A Day in the Life of Tim Cook

When Steve Jobs resigned as CEO of Apple Inc., Tim Cook stepped up and led the tech company on August 24, 2011. All eyes were on him, waiting if his style of leadership would take the superhouse to the new level or bring it down. After an almost decade of major leadership and operational challenges, Tim Cook proves to be the right man and is more than capable of filling the big shoes of Steve Jobs.

Timothy Donald Cook joined Apple in 1998 when Steve Jobs offered him the position of senior vice president for worldwide operation. He was promoted as COO in 2005. When Jobs took leaves of absence because of health issues, he simply became responsible for all of Apple’s day-to-day operations. Tim Cook didn’t become CEO after Steve Jobs died. Jobs resigned and named him CEO about six weeks before his death.

Let’s take a closer look and find out what’s in a day in the life of Tim Cook.

He wakes up every day at 3:45 am, while we are still in the dreamland.

Tim Cook’s working day officially begins before 4:00 in the morning. He would attend to his emails for about an hour. Cook once said that he likes using his first hour productively by going through user comments and messages. He is a self-proclaimed workaholic who sets the tone of the day by reading and answering emails. Each day, he sends out approximately 800 emails.

He hits the gym at 5:00 am.

Tim Cook takes his fitness workout very seriously. He believes that exercise keeps stress away. He also attributes the success of losing weight and keeping his top form in his Apple Watch. Cook measures and monitors all his activities using it as well.

He also prefers the privacy of an off-campus gym, doing his routine away from his colleagues and staff who work out on Apple’s campus. According to him, he wants to sustain a “basic level of personal privacy.”

After his workout, Cook will head to his favorite local Starbucks for a caffeine kick while checking another batch of emails. It is still a mystery if Cook eats a regular breakfast before going to his office. However, he admitted his enjoyment of digging into the white of scrambled egg, unsweetened almond milk, sugar-free cereal, and turkey bacon.

He goes to Apple Park at 6:30 am.

While we are still snuggling under the warmth of our blankets, Tim Cook is already tackling his day-to-day tasks. He is a tough taskmaster who is emailing employees at all hours, questioning everything, and hosting marathon meetings. Cook also holds Sunday night meetings, remotely, of course, to discuss plans and activities for the upcoming work week.

While he is known for his no-mercy style of leadership, Tim Cook is also a collaborative and active listener. In one of his interviews, he recalled that Steve Jobs always visited him at the end of the day to compare notes on how their day went. They would share innovation plans and talk about the values of the company, which are privacy, equality, and sustainability.

He leads by example, adhering to Apple’s vision not to be the first but be the best. This statement is their North Star. Cook is very work-oriented who finds pleasure in doing his key responsibilities. He would often text the division managers or employees about files that require urgent submission, tasks that need immediate attention, or urgent meetings.

It is also common for him to send emails to colleagues at 3:00 am to remind them of important things to be completed. If you are working in his company and receive an email at 5:00 am, he would expect you to respond ASAP. However, despite his demanding boss nature, Tim Cook believes in acknowledging a job well done. He always takes time to go out of his way to praise employees who performed over his expectations.

Cook likes mingling with Apple employees. He would occasionally have lunch with random staff in the company’s cafeteria. Cook was quoted saying, ‘staying humble is a vital quality of a great leader that earns the employees’ respect.’

And if you are lucky enough, you would see him visiting Apple stores and engaging with customers on random days. After taking a working or private lunch, he would resume working. Tim Cook’s brand of leadership involves gathering up around a conference table, gathering ideas, making designs, seeking opinions about their existing products, and planning about the next projects. He works on iPhone four days a week; the rest is for the iPod, iPad, and other Apple products and services.

He is the last one to leave the Apple main headquarter.

Tim Cook works 14 hours a day, year-round. But as an Apple CEO, his work ethics and habits are truly remarkable. When asked about his unemotional leadership style, Cook said that he believed in conveying a sense of urgency when dealing with key issues that impact the operation of the Apple company.

People who work with Cook admire his stamina and dedication to his job. For him, “work takes on new meaning if you are in the right direction.” Any deviation from the course of action would make a job just a job, not something that you enjoy doing, and life is so short for that.

His cool, passive demeanor is the personification of calm amidst the storms. Apple is one of the leading tech companies that operate in a fast-paced mode. It requires a strong leader with sterling qualities. One of his shining moments was to open the doors to the public for greater transparency. This move gained public trust and confidence while setting a new industry standard in the manufacturing industry.

He sleeps by 8:45 pm.

A very active and busy man deserves a good night’s sleep. Tim Cook hits bed at 8:45 to rejuvenate and restore his energy. His 3:45 am to 8:45 pm wake-sleep cycle gives him 17 working hours and 7 hours of sleep. He does not trade his hours of sleep for social activities. He follows an established sleep schedule, allowing his body and brain to rejuvenate their tired muscles and get ready for another challenging day ahead.

Final Thoughts

The life of top-notch leaders is never an easy one. It requires diligence, sacrifice, and systems. Tim Cook’s amazing abilities as Apple CEO reflect not only his superior knowledge and expertise but also his own choices. He believes in what he is doing; he takes calculated risks and writes his own rules. Every day in his life demonstrates the reasons why he is one of the most successful business leaders in the world.

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