Tim Cook Vs Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs, while being applauded for his genius and vision as often been criticized for being too authoritative. He demanded and expected excellence from his employees and his company. Often times, he was rewarded with excellent results. When Jobs was diagnosed with cancer, he passed on control of Apple to Tim Cook. Cook was the Chief Operating Officer at Apple. He was responsible for the day to day operations of the company. Cook, a more quiet and reserved man than Jobs, also demanded perfection. However, his leadership style is significantly different than Jobs. Cook is more soft-spoken than Jobs. Both men demanded perfection, yet had different styles of leadership to obtain the desired result from their subordinates. This case study will compare and contrast the authoritative style of Steve Jobs with the more participative style of Tim Cook.

It is nearly impossible to talk about Apple without thinking about or mentioning Steve Jobs. His imprint on the company can be seen on every product sold. His extraordinary vision in the areas of design and engineering are evident on anything with an Apple logo. He was a perfectionist. Not only did he demand perfection from himself, he also demanded it from his employees and his company as a whole.

Jobs' leadership style was unique. He would often yell at and belittle his subordinates. Entire ideas for products would be trashed, even when they were near completion, because they did not meet his standards. His personality was one of extremes. He either loved something or he hated it. He either respected a person or thought that person was an idiot. If he loved an employee's idea, then he loved that employee; at least until the next bad idea. He was driven by his passion. Often times, it would cause him to act irrationally and make bad business decisions. This is in large part of the reason that caused him to be removed from Apple the first time around.

Nearly a year has passed since the passing of Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Many people, investors and customers alike, were worried that the future leader of the company would not be able to live up to the lofty expectations set by his predecessor. Tim Cook is not Steve Jobs and he never will be. However, Cook is not new to Apple. He is not an outsider coming in and changing the company ethos. He has been with Apple for thirteen years as Chief Operating Officer. This alone, despite the fact that he was acting CEO when Jobs was unable to perform his duties, makes him more than qualified to run the company.