--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What great executives do is not magic…" description: "\"What great executives do is not magic. Their performance is made possible by specific, identifiable skills.\" — Justin Menkes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a49/justin-menkes-21538_executives_what-great-executives-do-is-not-magic-th_2942820.jpg" --- # What great executives do is not magic. Their performance… ![“What great executives do is not magic. Their performance is made possible by specific, identifiable skills.” quote by Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a49/justin-menkes-21538_executives_what-great-executives-do-is-not-magic-th_2942820.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a49/justin-menkes-21538_executives_what-great-executives-do-is-not-magic-th_2942820.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a49/justin-menkes-21538_executives_what-great-executives-do-is-not-magic-th_2942820.jpg) > “What great executives do is not magic. Their performance is made possible by specific, identifiable skills.” [Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success stems from developable, practiced abilities rather than innate talent. **In simple terms:** Skills, not magic, drive executive performance. Key Takeaway Develop and refine key competencies. Themes leadership skill development performance Mood motivational pragmatic Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - business meetings - career coaching - team training - personal development - executive mentoring Key Concepts competency building deliberate practice skill acquisition Questions to Reflect On - Which skills will you prioritize to improve? - How can you measure skill growth? A Different Perspective Talent alone cannot guarantee results without continuous learning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Executives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/executives/) [Executives Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/executives-magic-4395693/) [Great Executives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-executives-3868586/) [Identifiable Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identifiable-skills-4395694/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skills/) ## Related quotes > [For the label to grow, it has to have great executives who understand the culture, understand the mission, and can lead. I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-borchetta/for-the-label-to-grow-it-has-to-have-great-executives-who-understand/) [Scott Borchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-borchetta/) > [Damn the great executives, the men of measured merriment, damn the men with careful smiles oh, damn their measured merriment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/damn-the-great-executives-the-men-of-measured-merriment-damn-the-men-2/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [The legislator is an indispensable guardian of our freedom. It is true that great executives have played a powerful role in the development of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/the-legislator-is-an-indispensable-guardian-of-our-freedom-it-is-true/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [Damn the great executives, the men of measured merriment, damn the men with careful smiles, damn the men that run the shops, oh, damn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/damn-the-great-executives-the-men-of-measured-merriment-damn-the-men/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [At its most basic we are discussing a learned skill (writing), but do we not agree that sometimes the most basic skills can create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/at-its-most-basic-we-are-discussing-a-learned-skill-writing-but-do-we/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Executives are doers; they execute. Knowledge is useless to executives until it has been translated into deeds. But before springing into action, the executive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/executives-are-doers-they-execute-knowledge-is-useless-to-executives/) [Harvard Business School Press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvard-business-school-press/) > [The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, selfappointed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/the-accumulation-of-all-powers-legislative-executive-and-judiciary-in/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [Behind every piece of bad content is an executive who asked for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-brenner/behind-every-piece-of-bad-content-is-an-executive-who-asked-for-it/) [Michael Brenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-brenner/) > [President Obama's achievements and failures must be evaluated by comparison to those chief executives who have come before him and not be measured against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-garrow/president-obama-s-achievements-and-failures-must-be-evaluated-by/) [David Garrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-garrow/) > [Well, executive producer can mean anything in the world of Hollywood, sadly. It can be a bought title in many instances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-stanton/well-executive-producer-can-mean-anything-in-the-world-of-hollywood/) [Andrew Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-stanton/) > [There are only two options regarding commitment; you’re either in or you’re out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-riley/there-are-only-two-options-regarding-commitment-you-re-either-in-or/) [Pat Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-riley/) > [In most agencies, account executives outnumber the copywriters two to one. If you were a dairy farmer, would you employ twice as many milkers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/in-most-agencies-account-executives-outnumber-the-copywriters-two-to/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [No executive has ever suffered because his subordinates were strong and effective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/no-executive-has-ever-suffered-because-his-subordinates-were-strong/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [“We believe that executives, like everyone else, see what is brought to their attention. The costs associated with IT are brought to their attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hunter/we-believe-that-executives-like-everyone-else-see-what-is-brought-to/) [Richard Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hunter/) > [Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/stop-trying-to-treat-music-like-it-s-a-tennis-shoe-something-to-be/) [Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/) ## More by Justin Menkes > [Those who have high business acumen display specific, identifiable cognitive skills that permit them to perform better than their peers. Once we understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-menkes/those-who-have-high-business-acumen-display-specific-identifiable/) [Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/) > [One of the capabilities, which seems to be the most difficult for aspiring leaders to maste is realistic optimism. It requires one to recognize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-menkes/one-of-the-capabilities-which-seems-to-be-the-most-difficult-for/) [Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/) > [Executive Intelligence is about the specific skills one must have in order to succeed in senior leadership positions, i.e. the ability to evaluate underlying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-menkes/executive-intelligence-is-about-the-specific-skills-one-must-have-in/) [Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/) > [The principles that make someone a master in the chief executive role deal with whether or not they can thrive in an environment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-menkes/the-principles-that-make-someone-a-master-in-the-chief-executive-role/) [Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/) > [There are certain principles, all of which center around building systems and practices that teach workforces how to internalize and master these three