Apple co-founder Steve Jobs reminded Gap’s former CEO why micromanaging is OK

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Studying the masters.

It’s likely impossible to sit in the presence of great people without absorbing some of their greatness. Former Gap (GAP) CEO Mickey Drexler knows this firsthand, courtesy of his decade-plus time at the table with Apple (AAPL) founder Steve Jobs.

“He was a difficult person, mercurial, incredibly creative, and made sure the screws on all the products were horizontal,” Drexler told Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi on the Opening Bid podcast.

Like Jobs, Drexler commands excellence and is hooked on small details, and these traits have always been innate to him. “We were very compatible in a sense,” Drexler said.

He was “unique, once-in-a-lifetime, and [his death] a loss to America,” Drexler added.

Drexler sat on the board of Apple for 16 years during a period when Gap was valued at $15 billion — at the time, a bigger market cap than Apple.

Jobs co-founded Apple in 1976, was ousted in 1985 by its board and CEO John Sculley, and returned in heroic fashion to revitalize the company in 1997.

His legacy includes demystifying technology from its cryptic ones and zeros roots, bringing it into consumers’ homes, and then adapting it to fit into pockets and bags. Known for his sometimes cutthroat methods and harsh critiques, Jobs remains a lauded leader in the business community.

Today, Apple is valued at $3.67 trillion according to Yahoo Finance data. As for Gap, well, it’s valued at $9.6 billion.

While some managers might shy away from getting caught up in details, former Apple board member Drexler runs toward them.

“I’m proud to be a micromanager for what a customer sees, feels, and hears,” he explained. “I micromanage, but I provide leadership. People know what is important.”

Drexler, whose career includes stints with Bloomingdale’s and J. Crew, is now chairman of his son’s company, Alex Mill. To solve product issues, much like Steve Jobs, Drexler homes in on the minutiae. “If you had a bad button on a jacket, you look at the bad button,” he explained

Drexler’s commitment to excellence has also taken him to some fascinating places, where top brass invite him to pick his brains. One story where he put his standards on full display involved none other than the iconic Ford Mustang.

“I love them, [but] I’d never own one,” he recalled saying during the session.

When pressed by Ford executives as to why, he was frank. “The wheels are ugly,” he explained. “And all I see passing by are ugly wheels.” This bluntness and honesty got Drexler invited to the design room.

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