Peter Drucker Said...

Another topic I'll recur to here periodically is ideas from Peter Drucker. Many of you have written us thanks for recommending his masterpiece, The Effective Executive. One of the saddest moments in my quasi-professional life was when I (somewhat recently) allowed someone to borrow my first copy of TEE, the one I read and marked up. I regret that it has not been returned. I look for it 3-4 times a week, and then remember, and then am sad, and then KICK MYSELF. This week, to make it worse, there is not a single copy on my shelf - I gave my last extra copy away. There's something good buried in here... but all I see now is that hole in the bookshelf. ;-)

Here's something that Mr. Drucker said that sums up so much of what I see: "The first question an executive must ask is not, 'what do I want to do?' but rather, 'What needs to be done?'

Drucker recently gave two examples of this thinking: U.S. President Truman, upon assuming that role, discovered that his interest in focusing on the social programs of President Roosevelt was to be denied by the growth of the tensions that led to the Cold War. Because he asked the right question (above), he set up DAILY foreign policy training sessions for himself with experts. (He had no experience to speak of in this area). He became what the role demanded of him.

Similarly, Jack Welch intended, upon assuming the CEO role at GE, to make international expansion his mission. But he asked the right question, and realized he should focus elsewhere, and is now lionized as a great CEO.

Ask yourself: what does this role I'm in require of me? What must my primary focus be? Your answer will lead you to greater effectiveness.

Your job is not a fiat giving you power. It is a burden of responsibility. Wear it well.

It's what a Manager Tools manager would do.