--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is a great mistake for presidents and…" description: "\"It is a great mistake for presidents and other leading executives of organizations having branches throughout the country to chain themselves to their ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dab/b-c-forbes-2124_bigs_it-is-a-great-mistake-for-presidents-and_2814619.jpg" --- # It is a great mistake for presidents and other leading… ![“It is a great mistake for presidents and other leading executives of organizations having branches throughout the country to chain themselves to their desks at headquarters and send out rigid instructions to those in charge of distant branches and offices. Because a man sits in a palatial office…” quote by B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dab/b-c-forbes-2124_bigs_it-is-a-great-mistake-for-presidents-and_2814619.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dab/b-c-forbes-2124_bigs_it-is-a-great-mistake-for-presidents-and_2814619.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dab/b-c-forbes-2124_bigs_it-is-a-great-mistake-for-presidents-and_2814619.jpg) > “It is a great mistake for presidents and other leading executives of organizations having branches throughout the country to chain themselves to their desks at headquarters and send out rigid instructions to those in charge of distant branches and offices. Because a man sits in a palatial office in New York or Chicago or Philadelphia or Detroit and draws a big salary, it does not necessarily follow that he knows better than the man on the spot what ought to be done… Paul, Caesar, Napoleon did not merely sit at home and issue long-range instructions.” [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Leaders far from the front lines often issue inflexible directives, assuming they know more than on‑the‑ground managers, which can hinder effective decision‑making. **In simple terms:** Remote leaders give rigid orders without local insight. Key Takeaway Empower local managers to adapt decisions. Themes leadership management decentralization Mood cautious critical Type advisory strategic When to use this quote - corporate headquarters - regional branches - crisis response - product rollout Key Concepts authority information asymmetry decision making Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders balance oversight with local autonomy? - What mechanisms ensure feedback from field staff? A Different Perspective Local conditions may differ, making uniform policies ineffective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Branches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/branches/) [Branches Offices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/branches-offices-3544447/) [Chains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chains/) [Chicago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chicago/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Desks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desks/) [Detroit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detroit/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Draws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/draws/) [Executives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/executives/) [Executives Organizations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/executives-organizations-3544446/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Great mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-mistakes/) [Having Branches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-branches-3544450/) [He man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he-man/) [Headquarters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/headquarters/) [Headquarters Send](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/headquarters-send-3544448/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Instruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instruction/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Leading Executives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leading-executives-3544449/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) [Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/) [Philadelphia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philadelphia/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Range](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/range/) [Salary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/salary/) [Spots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spots/) ## Related quotes > [There is a glory in a great mistake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathalia-crane/there-is-a-glory-in-a-great-mistake/) [Nathalia Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathalia-crane/) > [The only things one never regrets are one's mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-only-things-one-never-regrets-are-one-s-mistakes/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Republicans who criticize the use of two languages, I think, make a great mistake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/republicans-who-criticize-the-use-of-two-languages-i-think-make-a/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [No man ever progressed to greatness and goodness but through great mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-william-robertson/no-man-ever-progressed-to-greatness-and-goodness-but-through-great/) [Frederick William Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-william-robertson/) > [If we had had more time for discussion we should probably have made a great many more mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/if-we-had-had-more-time-for-discussion-we-should-probably-have-made-a/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [Humility is a quality for which I have only a limited admiration. In many phases of life it is a great mistake and degenerates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/humility-is-a-quality-for-which-i-have-only-a-limited-admiration-in/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [In my judgment, a great mistake has been made by well meaning and zealous men, through treating error and infidelity with altogether too much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-holland/in-my-judgment-a-great-mistake-has-been-made-by-well-meaning-and/) [J. G. