this
is that we have a very large class of misfits; men who, for some reason or
other, have been promoted into executive positions and who do not have the
proper qualifications. These men suffer; those under them suffer; those
who employ them suffer.

Some men are too active themselves ever to be good directors of the
activities of other men. They cannot sit back quietly and direct others.
They demand expression in action. They are, therefore, always thrusting
aside their subordinates and doing the thing themselves, because they lack
the ability to teach others to do the work and to do it correctly. When
such men are compelled to wait for others to accomplish things, they grow
irritable, impatient, and lose control of themselves and, therefore, of
the situation. They are not ideal executives and do not, as a general
rule, rise to very high executive positions. They ought not to attempt to
do executive work.

There are others who are too easy-going to command men. They permit their
men to get too close to them, and they feel too sympathetic toward them.
They are likely, also, to be partial, not to demand or exact enough, and,
therefore, their departments are always behind, never quite coming up to
quota.

TWO TYPES OF EXECUTIVES

There are two distinct types of executives. There is the impatient,
driving, quick, keen, positive, irritable type. This man can get good
results from a certain type of worker, but he only irritates, frightens,
and drives to sullen resistance other types. The other is the mild,
kindly, persuasive, patient, enduring, persistent, determined type of
executive, who wins his success by attracting to himself the intense
loyalty and devotion of his men. Both types are successful, but they are
successful with different kinds of men. The employer who selects
executives, therefore, needs to bear this in mind, and to select the right
type of men to work under his various lieutenants. On the other hand, men
who take executive positions should see that they secure for themselves
the type of workers from whom they can secure results. This will not be
easy, because, as a general rule, an executive tends to surround himself
with men of his own type, which is usually a mistake. Men, in selecting
positions, should also bear this truth in mind. They should know the kind
of executive under whom they can do their best work, and, if at all
possible, work under this kind of superior officer.

SLAVES TO MACHINERY