Quotes in managing people

the aim of leadership should be to improve the performance of man and machine, to improve quality, to increase output, and simultaneously to bring pride of workmanship to people. Put in a negative way, the aim of leadership is not merely to find and record failures of men, but to remove the causes of failure: to help people to do a better job with less effort.


Most people in big companies are administered, not led. They are treated as personnel, not people.


Does a security guard empower the CEO to enter the building?

More quotes by   John Hunter view quote details

One gets a good rating for fighting a fire. The result is visible; can be quantified. If you do it right the first time, you are invisible. You satisfied the requirements. That is your job. Mess it up, and correct it later, you become a hero.


The old-fashioned idea of a good manager is one who is supposed to know all the answers, can solve every problem himself, and can give appropriate orders to his subordinates to carry out his plans... A good modern manager is like a good coach who leads and encourages his team in never-ending quality improvement.

More quotes by   George Box view quote details

The idea of a merit rating is alluring. The sound of the words captivates the imagination: pay for what you get; get what you pay for; motivate people to do their best, for their own good.

The effect is exactly the opposite of what the words promise.


The idea of a merit rating is alluring. The sound of the words captivates the imagination: pay for what you get; get what you pay for; motivate people to do their best, for their own good.

The effect is exactly the opposite of what the words promise. Everyone propels himself forward, or tries to, for his own good, on his own life preserver. The organization is the loser.

The merit rating rewards people that conform to the system. It does not reward attempts to improve the system. Don’t rock the boat.


blame the process not the person. We need to ask, "how did the process allow this to happen?"

More quotes by   Brian Joiner view quote details

The important thing in my view is not to pin the blame for a mistake on somebody, but rather to find out what caused the mistake.

More quotes by   Akio Morita view quote details

Kaizen does not attempt to light a fire under people. It lights the fire within them.

More quotes by   Matt May view quote details