Ultra-Delegated Management Style

“McCaw gave Hopper extraordinary freedom to design and close the deal. Hopper loved the independence, but sometimes when he wanted to confer with McCaw, he couldn't find him: McCaw would be kayak- ing or flying somewhere or busy with the cable division. The idea that this might inconvenience his executives would have astonished McCaw, who felt he was giving them a gift by not being around. "If somebody's got the ball, it is theirs to run," says McCaw. "If I hang around and act important and give orders, I'm going to wreck the whole thing." So he kept his hands off the AT&T negotiations. "I don't think McCaw met an AT&T executive until years after," Hopper says.”

“Stanton had worked hard, even by his legendary standards. While many executives had to consult with the home office on deals, Stanton, typical for a Craig McCaw manager, operated with almost total auton- omy. McCaw had no desire to be there. "Why would I want to do that? To me, those are the kinds of places where you make too many mistakes," he says. "You're too close to it. I never want to do stuff like that. I never want to lose." In other words, McCaw feared wanting a deal so much that he would pay too high a price—the risk of being emotionally involved.”