post the twenty-seventh, 2013

born in 1905, peter drucker was a management guru whose influence during the formative years of the modern business era (60s, 70s, 80s) cannot be underestimated.

drucker defined executive effectiveness through eight practices. effectiveness is a measure of ones ability to get things done, not ones likability, popularity, charisma. whether you're introverted or extroverted, easygoing or uptight, generous or tight-fisted, you can follow these eight practices. that is to say, none of the eight are based on personality traits. they are all things you can simply DO.

Ask "What needs to be done?" -- not, what do i want to do, what does my boss want to do, what would make me popular or happy. simply, what needs to be done.

Ask "What is right for the enterprise?" -- not what is right for any singular part of the enterprise (shareholders, executives, employees, yourself). what's right for the whole will by default be right for each party involved. not to say the parties don't need to have buy-in or ownership of the decision and the action. it's just what's good for all might not be the best for any one.

Develop action plans. -- an action plan is an objective assessment of what needs to be done. it's not a commitment to act. it's not set in stone. it's not a schedule. it's simply a plan, of action. it will certainly be revised as you go along - you don't want to box yourself in. every action creates new opportunities, new options, new roads diverging in the yellow wood.

"Napoleon allegedly said that no successful battle ever followed its plan. Yet Napoleon also planned every one of his battles, far more meticulously than any earlier general had done. Without an action plan, the executive becomes a prisoner of events."

Take responsibility for decisions. -- drucker put special emphasis on personnel decisions here. a hiring or promotion that didn't work out, in which the hiree or promoted one failed in the job, was not the fault of the employee. the executive must take responsibility for the people who work for and with her.

Take responsibility for communicating. -- these days, it seems true communication is a lost art. ensuring understanding, soliciting comments and criticisms, fielding questions, and truth-telling even when truth is hard to tell or hear... these are elements of effective communication. you can't communicate this way without mutual respect, and without chasing the rabbit, i'll just say mutual respect is quite gone missing these days. an executive must take responsibility for 360º of honest communication - with superiors, subordinates, peers. he must keep action plans transparent and not shut down dissension.

Focus on opportunities, not problems. -- here, drucker was saying: first, don't lead with the bad news, and second, look at a problem AS an opportunity. this has been twisted to the point of being a dilbertism today. i mean, it's like a joke to say when we're presented with an "opportunity" that is obviously a problem. still, it's a good thought, to lead with the positive, and it is an effective management technique.

Make meetings productive. -- at the time drucker wrote these principles (the book "the effective executive" was published in 1967) studies found that even junior executives, or what we'd call middle management, spent more than half of every business day in meetings. i'm sure it's at least as much today. with that much time being spent in meetings, it's not difficult to see that ineffective, inefficient meetings are a huge waste of time and money. effective meetings are agenda-guided, purpose-driven, productive, and end when scheduled.

"Good executives don't raise another matter for discussion. They sum up and adjourn."

Think and say "We." -- the effective executive knows the buck stops with her. there is an ultimate responsibility that cannot be delegated. however, the effective executive knows he has authority only because he has the trust of the organisation, he puts the good of the organisation before himself. simple concept... but not easy. drucker advises it be "strictly observed".

I'm going to throw in one final, bonus practice. This one's so important that I'll elevate it to a rule: Listen first, speak last.

AND, THAT'S IT. THANKS, MR DRUCKER -- GOOD STUFF!