Good management consists in showing average people how to do the work of superior people.

The line frames management as a multiplier of human capability: the manager’s job is not merely to supervise “superior” talent, but to design systems, training, incentives, and clear standards so that ordinary workers can reliably produce exceptional results. It implies that excellence in organizations is often procedural and cultural rather than purely individual—rooted in repeatable methods, division of labor, and disciplined execution. The quote also carries a pragmatic, industrial-era view of leadership: success comes from making performance scalable and dependable, reducing reliance on rare genius. In that sense, it anticipates modern ideas about process engineering, standard operating procedures, and organizational learning.

1) “Good management consists in showing average people how to do the work of superior people.”
2) “Good management is showing average people how to do the work of superior people.”
3) “The secret of good management is to show average people how to do the work of superior people.”