Peter Drucker said something that struck me:

"No institution can possibly survive if it needs geniuses or supermen to manage it. It must be organized in such a way as to be able to get along under a leadership composed of average human beings."

Peter Drucker

A few years back, I heard the (then horrifying) statement:

"We have to achieve extraordinary results with less than ordinary people".

I have to admit, everything in me recoiled when I heard that. The person quoted somebody else in a much more senior position, and was just as rattled as I was (I think).

What can I say: this one proved to be on the mark. When I look at the small-to-medium size companies I encounter in my work, a large number of them hinge on the presence of the founder to function. He or she might be a genius or a superman, most of the times they just have really shallow talent pools.  In any way, there is one outstanding individual with a lot of entourage.

So this quote by Mr. D. just confirmed my suspicion: the task of leaders is to build processes and cultures that allow the less gifted to participate in a performance much higher then their own.

There goes the "romantic idealism" in my business world.