Leadership in the Technology Industry

By: Kyle Yergenson

Article Overview The title of the article is Apple’s Tim Cook Leads Different Article talks about difficulties that Apple CEO Tim Cook had to

over come when he took over as CEO of Apple when Steve Jobs got sick and later died

Most people and critics were skeptical of Tim Cook when he took over as CEO of Apple (How can he fill the shoes of Steve Jobs???)

Cook openly admitted he was gay to the public to help others by getting the message of “It is okay to be yourself” no matter who you are

Article Overview (Continued) Tim Cook never tried to be Steve Jobs, he always tried to be

himself He ignores what critics say and does what he thinks is best

for Apple When informed of major problems, he would say, “Let’ see

what we can learn from it” Cook behaves like a coach who trusts his players unlike

Steve Jobs Tim Cook is one of the few CEO’s who openly talks about

problems in society like Alabama’s slowness to act on racial equality, educational opportunity, and equality for the gay community

Apple is doing better than ever with Cook as the CEO

Trait Theories According to the text book Organizational Communication:

Approaches and Processes by Katherine Miller, one model of leadership is trait theories, where leadership is based on personality, social, physical or intellectual traits

Leadership Traits:

Ambition and energy Determination Honest and integrity Self-confidence Intelligence Sociability

Tim Cook’s Leadership Traits Tim Cook has all of the traits of a great leader, but he is very

honest. He will speak for what he believes in even if others don’t agree with him

The article states multiple times that Tim Cook is confident and courageous Alabama recently passed a bill to not allow gay marriage

and Cook spoke his mind about what he thought about it at a conference and he knew most people in the room did not agree with him

Style Theories According to the text book

Organizational Communication: Approaches and Processes by Katherine Miller leaders have particular behavioral styles that make them more or less effective leaders

Tim Cook’s Leadership Style

According to Blake & Mouton’s Leadership Grid, I would say Tim Cook falls under the middle of the road manager Article states that he is like a coach who trusts his

players, so he cares about his workers and trusts them to do what they are supposed to do

He’s aware and involved at the high end, and he gets involved as needed.

Contingency Theory According to the text book

Organizational Communication: Approaches and Processes by Katherine Miller, contingency theory states that there is no one best style of leadership. A leader's effectiveness is based on the situation. This is the result of two factors – "leadership style" and "situational favorableness”

Tim Cook Contingency

Tim Cook is a very versatile leader, he was thrown into one of the most difficult positions ever, becoming the CEO of Apple after Steve Jobs became sick

Everyone was skeptical of him at first, but he has led Apple to its most successful point so far

He changed the culture at Apple by making it more open to communication between its employees and putting more trust in the workers instead of watching their every move

Transformational Leadership According to the text book Organizational Communication:

Approaches and Processes by Katherine Miller, relationships are created between leaders and followers that helps followers reach their full potential and has the potential for transforming both the leader and the follower

Intellectual Stimulation -- challenge the status quo; they also encourage creativity among followers. The leader encourages followers to explore new ways of doing things and new opportunities to learn.

Idealized Influence -- serve as a role model for followers. Because followers trust and respect them, they emulate this individual and internalize his or her ideals

Tim Cook: Transformational Leader

Tim Cook is a perfect example of a transformation leader He is a great role model since he stands for what he believes

and what he believes is best for Apple, its employees and its customers even when others do not agree with him

He is running Apple different than Steve Jobs did, but its working and Apple is seeing its biggest revenue ever

He puts more power in the employees and lets them explore much more than Steve Jobs ever did, the employees like it and they are performing better

Satya Nadella (Microsoft CEO)

Number 1 most influential leader in the tech industry right now

Changed Microsoft’s business model with the release of Windows 10, which is centered on Windows as a service instead of an operating system

Dara Khosrowshahi #5 on Tech Top CEO List

“The leadership really cares about their employees and takes the time to make sure that everyone has the tools they need to succeed and excel.” – Expedia Credit Card Reconciliation Specialist

Tim Cook #4 on Tech Top CEO List

“Top level leadership is great. The common philosophy is all about doing the right thing for our customers.”- Apple Systems Design Engineer

Scott Scherr #3 on Tech Top CEO List

“A CEO that truly cares about his people... he walks the walk.” – Ultimate Software Solutions Consultant

“Always being able to talk openly, without conflict, the CEO knows every team member in Ultimate Software by name.” – Ultimate Software Services Mentor & Training Specialist

Mark Zuckerberg #2 on Tech Top CEO List

“Zuck is a legend in his own time, his Friday Q&A's are can't miss and it is awesome to hear him handle the tough unexpected questions.” – Facebook Client Partner 

“Leadership is driven by a tremendous and long-range vision, and does not optimize for near-term share price.” – Facebook Employee

 

Larry Page #1 on Tech Top CEO List

“You’ll see Larry and Sergey at TGIF and you’ll admire how they lead the company. They are brilliant, goofy, low key but intense, and likeable.” – Google Employee

“Hires the best and the brightest people and works on ambitious goals. You work on things that matter in the world. Larry has a great vision for the company.” – Google Employee

Thoughts/Future Research

Every successful organization has a successful leader as seen in the technology industry

I would ask Tim Cook or other successful tech leaders like Mark Zuckerberg if there is anything they would like to change about their leadership to better themselves or their companies

I would also ask what they see in the future for their companies and how they plan to prepare for the future

Works Cited Lashinsky, Adam. "Apple’s Tim Cook Leads Different." Fortune

Apples Tim Cook Leads Different Comments. Fortune, 25 Mar. 2015. Web. 09 Nov. 2016. <http://fortune.com/2015/03/26/tim-cook/>.

Bort, Julie. "The 16 best CEOs in tech, according to their employees." Business Insider, Business Insider, 10 June 2015, www.businessinsider.com/the-16-best-ceos-in-tech-2015-6/#-16-airbnbs-brian-chesky-1. Accessed 9 Nov. 2016.