Weekly Thought – June 30, 2026
Fred believed in focused effort. Random activity rarely produces results. He also believed in effectiveness. Doing something for the sake of efficiency had little appeal to him. He was hired as a management consultant because he could identify the sticking points in organizations and make recommendations for positive, remedial solutions.
Paul D. Robbins and Harold L. Myra interviewed Fred for Leadership magazine, asking about his philosophy of management. This week’s thought features an excerpt.
Ask Fred
Paul and Harold: “You always appear so relaxed, even casual, yet there is below the surface, a lurking intensity. Does this intensity have a special meaning for you?”
Fred: Yes, I guess it does, for it is one of my gaugepoints, like a channel marker for a ship’s captain. Intensity is the boiling point of effort; the concentration of energy’ the tip of the welding flame. Most men of accomplishment have a special ability to develop intensity at the right time over the right issue. Jackie Robinson at second base could come out of his relaxed pose, snap into action as the play came to him, and then go back into poised relaxation, saving himself for the next time. Most pros have this ability. Only amateurs keep jumping up and down constantly. Many hardworking people fail to accomplish much because they lack intensity at the crucial time.
Paul and Harold: “Do you have a management system?”
Fred: “Yes. I like to find the essence of each situation like a logger who finds the key log, blows it out, and lets the stream do the rest. Almost all problems have a key log if we learn to find it. I try to decide what I’m trying to do, what it takes to do it, and who I can get to do it better than I can.”
Paul and Harold: “Say a word about executive systems.”
Fred: “I use this definition: “An executive is not a person who can do the work better than the others; he is a person who can get others to do the work better than he can.” My responsibility is to be a supervisor, not a superworker. This requires competent people. Selection, development, and motivation are key to the effective use of this system.
It is very important that the people who work for me understand my job. If they don’t, they often try to do it. That’s why I must know what I want to control. This is simple: I make a list of what only I can do. I add a few things that I prefer doing and that is what I hold on to. The rest I assign until I can delegate.”
This week think about: 1) What question would I have asked Fred? 2) How am I defining leadership? 3) What can only I do best?
Words of Wisdom: “Many hardworking people fail to accomplish much because they lack intensity at the crucial time.”
Wisdom from the Word: “But as for you, be strong and don’t get discouraged for your work will be rewarded.” (2 Chronicles 15:7 NET Bible)