Peter Drucker, considered to be the father of modern business management theory, recently passed on. In this book, Drucker identifies five practices essential to business effectiveness that can, and must, be learned.

Paperback, 192pp

HarperCollins Publishers, August 2002

ISBN-13: 0060516070

Barnes & Noble online price: $11.16

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SYNOPSIS

The measure of the executive, Peter Drucker reminds us, is the ability to “get the right things done.” This usually involves doing what other people have overlooked as well as avoiding what is unproductive.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The measure of the executive, Peter Drucker reminds us, is the ability to “get the right things done.” This usually involves doing what other people have overlooked as well as avoiding what is unproductive. Intelligence, imagination, and knowledge may all be wasted in an executive job without the acquired habits of mind that mold them into results.

Drucker identifies five practices essential to business effectiveness that can, and must, be learned: management of time; choosing what to contribute to the practical organization; knowing where and how to mobilize strength for best effect; setting up the right priorities; and knitting all of them together with effective decision making. The author ranges widely through the annals of business and government to demonstrate the distinctive skill of the executive as he offers fresh insights into old and seemingly obvious situations.

Author Biography: Peter F. Drucker was born in 1909 in Vienna and was educated there and in England. He received his doctorate in public and international law while working as a newspaper reporter in Frankfurt, Germany, and then worked as an economist for an international bank in London. In 1927, he came to the United States. Drucker’s management books and analyses of economics and society are widely read and respected throughout the world and have been translated into more than 20 languages. He also has written a lively autobiography, two novels, and several volumes of essays. He has been a frequent contributor to various magazines and journals over the years and is an editorial columnist for The Wall Street Journal.

Drucker has four children and six grandchildren. A hiker and student of Japan and Japanese art, he lives with his wife, Doris, in Claremont, California.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS
Number of Reviews: 3 Average Rating: *****
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A reviewer, Professor of Decision Making, June 4, 2002
One of the Very Top Management Books of All Time
Revolutionary when written, The Effective Executive provides the fund of ideas on which most subsequent management works draw. To fully understand today’s cutting edge business concepts, you must, absolutely must, first understand Drucker and read his original writings. The Effective Exectuive caused many in the business and academic worlds to scratch their heads asking ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’ The answer: they had focused on many of the trees in the forest about which Drucker wrote (‘first things first’ and ‘know thy time’ and ‘effective decisions’), but they had not stepped back far enough to see the whole landscape and appreciate how the individual trees fit together.

After reading The Effective Executive you will want to read challenging new works such as ‘Why Didn’t I Think of That? – Think the Unthinkable and Achieve Creative Greatness’ where the author takes you to the highest levels of current creative managerial thought so that you, unlike your predecessors in the pre-Drucker days, will not end up having to ask yourself ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’

Donald Mitchell, a management consultant from Boston, April 24, 2001,
Being a Help Rather Than a Bother
Have you ever run into executives who create more harm than good? Do you realize that some people may see you that way, at least in some situations. One of the most famous quotes by Peter Drucker is that he sometimes refers to himself as an ‘insultant’ rather than a consultant. His straight talk in this book will direct you onto the right path for helping your organization accomplish more. Peter Drucker begins this book by pointing out that there is no science of how to improve executive effectiveness, nor any naturally-occurring effective executives. The redeeming point of this problem is that he argues that executive effectiveness can be learned.

The principles begin with a focus on time management. We can get greater quantities of every other resource we need, except time. Drucker reports that executives spend their time much differently than they think they do and much differently than they would like to. His solution is to begin by measuring how you spend your time, and compare it with an ideal allocation. Then begin to systematically get rid of the unimportant in favor of the important. His suggestions include stopping some things, delegation, creating policy decisions to replace ad hoc decisions, staying out of things that others should do, and so forth. Any student of time management will recognize the list he suggests. One of the best points is to give yourself large blocks of uninterrupted time to do more significant tasks. He also cautions us not to cut down on time spent with other people. If an hour is required, don’t try to do it in 15 minutes. Next, Drucker argues that we should focus on what will make a difference rather than unimportant questions. Otherwise, we will fill our time with motion rather than proceeding towards results. Beyond that, he points out that we have to build on our own strengths and those of the people in our organization. That is how we can outperform the competition and accomplish much more. We also need to be systems thinkers, getting to the core of the issue first. If you would like to know more about that subject, look at The Fifth Discipline. For example, if you are weak on new products, you need to work on the new product development process before fine-tuning your marketing. If you reverse the order of these activities, your results will be far less.

Perhaps the best section in the book has to do with executive decision-making, when to make a decision, about what, and what principles to apply. If you only read this section, you would be well rewarded for studying this fine book. I especially liked the familiar Drucker use of important historical examples to make his points. You’ll remember the principles better because the examples are so vivid.

Although this book was written some time ago, it retains the strength of its insight today. Truly , this is a timeless way to achieve greater effectiveness. You may be concerned about how you are going to learn to apply these concepts. That is actually quite easy. Drucker provides questions in each section that will guide you, step-by-step, to focus your attention on the most promising areas. If you only read one book about how to improve your personal effectiveness as an executive, you will find this to be a rewarding choice.

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