You may not know Jack Dorsey by name, but the words tweet, mention and hashtag certainly sound familiar. We're talking about Twitter. Jack Dorsey is the co-founder of this social network and has seen his idea grow into a billion-dollar business over the past 11 years. But Twitter isn't his only success. In 2012, Dorsey founded the mobile payment system Square, which is currently valued at a whopping $3,2 billion. Key to success? His unconventional, but unique management style. In this blog article we zoom in further on the management style of Dorsey, a school dropout who transformed himself into one of the great innovators of this century.

Be a leader, not a decision maker

Dorsey himself is not in favor of making big management decisions. Instead, he focuses on the growth of his employees. According to him, one must be a leader guide employeesso that they can ultimately make management decisions themselves. Dorsey: “There is an organizational failure when I have to make decisions. The vitality of an organization does not lie in the strength of the leader, but in the strength of the person.” According to Dorsey, he can never make decisions in the same context that his employees experience. Take, for example, an employee who works with data or helping the customer every day. These employees have a much better picture of the situation and know best how to act. In 2012, Dorsey reiterated his position in an email to all Square employees. The email gently requested that he no longer use his name in order to have certain projects approved. Instead, employees had to rely on the power of their idea.

Go for routine

Dorsey wakes up every morning with the same breakfast: two hard-boiled eggs with soy sauce and some berries for vitamins. Dorsey uses one not only privately, but also for his work fixed routine. He uses a specific work theme each day. On Monday management. On Tuesday product, technology and design. Marketing, growth and communication on Wednesday. Thursday collaborations and developers. Friday business and culture. Saturday is free and on Sunday there is time for strategy and interviews. Since Dorsey doesn't work at one company, his schedule is divided into 24-hour blocks: in the morning he goes to Twitter and in the afternoon he goes to Square. What does he do on Saturdays? Probably flying, because that is one of his hobbies.

The right idea at the right time

Twitter was founded in 2016, but the idea for Twitter was born way back in 2000. However, Dorsey quickly discovered that the average American only sent 35 messages per month and therefore shelved his idea. Until the tipping point came in 2016 and the average American made fewer calls than sent messages. Dorsey started working on his idea again in March and soon Twitter was launched in July. The timing was perfect, as Twitter exploded:

2007: 400.000 tweets per 90 days
2008: 100 million tweets per 90 days
2010: 50 million tweets per day
2013: 400 million tweets per day

A good idea does not always have to be implemented immediately. First investigate whether your target group or the market actually needs the innovation you have in mind.

Transparency breeds trust

From developer meeting notes at Twitter to documents from Square's board of directors meetings. All employees receive insight into the company's strategy from Dorsey. And if employees have any questions or comments, they are more than welcome. Through these types of measures, Dorsey creates inclusivity and transparency, which gives employees a feeling that they are working towards a common goal.

What do you think of Jack Dorsey's unconventional management style? Look at this interview of Techonomy with Jack Dorsey about his aforementioned routine and the challenge of working full-time at two companies