Frederick W. Smith Quotes & Sayings

“A manager is not a person who can do the work better than his men; he is a person who can get his men to do the work better than he can.”

“Leadership is simply the ability of an individual to coalesce the efforts of other individuals toward achieving common goals. It boils down to looking after your people and ensuring that, from top to bottom, everyone feels part of the team.”

“Leaders get out in front and stay there by raising the standards by which they judge themselves - and by which they are willing to be judged.”

“A Yale University management professor in response to student Fred Smith's paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service: The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a 'C', the idea must be feasible.”

“Information about the package is as important as the package itself.”

“I'm not afraid to take a swing and miss.”

“My innovation involved taking an idea from the telecommunications and banking industries, and applying that idea to transportation business.”

“My four years in the Marine Corps left me with an indelible understanding of the value of leadership skills.”

“A lot of the economy is indeed being supplied by goods that are produced offshore. And much of the reason for that is societal.”

“Only electricity can give the transport sector the flexibility to switch fuels when one or more become too expensive.”