Peter Drucker, one the greatest economist in the twentieth century, is even famous in Japan. He is not just a management scholar teaching and writing management skills but also a philosopher seeking for the function of management in our society. I'm reading 'The Effective Manager' (1964), which discuss the self-management for the achievement of an organisation. Most management books presuppose that managers and executives motivate (maybe force!) their subordinates to change their life. Drucker opposes to the assumption.
The subject of this book is managing oneself for effectiveness. That one can truly manage other people is by no means adequately proven. But one can always manage oneself. Indeed, executives who do not manage
themselves for effectiveness cannot possibly expect to manage their associates and subordinates. Management is largely by example. Executives who do not know how to make themselves effective in their
own job and work set the wrong example. (Drucker (1964), P. ix)
Drucker summarises what the effective executive acts into eight practices: namely,
• They asked, "What needs to be done?"
• They asked, "What is right for the enterprise?"
• They developed action plans.
• They took responsibility for decisions.
• They took responsibility for communicating.
• They were focused on opportunities rather than problems.
• They ran productive meetings.
• They thought and said "we" rather than "I." (Ibid., P. xi)
Fortunately, he makes stress on the effectiveness is acquired skills:
[A]ll the ones who worked on making themselves effective executives succeeded in doing so. Effectiveness can be learned—and it also has to be learned. (Ibid. P.ix)
Reference
Drucker, Peter (1967; 2004), "The Effective Executive," (Collins)
