[Management] Peter Druck's ideas of management

Extcerpt from Business Week 11/28/2005

LEDERSHIP

Dont't ever think or say "I." Think and say "We." Effective leaders know they have authority only because they have the the trust of the organization. They understand that the needs and opportunities of an organization come before their own needs.

TALENT

Attracting and holding talent have become two of the central tasks of management. Knowledge workers have many options and should be treated and managed as volunteers. They're interested in personal achievement and personal responsibility. They except continuous learning and training. They want respect and authority. Give it to them.

ON WORK

Focus on opportunities rather than problems. Problem solving prevents damage, but exploiting opportunitits produces results. Unless there is a true crisis, problems shouldn't even be discussed at management meetings until opportunitits have been analyzed and dealt with. Exploit change as an opportunity, and don't view it as a threat.

ON MAKING DECISIONS

Every decision is risky: It's a commitmnet of present resources to an uncertain and unknown future. Risks can be minimized if you know when a decision is necessary, how to clearly define a problem and tackle it directly, and that you'll have to make compromises in the end. You haven't made a decision until you've found a way to implement it.

ON ORGANIZATIONS

Human beings tend to close out the outside. But effective organizations exist not to satisfy themselves but to fill a customer need. Leaders have the duty to focus an organization on the outside in a way that continually refreshes what everyone is doing inside the company.