PETER DRUCKER - A MAN OF PRINCIPLES
WISDOM, WHETHER IT IS BUSINESS OR LIFE
tba, if you want this page polished up, email me...so I can prioritize it.
Often known as the management consultant's management consultant (who even the consultants went to for consulting), Peter Drucker is on of the greatest thinkers of all time, with principles that are worth following. Yes, he operated in busines, but these all apply to life - which is why I include this on the site.
Make your life your endgame.
The only worthy goal is to make a meaningful life out of an ordinary one, Drucker declared. He
recommends setting one’s sights on achievements that really matter, that will make a difference in the
world, and to set them far enough ahead of current achievements that the journey will be demanding but
worth the effort. “Make your life your endgame,”
Making a difference in a few lives is a worthy goal.
Having enabled a few people to do the things they want to do that’s really what I want to be remembered
for.”
Define the results you want
Intentions are not enough
Know your values
To achieve the best results, Drucker said people must
1. ask the right questions and then
2. partner with others who have the expertise, knowledge, and discipline to get the right results.
Principles
Know the value of planned abandonment. Decide what not to do. Drucker says, "Nothing is less productive than to make more efficient what should not be done at all." (Making A Not-To-Do List: I will no longer:
(harmful, useless, low payoff, displace better things, distractions, poor ability in...)
Focus on opportunities, not problems.Most organizations assign their best resources to problems,not opportunities.
People decisions are the ultimate control mechanism
an awareness of one`s strengths, and a willingness to proceed from them with confidence, is the taproot of effective
you cannot do well in your life and uyour decision making unless you establish and take "the feedback wich tests the validity of the decision against the actual course of evernts.
you cannot do well in your life and uyour decision making unless you establish and take "the feedback wich tests the validity of the decision against the actual course of evernts.
To be effective, whether in life or business, you've got to master these:
Setting objectives,
Organizing,
Motivating and communicating,
Establishing measurements of performance and
Developing people
delegation, goal-setting and decentralization.
Every three years, a person or a company should be put under the microscope and every "product", process, technology, service or market subjected to a grueling assessment
In dealing with life, not just business: The three most important questions are "What is our business (my 'product' in this area of my life)?" "Who is the customer (insight into what they care about, value, and need)?" and "What does the customer value (what do they really want that I can provide them) ?"
every three years he selected a subject and immersed himself in it, and when the time was up, he found another.
(From notes on Bob Buford's site).
•Principle of Efficiency states that Efficiency is the ability to do things right.
•Principle of Effectiveness states that Effectiveness is the ability to do right things.
Drucker personified the value of creating and living a "total life" with diverse interests, relationships, and pursuits; what he called "living in more than one world." There are many aspects to creating a total life, but consider these five important principles:
1. Practice self-development
Self-development is a major theme throughout Drucker's writings and teachings. "What matters," he said, "is that the knowledge worker, by the time he or she reaches middle age, has developed and nourished a human being rather than a tax accountant or a hydraulic engineer."
2. Identify and develop your unique strengths
The concept of core competencies may have been created for organizations, but it applies to individuals as well. When you find new ways to value and cultivate your strengths, you can apply them to a variety of jobs, volunteer positions, and more.
3. Create a parallel or second career
Drucker advocated creating a "parallel career" in areas such as teaching, writing, or working in nonprofit organizations. He also encouraged developing a second career, often by doing similar work in a different, perhaps more meaningful, setting. A lawyer, for instance, might move from a traditional law firm to a legal nonprofit.
4. Exercise your generosity
An essential part of living in more than one world, Drucker believed, is to share your time and talents. When you contribute to others, you also benefit, from broadening and deepening your life experience to expanding your circle of friends and colleagues.
5. Teach and learn
Drucker believed that knowledge workers should never stop learning, but they are responsible for incorporating continuous learning into daily life. One way to learn is to teach. As Drucker acknowledged, "No one learns as much as the person who must teach his subject."
Here are seven tips for creating a more satisfying and meaningful personal life and career:
1. Focus on achievement—not money
Drucker drew an important distinction between achievement and money. That doesn't mean you shouldn't or won't make money, but that the pursuit of money ought to play a subordinate role to your own achievements and how they benefit others.
2. Make time for thinking
Thinking is hard work in our fast-paced society. Break from the daily grind to think about where you are and where you're going. Carve out time for self-reflection, a walk, practicing yoga or meditation, or enjoying nature.
3. Practice "systematic abandonment"
"People are effective because they say no,'" declared Drucker. What he called "systematic abandonment" means stepping back at regular intervals to determine which of your present activities can be scaled back or eliminated. Only then can you make way for something more fruitful.
4. Volunteer your time and talent
Drucker saw volunteerism as essential to the smooth functioning of society, as well as a satisfying way of ensuring that work doesn't consume your life.
5. Become a mentor
If you've been guided by mentors of your own, pay it back by mentoring others. If not, look for opportunities to both mentor and be mentored.
6. Learn the art of leisure
Drucker observed that "loafing" is easy, but "leisure" is difficult. As important as work is, avoid allowing it to be your only source of fulfillment.
7. Be the CEO of your own life
Drucker saw self-management as an ongoing discipline, requiring self-knowledge, introspection, and personal responsibility. “Managing oneself demands that each knowledge worker think and behave like a chief executive officer,” he said.
Finally, don't expect everything to happen at once. Start where you are and move towards your total life one step at a time.
This article is reprinted from the website of the American Management Association at http://www.amanet.org.
