--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At Microsoft I had many years of…" description: "\"At Microsoft I had many years of experience and history and seeing connections. With my direct reports, the job at Microsoft was to delegate and then b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05e/steve-ballmer-3273_able_at-microsoft-i-had-many-years-of-experie_161684.png" --- # At Microsoft I had many years of experience and history… ![“At Microsoft I had many years of experience and history and seeing connections. With my direct reports, the job at Microsoft was to delegate and then be able to properly review, but not to micromanage. To have a way of connecting and integrating without getting in the way.” quote by Steve Ballmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05e/steve-ballmer-3273_able_at-microsoft-i-had-many-years-of-experie_161684.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05e/steve-ballmer-3273_able_at-microsoft-i-had-many-years-of-experie_161684.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05e/steve-ballmer-3273_able_at-microsoft-i-had-many-years-of-experie_161684.png) > “At Microsoft I had many years of experience and history and seeing connections. With my direct reports, the job at Microsoft was to delegate and then be able to properly review, but not to micromanage. To have a way of connecting and integrating without getting in the way.” [Steve Ballmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ballmer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective leadership blends delegation with oversight, allowing autonomy while ensuring quality. **In simple terms:** Delegate, then review without micromanaging. Key Takeaway Trust teams but stay informed. Themes leadership delegation trust Mood strategic thoughtful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - project oversight - performance reviews - remote teams Key Concepts management accountability team dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance control and freedom? - When should you step in? A Different Perspective Over‑delegating may cause loss of direction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Connections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connections/) [Delegates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delegates/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Reports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reports/) ## Related quotes > [Microsoft is always two years away from failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/microsoft-is-always-two-years-away-from-failure/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [In the early '80s, I happened to find myself in the vicinity of people who would work for Microsoft five years later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/in-the-early-80s-i-happened-to-find-myself-in-the-vicinity-of-people/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [“Probably the most important thing you can do to build trust is to spend a little time alone with each of your direct reports…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-malone-scott/probably-the-most-important-thing-you-can-do-to-build-trust-is-to/) [Kim Malone Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-malone-scott/) > [For me, it was valuable just to be able to watch how Jeff operated every day, as well as his leaders and his direct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/for-me-it-was-valuable-just-to-be-able-to-watch-how-jeff-operated/) [Andy Jassy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-jassy/) > [I try to spend a lot of time with people outside my direct reports. The view from the top is totally distorted. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-costolo/i-try-to-spend-a-lot-of-time-with-people-outside-my-direct-reports/) [Dick Costolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-costolo/) > [Anarchism is not a romantic fable but the hardheaded realization, based on five thousand years of experience, that we cannot entrust the management of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/anarchism-is-not-a-romantic-fable-but-the-hardheaded-realization/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [The latter qualification brings to mind a fellow who applied for a job and stated he had twenty years of experience-which was corrected by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/the-latter-qualification-brings-to-mind-a-fellow-who-applied-for-a/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [I feel like I've had 20 years of experience at a very high level, if you throw in college, playing overseas, I've played in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-hammon/i-feel-like-i-ve-had-20-years-of-experience-at-a-very-high-level-if/) [Becky Hammon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-hammon/) > [Now, you can just get a laptop, get some software, put a microphone on it and make a record. 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The real question is: What's a PC?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ballmer/i-think-pcs-are-going-to-continue-to-shift-in-form-factor-the-real/) [Steve Ballmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ballmer/) > [There's a lot of Google fascination out there and we share it, and we're going to compete, we're going to compete very, very hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ballmer/there-s-a-lot-of-google-fascination-out-there-and-we-share-it-and-we/) [Steve Ballmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ballmer/) > [I’d like to own Microsoft shares until I either give something to charity or I die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ballmer/i-d-like-to-own-microsoft-shares-until-i-either-give-something-to/) [Steve Ballmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ballmer/) > [Every NBA arena has six cameras in the ceiling. The question is what does the software do with video feeds? 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To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) Greg Perry > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. 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