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-holland/) > [To say that certainly America was very lucky to get a large amount of land, and the native Indians were extremely unlucky to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/to-say-that-certainly-america-was-very-lucky-to-get-a-large-amount-of/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [I think Franklin Roosevelt was a lousy president. What he did- which is to impose this great nanny state on America- was a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-crane/i-think-franklin-roosevelt-was-a-lousy-president-what-he-did-which-is/) [Ed Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-crane/) > [Women have decided to be people, which is a great mistake. Women were nicer than people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/women-have-decided-to-be-people-which-is-a-great-mistake-women-were/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [“Aren’t all great love stories, at their core, great mistakes?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chen-chen/aren-t-all-great-love-stories-at-their-core-great-mistakes/) [Chen Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chen-chen/) > [It is a great mistake to say that the Chinese are not hospitable. A more graceful, hearty hospitality than that of the Chinese I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lottie-moon/it-is-a-great-mistake-to-say-that-the-chinese-are-not-hospitable-a/) [Lottie Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lottie-moon/) > [It is a great mistake to think that the extremist is a better man than the moderate. Usually the difference is not that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/it-is-a-great-mistake-to-think-that-the-extremist-is-a-better-man/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [As it can be maintained that all the great advances have come from men under forty, so the history of the world shows that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/as-it-can-be-maintained-that-all-the-great-advances-have-come-from/) [William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/) > [One great mistake made by intelligent people is to refuse to believe that the world is as stupid as it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-great-mistake-made-by-intelligent-people-is-to-refuse-to-believe/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by B. C. Forbes > [Our future and our fate lie in our wills more than in our hands, for our hands are but the instruments of our wills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/our-future-and-our-fate-lie-in-our-wills-more-than-in-our-hands-for/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [What one thing does the world need most today-apart, that is, from the all-inclusive thing we call righteousness? Aren't you inclined to agree that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/what-one-thing-does-the-world-need-most-today-apart-that-is-from-the/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Are soft-hearted people handicapped in business? You have heard a businessman say of someone else, He's all right, but he's too soft-hearted… To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/are-soft-hearted-people-handicapped-in-business-you-have-heard-a/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Search and you will find that at the base and birth of every great business organization was an enthusiast, man consumed with earnestness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/search-and-you-will-find-that-at-the-base-and-birth-of-every-great/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [A big business man was telling Henry Ford about a coach driver of super-expertness with his whip. The driver was telling how he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-ford-about-a-coach-driver-of/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Better to be occasionally cheated than perpetually suspicious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/better-to-be-occasionally-cheated-than-perpetually-suspicious/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Honesty pays dividends both in dollars and in peace of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/honesty-pays-dividends-both-in-dollars-and-in-peace-of-mind/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Timing is everything. Tell me how a young man spends his evenings and I will tell you how far he is likely to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/timing-is-everything-tell-me-how-a-young-man-spends-his-evenings-and/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [To succeed, we must have the will to succeed, we must have stamina, determination, backbone, perseverance, self-reliance, and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/to-succeed-we-must-have-the-will-to-succeed-we-must-have-stamina/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [There are two brands of discontent: the brand that merely fosters greed and snarling and back-biting, and the brand that inspires greater and greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/there-are-two-brands-of-discontent-the-brand-that-merely-fosters/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Which class is happiest, the rich, the middle class or the poor? A very successful executive of a large organization touches upon this vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/which-class-is-happiest-the-rich-the-middle-class-or-the-poor-a-very/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Are your desires purely selfish? Do your tastes run to a grand home, automobiles, fine clothes, an abundance of amusements, and so forth? If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/are-your-desires-purely-selfish-do-your-tastes-run-to-a-grand-home/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [When you delve deep enough, you find that practically every great fortune and great enterprise in America have sprung from the courageous enterprise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/when-you-delve-deep-enough-you-find-that-practically-every-great/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [It can be set down as a broad, general principle that we cannot indulge in idleness and abundance during both the first and second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/it-can-be-set-down-as-a-broad-general-principle-that-we-cannot/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [The Christmas spirit brings home to us-or should bring home to us-the profound Biblical truth that it is more blessed to give than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/the-christmas-spirit-brings-home-to-us-or-should-bring-home-to-us-the/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) [Explore all 184 B. C. Forbes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) ## More Bigs quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) [Browse all 15,539 Bigs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is a great mistake for presidents and other leading executives of organizations having branches throughout the country to chain themselves to their desks at headquarters and send out rigid instructions to those in charge of distant branches and offices. 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