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A manager is not a person who can do the work better than his men; he is a person who can get his men to do the work better than he can.
Frederick W. Smith
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Interpretation

What this quote means

A good manager excels at empowering and enabling their team rather than outpacing them in work performance.

This quote emphasizes the essence of effective leadership, which lies not in the ability to outperform one's subordinates, but in cultivating their strengths and guiding them to achieve superior results. It highlights that successful management is about fostering a collaborative environment where team members feel motivated and capable, ultimately leading to better overall performance.

Themes

LeadershipManagementTeamworkEmpowermentSuccess

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a leadership training workshop to illustrate the key qualities of a good manager.

More from Frederick W. Smith

Leadership is simply the ability of an individual to coalesce the efforts of other individuals toward achieving common goals. It boils down to looking after your people and ensuring that, from top to bottom, everyone feels part of the team.
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Fear of failure must never be a reason not to try something.
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If you look historically, what creates growth and wealth is innovation and investment, and increase in scale - more customers.
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Information about the package is as important as the package itself.
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