Rickover on management and many other things from Doing a Job.

Choice quotes as true today as they were 30 years ago.

• “By focusing on the techniques of “modern management,” they promote the idea that by mastering a few simple principles of how to handle people and situations one can become a universal manager: capable of running any job without having to know much about the work to be managed.”
• “Complex jobs cannot be accomplished effectively with transients”
• “If he feels he is only a temporary custodian, or that the job is just a stepping stone to a higher position, his actions will not take into account the long-term interests of the organization.”
• “To complaints of a job poorly done, one often hears the excuse “I am not responsible.” I believe that is literally correct. The man who takes such a stand in fact is not responsible; he is irresponsible.”
• “Too many people let their “in” basket set the priorities. On any given day, unimportant but interesting trivia pass through an office; one must not permit these to monopolize his time.”
• “Open discussions and disagreements must be encouraged, so that all sides of an issue will be fully explored. Further, important issues should be presented in writing. Nothing so sharpens the thought process as writing down one’s arguments. Weaknesses overlooked in oral discussion become painfully obvious on the written page.”

Gold.