Stop being conned by the old mantra that says, ’Leaders are cool, managers are dweebs.’ Instead, follow the Peters Principle: Leaders are cool. Managers are cool too!

Peters is pushing back against a popular business-culture cliché that glamorizes “leadership” while treating “management” as bureaucratic and uncool. The quote argues that the distinction is false and damaging: organizations need the inspiration and direction associated with leadership, but they also need the craft of management—execution, coordination, follow-through, and care for systems and people. By reframing management as “cool,” Peters elevates operational excellence and day-to-day stewardship as worthy of pride, not derision. The punchy, slogan-like phrasing fits his broader style of provocative, anti-snobbery advice aimed at restoring respect for practical competence.