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CHAPTER 7: FOLLOWERSHIP 199
on the organization. Effective followers do not presume that a leader or an orga-
nization will provide them with security, permission to act, or personal growth.
Instead, they initiate the opportunities through which they can achieve personal

fulfillment, exercise their potential, and provide the organization with the fullest
extent of their capabilities. Emiliana “Millie” Barela has been cleaning rooms
for 32 years at Antlers at Vail, a Colorado ski lodge. She takes pride in her work
and sees her job as an important part of creating a good experience for guests.
Barela takes it upon herself to get to know guests and put their interests and needs
fi rst. 15

As a follower, you can assume responsibility
The Courage to Serve An effective follower discerns the needs Action Memo
of the organization and actively seeks to serve those needs. Just as
behavior, and work performance. You can
leaders can serve others, as discussed in the previous chapter, so can for your own personal development,
followers. A follower can provide strength to the leader by support- look for opportunities to make a difference,
ing the leader’s decisions and by contributing to the organization in seek to meet organizational needs, serve
areas that complement the leader’s position. By displaying the will to others, and work toward the common good.
serve others over themselves, followers act for the common mission of
the organization with a passion that equals that of a leader. Timothy
D. Cook, who is second in command at Apple, is known as an excep-
tional follower.

IN THE LEAD Timothy D. Cook, Apple Inc.
As CEO, Steve Jobs provides the pizzazz at Apple for employees and the public alike.
But it is Timothy Cook who makes sure things run smoothly behind the scenes.
“He’s the story behind the story,” says one former Apple executive.
Cook was originally hired in 1998 as a senior vice president of operations and
has made a steady climb up the ranks to now serve as chief operating offi cer (COO)
and second-in-command. Cook counters the CEO’s quick, unpredictable temper
with his quiet, thoughtful manner. Jobs can concentrate on the big picture and ideas
for snazzy new products because he knows Cook is taking care of the nuts and
bolts of the business. Far from being a “yes-man,” Cook has his own ideas about
how things should be done, and industry insiders see his stamp on the company.
Yet he is content to play “Spock” to Steve Jobs’ “Captain Kirk,” using his analytical
and detail-oriented mind to offset Jobs’ more intuitive, emotional approach. Like
Spock supporting Captain Kirk, Cook doesn’t hesitate to push Jobs’ boundaries to
help him, and the organization, become better. And just as Kirk never hesitated
to beam down to a planet and leave Spock in charge, Jobs confi dently placed the
company in the hands of Cook while he was recovering from surgery for pancreatic
cancer several years ago.
For now, Cook is content to keep a low profile but have a high impact at Apple.

Yet his contributions have caught the attention of other technology companies, and
he is routinely solicited for CEO jobs. If Cook takes the step to top leader, he can
hope to have a second-in-command who is as courageous in serving as he has been
16
at Apple.
The Courage to Challenge Although effective followers serve and support
others, they don’t sacrifi ce their personal integrity or the good of the organiza-
tion in order to maintain harmony. If a leader’s actions and decisions contradict
the best interests of the organization, effective followers take a stand. Obedi-
ence is considered a high virtue in military organizations, for example, but