“A supervisor or a foreman stands upon the first rung of the executive ladder. Because of certain valuable personal qualities, he has been selected to direct the work of other employees. Unfortunately, in the average case, he enters upon this phase of work uninstructed in the art of executive leadership—and works into it so gradually that he may not realize that his functions as an executive have become markedly different from those of an employee without authority.
Sometimes an employee is selected for a position of authority merely because he is a more skillful workman than his neighbors, and in such a case the choice may prove to be an unwise one. It is important to pick the man for deeper reasons than this; for the intelligence of the foreman, and his vision, leadership, executive qualities, and ability to interpret the principles of the concern that he represents may be highly important factors in the profit or loss of a business, and in the prestige, smooth functioning, efficiency, economy, and ultimate success or failure of the organization.”
The Travelers Standard, H. W. Heinrich, vol. XVII, No. 12, p. 247, December, 1929
