Apple CEO Tim Cook explains how to hire people who will focus on collaboration and bring the "magic" that happens when great minds come together. Cook spoke as part of his class reunion at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. (www.fuqua.duke.edu)

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APPLE CEO TIM COOK AND FUQUA ALUM TALKS LEADERSHIP AT DUKE

Tim Cook addressed students and alumni as he returned for his 25th reunion

/"Explore everything. Push the corners of your mind. Just ride this kind of roller coaster of lifelong learning and see what happens./"

That's one of the tips Apple CEO Tim Cook shared with students at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business on April 26. Returning to campus for his 25th anniversary reunion, Cook participated in an hour-long dialogue with Fuqua Dean Bill Boulding and students in a packed Geneen Auditorium, buzzing with excitement to hear from the leader of the most profitable company in the world.

The Apple CEO embarked on a career very different from the one he envisioned after graduating from Fuqua's Evening Executive MBA program in 1988. / "For me, the journey was not at all predictable .You must find your own north star and stay with your north star./"

As 450 day MBA students prepared to graduate, Cook advised students to heed Abraham Lincoln's words of wisdom: "I will prepare and one day my chance will come."

Cook shared the three keys to his leadership at Apple: people, strategy and execution. /"If you get these three right, the world is a great place./"

Students were able to gain unique insight into Cook’s models of motivation, inspiration and leadership. Raised in the South and witnessing racial injustice, Cook described his admiration for the courage of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. who risked their lives to fight for what they believed in. He only has three photos in his office: two of Kennedy and one. of the King.

Cook was asked when to follow strict principles of business theory and when to break the rules. His response highlighted the importance of risks and learning from failure. /"You should rarely follow the rules. What Fuqua teaches you so well is how to learn and how to collaborate. Write your own rules./"

That message resonated with first-year MBA student Shelby Hall. “I know this follows Steve Jobs' belief that Apple creates products that consumers didn't know existed,” she said. /"It was interesting to hear Tim Cook's perspective on how we should balance writing our own rules while applying the business fundamentals taught here at Fuqua./"

Cook also talked about some of his memories of Fuqua. /"People made this an incredible experience. It was great for me to see how brilliant people approached solutions in different ways./"

First-year MBA student Juan Danzilo says Cook’s willingness to share his experiences shows a deep commitment to Fuqua. /"Tim Cook's presence reflects Fuqua's sense of community. His humility and eloquence are admirable. It was certainly a unique opportunity for MBA students to hear from such an inspiring leader./"

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