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Summary: A serious book
Review: Peter Drucker is the only person writing about busines who deserves to be called an intellectual.
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Summary: Managing oneself for effectiveness, which MUST be learned
Review: Peter F. Drucker is probably the greatest management thinker of the 20st Century. He has been Professor at New York University and at 83 years old still teaches at the Graduate Management School of Claremont University, California. This book, originally published in 1966, is split up in seven chapters, plus a conclusion.Effectiveness is not just about intelligence, imagination and knowledge, it is about getting results. And the author believes that "effectiveness can be learned - and it also has to be learned." In Chapter 1 - Effectiveness Can Be Learned, Drucker discusses the five habits of the mind that have to be acquired to be an effective executive: 1. Know thy time; 2. Outward contribution, or what can I contribute?; 3. Making strength productive; 4. First things first; and 5. Effective decision-making. Each of these elements of executive effectiveness are covered in Chapters 2-to-5. Chapter 6 - The Elements of Decision-Making, which is quite a long chapter is the start of the second part of the book. "Effective executives do not make a great many decisions. They concentrate on the important ones. They try to think through what is strategic and generic, rather than 'solve problems'. So what are the elements of the decision process? 1. "Is this a generic situation or an exception?" Most problems are really generic.; 2. What the decision to accomplish?; 3. What is right, rather than what is acceptable?; 4. Converting the decision into action.; and 5. Feedback has to be built into the decision. This sounds simple, but is rather difficult in practice. But what about the decision itself? "A decision is a judgment. It is a choice between alternatives." And this is the subject of Chapter 7 - Effective Decisions. Contrary to common knowledge one does not start with facts, but one starts with opinions. And the right decision ultimately grows out of the clash and conflict of divergent opinions and out of consideration of competing alternatives. Finally, Drucker concludes with the conclusion that effectiveness MUST be learned. He bases his assumption on the fact that the executive's job is to be effective and that effectiveness can be learned and that effectiveness will/has become more important for the knowledge worker. As usual, another great book by Peter Drucker. Although the book was originally published in 1966, it still strikes home the simple basic of effectiveness. This book is not only for business executives, but for all people wanting to become effective and in any field required. The author makes use of great examples from the greatest thinkers in time. I recommend this book to readers who did like Larry Bossidy's 'Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done' and Stephen Covey's 'Seven Habits of Highly Effective People'. Just one comment: Although Drucker makes it sound easy, it requires a lot of hard work and discipline. The author uses simple business US-English.
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Summary: Keep it simple is not as easy as it seems, but with PFD...
Review: The better way to understand what is going on inside every business with a little waste of energy and time!!!!!. This book is a need for every one who has the right to be on the way of high performance successfully.
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Summary: Learn to be effective...
Review: The content of this book is very timely and applicable to anyone who is considered to be a 'knowledge worker'. Regardless of title, the knowledge worker really is an executive. Several pages in the first chapter are dedicated to setting up this argument and scoping out the audience. Drucker is very methodical in laying out his 5 principles of effectiveness. These are the basis for his two arguments in the book - executives must be effective and effectiveness must be learned. In each chapter that supports his principles, he lays the foundation for the principle, builds walls around it with countless real-life examples, and then drives them home with even more real-life examples. Perhaps the greatest asset within this book is the rich examples that Drucker has provided. He is the oracle of management that has real experience as a strategist and theorist. He has no qualms with hitting common textbook theory head on in his books and has countless examples to back him up. One drawback is that it can become tiresome to read some parts. Drucker really drives home some points and if you've already got it, you lose appreciation for the extra examples. Ok, so it's not like reading a Grisham novel, but I promise you will take some valuable nuggets away from this book that can help you in building your career.
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Summary: Learn to be effective...
Review: The content of this book is very timely and applicable to anyone who is considered to be a 'knowledge worker'. Regardless of title, the knowledge worker really is an executive. Several pages in the first chapter are dedicated to setting up this argument and scoping out the audience. Drucker is very methodical in laying out his 5 principles of effectiveness. These are the basis for his two arguments in the book - executives must be effective and effectiveness must be learned. In each chapter that supports his principles, he lays the foundation for the principle, builds walls around it with countless real-life examples, and then drives them home with even more real-life examples. Perhaps the greatest asset within this book is the rich examples that Drucker has provided. He is the oracle of management that has real experience as a strategist and theorist. He has no qualms with hitting common textbook theory head on in his books and has countless examples to back him up. One drawback is that it can become tiresome to read some parts. Drucker really drives home some points and if you've already got it, you lose appreciation for the extra examples. Ok, so it's not like reading a Grisham novel, but I promise you will take some valuable nuggets away from this book that can help you in building your career.
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Summary: This a very powerful book
Review: This book has some powerful messages for the modern executive. The difference between being busy and being effective is an important distinction that Drucker highlights. He also highlights some important rules of thumb that are very true but often taken for granted. For example, the fact that any significant innovation requires large chunks of consecutive time spent focused on the issue. Any manager that wants to create a breakthrough change in their organization needs to think through the issues in large chunks. All we can do in small chunks of time is what we did yesterday. He also points out that the critical scarce resource for any executive is time and that some of the most important decisions an executive makes is any honest assessment of what is not going to get done. Too many projects keep moving forward burning up critical time and never reaching critical mass. Drucker provides insight into how to either make something happen or how to be decisive about what you are not going to do which is often even harder
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Summary: Simple truth on management effectiveness
Review: This book is not just a good read but should be treated as a manual by anyone who wants to get things done in the knowledge based economy. Some of Drucker's advice seems obvious, e.g. that effective executive should play on the strengths of his coworkers. But how often do managers follow this principle in real life? There is plenty of such simple yet profound advice in this book by the world's No. 1 management thinker.
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Summary: Impressive
Review: This is a good and clearly written book. One section that fascinated me was about being efficient with time-management. Drucker sites FDR's aide Harry Hopkins as being so sick during WW II, that he literally could only work a few hours every OTHER day. But that he got MORE work done than anyone in wartime Washington. Because he was efficient. Winston Churchill called him, "Lord Heart of the Matter." I know workaholics who emotionally deprive their families, but take a martyr-like pleasure in their workaholism. And, yes, sometimes they are very accomplished. But I also have a friend in the South of France who is filthy rich, and lives on a huge estate, and made all his immense wealth on his own. And he still works full time. And he rarely works more than a six hour day! And sometimes much less than that! After reading this book, I realized he is just very efficient. Another good book is Robert Ringer's MILLION DOLLAR HABITS. He relates how he used to be frustrated to see so many people work fewer hours than he, but make a lot more money. Then he read a study that showed the most successful people are not workaholics: they are efficient. THE EFFECTIVE EXECUTIVE lets you learn new and helpful habits.
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Summary: Excellent - Very insightful and thought provoking.
Review: Very practical guide for anyone involved in management. Stephen Covey has copied a lot of the ideas here in his recent books
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Summary: Old School? New School? A classic!
Review: What is being an executive about? Getting results. Drucker spells this out in clear language, and basis his advice for executives on getting results. In a world where people mistake passion, energy, enthusiasm or relationship building for results, this is vital. There are many tools an executive can use to achieve results, but in the end, the results are what he (or she) is judged by. The book works through tactical advice on how to increase ones ability to make results. This includes advice on meeting management ("one can work or meet, but not both"), time management (focusing on the important tasks over crisis) and innovating by staying close to one's customers. Get this book to help you separate fad from fantasy from fact. It will improve your management and leadership effectiveness.
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