By Doug Stephens
It was announced today that former Apple Store visionary Ron Johnson was given the helm of JC Penney. Among other achievements, Johnson is credited with coming up with the concept of Apple’s now famous Genius Bar.
There was a palpable excitement as news of the appointment spread over Twitter, and many in the retail community began to speculate as to the kinds of sweeping changes that Johnson might implement. Many will be looking to him to turn water into wine or in this case, Penney into dollars.
My feeling however is that Johnson’s first and most critical role at Penney has little to do with the retail mechanics. It’s not about re-merchandising, store design or P.O.S. systems. It has nothing to do with re-jigging websites or revamping the brand position. All of these things are important and will no doubt be addressed in good time but they are not the factors that will ultimately determine Penney’s (or Johnson’s) fate.
The most important task is to get the people of JC Penney to STOP thinking like the people of JC Penney and in fact, to stop thinking like retailers entirely. The truth is that the department store model hasn’t changed in almost 100 years and unaided, will likely stay just as it is – running on fumes.
His job is to get them to question everything they’ve ever believed about the department store experience and the supposed immutable laws of retail. The most important thing he can do is encourage a sense naiveté throughout the organization – enabling everyone to see JC Penney through the eyes of an outsider. He needs to reward those who challenge (not defend) outdated retail thinking.
The Apple Store didn’t come to life because someone said, let’s create a better computer store. It was born out of an aggressive and conscious effort NOT to build a computer store – to literally throw away every computer store paradigm of the time.
Johnson’s courage to navigate JC Penney directly into the dense fog of doubt about its own business, brand and industry as a whole, is ultimately what will define him as JC Penney’s leader and determine the company’s future.