Oprah and Tim Cook: Two Master Leaders Working with Others to Turn Personal Crossroads or Career Setbacks into Life Skills for the Ages

This isn’t a sequel, but it might as well be now that the Oprah interview with Harry and Meghan has landed. The much-anticipated sit-down with them had its share of ‘ooh and ahh’ moments. Oprah is known to celebrate aha moments too, but those will come later as she reads the media tea leaves.

Then there’s the story of Malala Yousafzai who is now a college graduate and working her way into the biz world. She’s teamed-up with AppleTV+ and CEO Tim Cook in developing human-interest stories that bring hope and connects with hearts. Malala sees him as a mentor and he sees her as a walking miracle.

The Orpah interview attracted 17 million viewers. That’s just for starters as folks who missed it are likely to stream it. The ‘tea spills and bombshell kills’ from them has royal watchers gasping for air. But there’s a growing divide between those who think they were brave and those who think it was attention crave.

In Malala, Cook sees someone who has already created a shift in her home country. It’s the kind thing where “if people can see it then they can believe it even more.” That’s what Malala represents to girls in her recovery for near human tragedy. If was a kind of personal crossroads that she had to face head on.

With Harry and Meghan, it’s confusing if they left the Palace or the Palace left them. He gave up his military role and lost his royal title. She gave up her partnership with his many causes. But once folks get pass the Palace intrigue and tabloid drama, their life skills lessons for the ages include what they:  

  • Learn

How they got here isn’t just about what happened to them, but also what happened in them. For Harry it’s probably what he learned watching how his mother was treated when he was a child. For Malala it’s in how she found strength, courage and wisdom during recovery, even with the threat of further harm.  

  • Share

Meghan tried to dance a delicate balance in what she shared and how she dropped some nuggets. Those nuggets provided insight but might even bring some foresight for how she plans to make a difference from the experience. Sometimes what we share is invaluable, especially for others in the same boat.        

  • Plant

Everyone understands the idea of “you reap what you sow.” But the pain of loneliness that Meghan mentioned isn’t something she brought on herself. Nor were the multiple surgeries that Malala had to go through. They’re turning those personal crossroads and career setbacks into a bigger field of dreams.    

  • Sell

At the top of the interview, Oprah made clear that they weren’t getting paid for the ‘tell-all.’ But that’s not where the story ends. She asked Meghan how she plans to apply lessons learned to the company they formed. Her answer of “using the company to capture stories” wasn’t only a tell but also a sell.  

The total footage of the interview was three hours plus. They had to pare it down to around 80 minutes. There’s probably other stuff that didn’t make it to the highlight reel but might be important life lessons on how to heal. How they get there is as much about feelings of melancholy and not to sweat the technique.              

Tip: How we move past personal crossroads and career setbacks might mean handling feelings of melancholy and working through things but not sweat the small stuff.

Talkback: What was the most surprising bombshell from the Meghan & Harry interview?

Tracks: Nailah Blackman  – Melancholy – https://youtu.be/qsu1rYipDOU

Eric B & Rakim  – Don’t Sweat the Technique – https://youtu.be/6Y1Emb7Jyks