Ron Johnson Says Steve Jobs Delegated 350 Apple Stores, Not Micromanaged
Updated
Updated · Business Insider · Jul 19
Ron Johnson Says Steve Jobs Delegated 350 Apple Stores, Not Micromanaged
3 articles · Updated · Business Insider · Jul 19
Summary
Ron Johnson said Steve Jobs gave his retail team wide operating autonomy, arguing in a new book that Apple’s cofounder was a disciplined delegator rather than the micromanager many assume.
350 stores opened under Johnson during his roughly 12 years at Apple, with nearly 50 more in development—together accounting for almost three-quarters of Apple’s locations today.
Jobs was deeply involved in the first Apple Store and key New York flagships, Johnson said, but later reduced in-person retail meetings to about every six months as he shifted attention to priorities such as the iPhone.
Nightly calls for about a year after Johnson joined in 2000 helped Jobs build trust and set a clear “North Star,” which Johnson said let him tell teams to “just go do great work.”