Cogito ergo sum - one of Descartes's most famous legacies - loosely translated as, I think, therefore I am.
Peter Drucker had a similar way of introducing himself - I write - is how he used to introduce himself. What Peter should have really said was - I think and I write, and I don't know which one comes first. An interesting chicken and egg problem, but not one you lose sleep over, especially if your writing borders on the prolific, and your thinking can stand the test of time!
November 2009 marked the 100th anniversary of Peter Drucker's birth and we should celebrate it. Universally acclaimed as a great management thinker and business guru, for over 50 years, from the early 1950's to the early 2000's his provocative and often controversial ideas dominated the business world.
The management kingdom is rediscovering him and finding him to be just as relevant as he was all those years ago.
HBR ran a special issue on Drucker in Nov. 2009 - asking What Would Peter Drucker Do?
Books like Inside Drucker's Brain are attempting to make him and his cutting edge thinking more accessible.
Paradoxically, in the West, where he made his greatest contributions, he is all but forgotten, pushed aside by gurus du jour. On the other side of the Atlantic, Drucker societies are still alive and flourishing. They assemble routinely to discuss his work and learn from his teachings.
It is impossible to compress a sixty-year career comprising over thirty books that have sold over 5 million copies and scores of articles, including some HBR classics, in a page or two. So, how about we take inspiration from Hollywood and present instead a 90 second trailer on the World according to Peter Drucker.
His signature idea - Management by Objectives; still relevant, especially as companies flounder with direction and purpose.
His committed and unwavering focus - the long term health and well being of companies, not short-term hits. He rarely blamed individuals, maintaining that it was always the underlying systems that were the root causes of failure. He believed organizations should constantly challenge their design and operations; he saw this as the key to long-term well being.
His favorite questions - What is your company's ultimate purpose? Who is the customer? What is your mission? What is it you should continue to do? What is it you should stop doing? Where has the obsession with the short-term undermined long-term effectiveness? Why aren't some younger people in the company earning more than the Directors?
His passions - writing, context-bound thinking, integrating ideas, processes not outcomes, urging companies to innovate and create the future, long-term corporate well being, nurturing future stars, and of course - the CUSTOMER!
What did A.G. Lafley, ex CEO of P&G, learn from Drucker?
In A.G.'s own words:
No presentation of Peter Drucker's work is complete without sharing some of his memorable quotes and brilliant observations. A very brief, you might even say self-serving, sampling related to marketing, the customer, and innovation follow.
Peter Drucker had a similar way of introducing himself - I write - is how he used to introduce himself. What Peter should have really said was - I think and I write, and I don't know which one comes first. An interesting chicken and egg problem, but not one you lose sleep over, especially if your writing borders on the prolific, and your thinking can stand the test of time!
November 2009 marked the 100th anniversary of Peter Drucker's birth and we should celebrate it. Universally acclaimed as a great management thinker and business guru, for over 50 years, from the early 1950's to the early 2000's his provocative and often controversial ideas dominated the business world.
The management kingdom is rediscovering him and finding him to be just as relevant as he was all those years ago.
HBR ran a special issue on Drucker in Nov. 2009 - asking What Would Peter Drucker Do? Books like Inside Drucker's Brain are attempting to make him and his cutting edge thinking more accessible.
Paradoxically, in the West, where he made his greatest contributions, he is all but forgotten, pushed aside by gurus du jour. On the other side of the Atlantic, Drucker societies are still alive and flourishing. They assemble routinely to discuss his work and learn from his teachings.
It is impossible to compress a sixty-year career comprising over thirty books that have sold over 5 million copies and scores of articles, including some HBR classics, in a page or two. So, how about we take inspiration from Hollywood and present instead a 90 second trailer on the World according to Peter Drucker.
His signature idea - Management by Objectives; still relevant, especially as companies flounder with direction and purpose.
His committed and unwavering focus - the long term health and well being of companies, not short-term hits. He rarely blamed individuals, maintaining that it was always the underlying systems that were the root causes of failure. He believed organizations should constantly challenge their design and operations; he saw this as the key to long-term well being.
His favorite questions - What is your company's ultimate purpose? Who is the customer? What is your mission? What is it you should continue to do? What is it you should stop doing? Where has the obsession with the short-term undermined long-term effectiveness? Why aren't some younger people in the company earning more than the Directors?
His passions - writing, context-bound thinking, integrating ideas, processes not outcomes, urging companies to innovate and create the future, long-term corporate well being, nurturing future stars, and of course - the CUSTOMER!
What did A.G. Lafley, ex CEO of P&G, learn from Drucker?
In A.G.'s own words:
Over the years, I learned many things from Peter, but far and away the most important were the simplest:
- The purpose of company is to create a customer.
- A business is defined by the needs, wants, desires a customer satisfies when buying the company's product or service.
- To satisfy the customer is the most important mission and purpose of every business.
No presentation of Peter Drucker's work is complete without sharing some of his memorable quotes and brilliant observations. A very brief, you might even say self-serving, sampling related to marketing, the customer, and innovation follow.
Paraphrasing Drucker and taking a few artistic liberties: since customers define markets, and market creation should be the fundamental focus of a company, and innovation is the primary fuel that drives this market creation - then what better world to be thinking, writing, and consulting in, than customer-driven innovation!
- Because the purpose of business is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two--and only two--basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are costs.
- The customer rather than the manufacturer defines a market
- Of course innovation is risky. But so is stepping into the car to drive to the supermarket for a loaf of bread. All economic activity is by definition 'high risk.' And defending yesterday - that is, not innovating - is far more risky than making tomorrow.
Happy 100th Peter! You are not forgotten.
Hi Gaurav,
thanks for great blog post on Drucker!
I just bought a Drucker book to refresh my knowledge of his work. Thanks for reminding us of how foundational and crucial his thinking is!