"Eagles don't flock, you have to find them one at a time"
About this Quote
The subtext is classic Perot-era corporate mythology: talent is scarce, obvious when spotted, and worth the trouble. That worldview pairs neatly with his broader public persona as the plainspoken outsider who distrusted bloated institutions. Whether he was talking about companies or the country, Perot liked the idea that systems drift toward mediocrity unless driven by unusually capable individuals. “One at a time” is the managerial reality check. Great people don’t arrive as a package deal; they have to be identified, persuaded, and often protected from the inertia of the organization you’re trying to improve.
The line also smuggles in a bias: it suggests excellence is inherently individualistic, even lonely, and that teams are essentially collections of lone geniuses. That’s motivating, but it’s also a warning. If you build a culture around “eagles,” you risk undervaluing the unglamorous connective tissue - the collaborators who make a high performer’s brilliance scalable. Perot’s quote works because it’s both aspirational and transactional: a romantic image harnessed to a hiring mandate.
Quote Details
| Topic | Leadership |
|---|---|
| Source | Later attribution: On Wings of Eagles (Ken Follett, 1984) modern compilationISBN: 9781101175385 · ID: uLgWdtryXzsC
Evidence: ... Eagles don't flock - you have to find them one at a time . ” He wrote : The eagles have flown their nest . 2 Ross Perot wanted to meet up with the Clean Team before returning to the States : he was keen to get everyone together , so ... Other candidates (1) Ross Perot (Ross Perot) compilation38.5% of fear and divisiveness bluntly you will have to face the issues to get their |
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Perot, Ross. (2026, January 13). Eagles don't flock, you have to find them one at a time. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/eagles-dont-flock-you-have-to-find-them-one-at-a-1605/
Chicago Style
Perot, Ross. "Eagles don't flock, you have to find them one at a time." FixQuotes. January 13, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/eagles-dont-flock-you-have-to-find-them-one-at-a-1605/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Eagles don't flock, you have to find them one at a time." FixQuotes, 13 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/eagles-dont-flock-you-have-to-find-them-one-at-a-1605/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.






