Not throwing things away but trying to push forward in a new direction. But I also try to not be self-conscious about that. I do not want to do something because I have specifically designed on it before.

You can observe this in how Tim Cook has operated over the years. Technology is a fast-paced and highly dynamic space. What is trending today can cease in the short term. It takes a lot to develop timeless products. You are constantly faced with the demand of blending the past, present, and future into a fluid continuum. To achieve that, you have to build from the past smartly. That is something you can see demonstrated by virtually all Apple products. They have their roots in the past, immediate or distant, but are relevant to the present and tied to the future. This is something to emulate about Tim Cook.

The Rule Of Awkward Silence

This is one of the key regulators in Tim Cook’s communication style. He enunciates the importance of taking time to think before responding. Often we are careless with our responses or what we say in general. Particularly as a business or company executive, what you say matters immensely. After all, even when talking to anyone, this principle is pertinent.

You must take ample time to take in what is said, process it, and respond appropriately. Interestingly, this is also something you can learn from Elon Musk. I have watched countless interviews with Elon Musk. You will often notice that awkward silence before he responds to a question. It goes to tell you how powerful the rule of awkward silence is. You must incorporate it into your communication style as well.

You can draw These three lessons from Tim Cook’s huge success. There are more if you take some time to study his life. Given Apple’s huge success, there are many things to learn from him. In closing, a Tim Cook quote can inspire you:

History rarely yields to one person, but think and never forget what happens when it does. That can be you. That should be you. That must be you.