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Title: The Effective Executive
Author: Peter F. Drucker
Stars: ****
Peter Drucker wrote this book back in 1966 and it is as pertinent today as it
was then. It concentrates on a small number of practices to help executives
manage themselves – a precursor to managing others. Drucker makes the
point that, “No one is born an effective executive. No one is a natural… It must
be learned…In addition, it is not exceedingly difficult.” That’s welcome news for
all of us. We simply need to follow the practices outlined in this book.
The book is meant for a wide audience as Drucker’s definition of the executive
is broad – “Anyone that is responsible for a contribution that materially affects
the capacity of the organization to perform and to obtain results.”
The first step on the journey is to “know thy time.” Too many managers have no
idea where they spend there time. Drucker recommends managers start by
recording their time to discover where it is being spent. Once identified, they
need to stop wasting time on things that are not important and then work to
consolidate freed time into chunks. Significant blocks of time of 2 hours or so
are needed to complete important things.
Next executives must ask of themselves, “What can I contribute that will
significantly affect the performance and results of the organization.” This helps
the manager look outward and to identify and prioritize those tasks that are
most important to complete.
Then the managers should do the first things first and do them one at a time.
“The secret of those people who do so many things and apparently so many
difficult things is that they do only one thing at a time. As a result, they need
much less time in the end than the rest of us.”
Finally, Drucker outlines how to make effective decisions. He craftily breaks
down the elements of the decision process and explains how managers can
improve in this discipline.
The book is filled with examples and supporting information. Drucker writes in
a refreshingly honest and straightforward style. Many refer to this book as a
classic. It is worthy of the designation. So much of what is written today is
borrowed from Drucker. Managers can not go wrong adding this one to their
arsenal of tools.
Author: Peter F. Drucker
Stars: ****
Peter Drucker wrote this book back in 1966 and it is as pertinent today as it
was then. It concentrates on a small number of practices to help executives
manage themselves – a precursor to managing others. Drucker makes the
point that, “No one is born an effective executive. No one is a natural… It must
be learned…In addition, it is not exceedingly difficult.” That’s welcome news for
all of us. We simply need to follow the practices outlined in this book.
The book is meant for a wide audience as Drucker’s definition of the executive
is broad – “Anyone that is responsible for a contribution that materially affects
the capacity of the organization to perform and to obtain results.”
The first step on the journey is to “know thy time.” Too many managers have no
idea where they spend there time. Drucker recommends managers start by
recording their time to discover where it is being spent. Once identified, they
need to stop wasting time on things that are not important and then work to
consolidate freed time into chunks. Significant blocks of time of 2 hours or so
are needed to complete important things.
Next executives must ask of themselves, “What can I contribute that will
significantly affect the performance and results of the organization.” This helps
the manager look outward and to identify and prioritize those tasks that are
most important to complete.
Then the managers should do the first things first and do them one at a time.
“The secret of those people who do so many things and apparently so many
difficult things is that they do only one thing at a time. As a result, they need
much less time in the end than the rest of us.”
Finally, Drucker outlines how to make effective decisions. He craftily breaks
down the elements of the decision process and explains how managers can
improve in this discipline.
The book is filled with examples and supporting information. Drucker writes in
a refreshingly honest and straightforward style. Many refer to this book as a
classic. It is worthy of the designation. So much of what is written today is
borrowed from Drucker. Managers can not go wrong adding this one to their
arsenal of tools.
V E N T U R E S , L L C