Administration Quote by Frank Herbert
![“The difference between a good administrator and a bad one is about five heartbeats. Good administrators make immediate choices. […] They usually can be made to work. A bad administrator, on the other hand, hesitates, diddles around, asks for committees, for research and reports. Eventually, he…” quote by Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0e4/frank-herbert-262_administration_the-difference-between-a-good-administra_1892618.jpg)
““The difference between a good administrator and a bad one is about five heartbeats. Good administrators make immediate choices. […] They usually can be made to work. A bad administrator, on the other hand, hesitates, diddles around, asks for committees, for research and reports. Eventually, he acts in ways which create serious problems. […] “A bad administrator is more concerned with reports than with decisions. He wants the hard record which he can display as an excuse for his errors. […] Oh, they depend on verbal orders. They never lie about what they’ve done if their verbal orders cause problems, and they surround themselves with people able to act wisely on the basis of verbal orders. Often, the most important piece of information is that something has gone wrong. Bad administrators hide their mistakes until it’s too late to make corrections.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Dune, Frank Herbert, 1965
Effective leadership requires swift decision‑making; indecision and over‑reliance on paperwork create costly errors.
In simple terms: Good leaders act quickly; bad ones hide mistakes.
Key Takeaway
Make decisions promptly and own outcomes.
Themes
leadership
decision‑making
accountability
bureaucracy
Mood
determined
critical
reflective
Type
advice
analysis
caution
When to use this quote
- project management
- emergency response
- team leadership
- policy implementation
Key Concepts
Organizational behavior
risk management
communication
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you balance speed with thoroughness?
- What safeguards prevent hiding errors?
A Different Perspective
Decisions may be rushed without sufficient data, leading to other.
