“Micromanaging is what it is. If you’re managing as a leader, set the tone. I’m proud to be a micromanager for what a customer sees, feels, and hears,” said Drexler, who also previously served as the CEO of J. Crew and currently serves as the chairman of Alex Mill. “So yes, I do micromanage, but [also] provide leadership. People know what is important.”
Merchandising mastermind Drexler also previously worked at Ann Taylor, Bloomingdale’s, and Macy’s, and served on Apple’s board from 1999 to 2015.
When Drexler first started serving on the board at Apple, Gap was worth $15 billion, which was bigger than Apple at the time.
Apple is now a behemoth worth $4 trillion, with Jobs’ fingerprints still seen on its devices. Much of Jobs’ success had to do with bringing products to the market customers didn’t even know they wanted.
“Some people say, ‘Give the customers what they want.’ But that’s not my approach,” Jobs once said. “Our job is to figure out what they’re going to want before they do.”
By a slightly different token, Drexler is more focused on responding to customer concerns while also planning expectations for the future.
“I think the world’s become kind of average in its standards,” Drexler said. “But average is not good enough to me. It’s [about] managing a customer’s expectations and what they should get: best-of-class. Don’t give a customer a reason not to buy something.”
And while Drexler said he learned from Jobs, he’s stayed true to his own leadership style.
“I didn’t learn to be extremely demanding [from Jobs],” Drexler said. “That’s what I’ve always been: a tough boss.”
A version of this story appeared on Fortune.com on December 9, 2024.
