Quotes from Peter F. Drucker

Effective executives concentrate on the few major areas where superior performance will produce outstanding results.

Time is also a unique resource. Of the other major resources, money is actually quite plentiful. We long ago should have learned that it is the demand for capital, rather than the supply thereof, which sets the limit to economic growth and activity. People—the third limiting resource—one can hire, though one can rarely hire enough good people. But one cannot rent, hire, buy, or otherwise obtain more time. The

Effective executives, finally, make effective decisions

3. Individual self-development in large measure depends on the focus on contributions. The man who asks of himself, "What is the most important contribution I can make to the performance of this organization?" asks in effect, "What self-development do I need? What knowledge and skill do I have to acquire to make the contribution I should be making? What strengths do I have to put to work? What standards do I have to set myself?" 4.

Without an action plan, the executive becomes a prisoner of events.

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Gerenciar é fazer as coisas do jeito certo; liderar é fazer as coisas certas.

A decision has not been made until people know: • the name of the person accountable for carrying it out; • the deadline; • the names of the people who will be affected by the decision and therefore have to know about, understand, and approve it—or at least not be strongly opposed to it; and • the names of the people who have to be informed of the decision, even if they are not directly affected by it.

Energy, resources, and time should go instead to making a competent person into a star performer.

A family member in a family business has a position of authority and power, regardless of his title and rank, even regardless of his job. He has the inside track to the top—as a son, a brother, a brother-in-law. No matter what his rank, he is top management. If he cannot command the respect due a member of top management on his own merit and on the basis of his performance, he should not be allowed to stay on the payroll.

These apparently low-level decisions are extremely important in a knowledge-based organization.

The Functions of the Executive, that organizations are held together by information rather than by ownership or command.

Problems have to be taken care of, of course; they must not be swept under the rug.

We cannot yet develop a theory of innovation. But we already know enough to say when, where, and how one looks systematically for innovative opportunities, and how one judges the chances for their success or the risks of their failure. We know enough to develop, though still only in outline form, the practice of innovation.

Exploiting opportunities produces results.

Society, community, family are all conserving institutions. They try to maintain stability and to prevent, or at least slow down, change. But the organization of the post-capitalist society of organizations is a destabilizer. Because its function is to put knowledge to work - on tools, processes, and products; on work; on knowledge itself - it must be organized for constant change. It must be organized for innovation.

The task of an executive is not to change human beings. Rather, as the Bible tells us in the parable of the talents, the task is to multiply the performance capacity of the whole by putting to use whatever strength, whatever health, whatever aspiration there is in individuals.

Spellman often said that during his waking hours he was alone only twice each day, for 25 minutes each time:

The worst kind of replacement planning is the search for a "crown prince." A crown prince either has a legal right to succeed; or else nomination is likely to destroy him. No matter how carefully concealed, picking a crown prince is an overt act which the whole organization very rapidly perceives. And then all the other possible contenders unite against the crown prince and work to bring him down—and they usually succeed.

The effective executive knows that it is easier to raise the performance of one leader than it is to raise the performance of a whole mass.

If we decide that we have to abolish or curtail economic freedom as potentially demon-provoking, the danger is very great that we shall soon feel all freedom threatens to release the demonic forces.

Its five business principles are "respect for humans," "customer satisfaction," "social responsibility," "value creation," and "innovation orientation.

Good follow-up is just as important as the meeting itself.

Even a conversation with only one other person is a meeting. Hence, if they are to be effective, executives must make meetings productive.