attributes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-menkes/there-are-certain-principles-all-of-which-center-around-building/) [Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/) > [Individuals with high executive intelligence cannot reach their potential unless surrounded by others with a similar level of skill. Without a concerted effort on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-menkes/individuals-with-high-executive-intelligence-cannot-reach-their/) [Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/) > [Once an individual is given a taste of the gratification that comes from triumph, and the tools to bring it about, they will spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-menkes/once-an-individual-is-given-a-taste-of-the-gratification-that-comes/) [Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/) > [Executive Intelligence , and its evaluation are very must about one's ability to think under pressure. Given the evolution of global business, this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-menkes/executive-intelligence-and-its-evaluation-are-very-must-about-one-s/) [Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/) > [Leadership means realizing potential-in yourself and in the people you lead… The leader and followers cocreate their identities and performance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-menkes/leadership-means-realizing-potential-in-yourself-and-in-the-people/) [Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/) > [Knowledge is the accumulation of information whereas intelligence is one's ability to process information to render good decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-menkes/knowledge-is-the-accumulation-of-information-whereas-intelligence-is/) [Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/) > [CEOs must master three essential attributes, realistic optimism, subservience to purpose, and finding order in chaos. One's capacity in each determines their ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-menkes/ceos-must-master-three-essential-attributes-realistic-optimism/) [Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/) > [Very little attention is paid to improving the decision-making skills of both individual executives and the organizational benchstrength as a whole. Often we find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-menkes/very-little-attention-is-paid-to-improving-the-decision-making-skills/) [Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/) > [“We can quibble about what precise percentage of performance it accounts for, but no one can seriously question that smartness—the intellectual ability to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-menkes/we-can-quibble-about-what-precise-percentage-of-performance-it/) [Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/) > [The development and/or revelation of a CEO's potential for great leadership requires slow escalations of experiences that involve pressure, each time given the tools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-menkes/the-development-and-or-revelation-of-a-ceo-s-potential-for-great/) [Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/) > [Only recently have we begun to understand the specific cognitive skills that contribute to business success and how to measure them. Hopefully, this insight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-menkes/only-recently-have-we-begun-to-understand-the-specific-cognitive/) [Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/) [Explore all 29 Justin Menkes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/) ## More Executives quotes > [Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/stop-trying-to-treat-music-like-it-s-a-tennis-shoe-something-to-be/) [Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/) > [“We believe that executives, like everyone else, see what is brought to their attention. The costs associated with IT are brought to their attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hunter/we-believe-that-executives-like-everyone-else-see-what-is-brought-to/) [Richard Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hunter/) > [No executive has ever suffered because his subordinates were strong and effective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/no-executive-has-ever-suffered-because-his-subordinates-were-strong/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [In most agencies, account executives outnumber the copywriters two to one. If you were a dairy farmer, would you employ twice as many milkers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/in-most-agencies-account-executives-outnumber-the-copywriters-two-to/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [There are only two options regarding commitment; you’re either in or you’re out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-riley/there-are-only-two-options-regarding-commitment-you-re-either-in-or/) [Pat Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-riley/) > [Well, executive producer can mean anything in the world of Hollywood, sadly. It can be a bought title in many instances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-stanton/well-executive-producer-can-mean-anything-in-the-world-of-hollywood/) [Andrew Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-stanton/) > [President Obama's achievements and failures must be evaluated by comparison to those chief executives who have come before him and not be measured against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-garrow/president-obama-s-achievements-and-failures-must-be-evaluated-by/) [David Garrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-garrow/) > [Behind every piece of bad content is an executive who asked for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-brenner/behind-every-piece-of-bad-content-is-an-executive-who-asked-for-it/) [Michael Brenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-brenner/) > [The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, selfappointed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/the-accumulation-of-all-powers-legislative-executive-and-judiciary-in/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [“Executives are doers; they execute. Knowledge is useless to executives until it has been translated into deeds. But before springing into action, the executive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvard-business-school-press/executives-are-doers-they-execute-knowledge-is-useless-to-executives/) [Harvard Business School Press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvard-business-school-press/) > [ What \[President Donald Trump\] is doing is taking away the executive overreach that President \[Barack\] Obama did which we thought exceeded his powers. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/what-president-donald-trump-is-doing-is-taking-away-the-executive/) [Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/) > [ \[W\]ar is a question, under our constitution, not of Executive, but of Legislative cognizance. It belongs to Congress to say whether the Nation shall… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/w-ar-is-a-question-under-our-constitution-not-of-executive-but-of/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [The very first thing an executive must have is a fine memory. Of course it does not follow that a man with a fine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/the-very-first-thing-an-executive-must-have-is-a-fine-memory-of/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Women administer the home. They set the rules, enforce them, mete out justice for violations. Thus, like Congress, they legislate; like the Executive, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-chase-smith/women-administer-the-home-they-set-the-rules-enforce-them-mete-out/) [Margaret Chase Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-chase-smith/) > [Modern Democrats aren't the first political party to abuse power - far from it. Obama isn'€™t the first president to abuse executive power -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harsanyi/modern-democrats-aren-t-the-first-political-party-to-abuse-power-far/) [David Harsanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harsanyi/) [Browse all 1,093 Executives quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/executives/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What great executives do is not magic. 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