Leading a giant in the tech industry can be a lonely job. Apple CEO Tim Cook has first-hand experience on how difficult it is to keep up with a company that on such a massive scale of success.
Tim Cook was made Apple CEO on Aug. 24, 2011 and has been leading the company for five years now. He also serves on the boards of directors of Nike as well as the National Football Foundation.
In an interview with The Washington Post, the Apple CEO talked about how "shocking" the visibility of the job was as well as how he learned to deal with scrutiny. He also shared the people to whom he turns to for advice.
Cook revealed that he turns to different people for advice, depending on whether he thinks they can help him. "When I was going through [the question of] what should we do on returning cash to shareholders, I thought who could really give us great advice here? Who wouldn't have a bias?" he said.
"So I called up Warren Buffett. I thought he's the natural person, and so I try to go through that process on everyone."
Although he asks for advice from various people, he does not always do what they tell him to do. "But I think it's incumbent on a CEO to not just listen to points of view but to actually solicit them," he added. "Because I think, if not, you quickly become insular. And you're sort of living in the echo chamber."
Tim Cook also turned to Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein regarding the hearing on Apple's tax practices back in 2013. According to Entrepreneur, the Apple CEO believed that Blankfein would not sugarcoat the experience. He spoke with President Clinton about politics and Laurene Jobs for a deep understanding of Apple.
Finding a mentor is important for one's career. Look for people you trust who will not hesitate to give you the good, the bad and even the ugly.
