Peter F. Drucker

Strong people always have strong weaknesses too. Where there are peaks, there are valleys.

This book rests on two premises: The executive’s job is to be effective; and, effectiveness can be learned.

A man should never be appointed to a managerial position if his vision focuses on people’s weaknesses rather than on their strengths.

This is not a textbook, of course—if only because effectiveness, while capable of being learned, surely cannot be taught. Effectiveness is, after all, not a ‘subject,’ but a self-discipline.

In fact, no decision has been made unless carrying it out in specific steps has become someone’s work assignment and responsibility. Until then, there are only good intentions.

Intelligence, imagination, and knowledge are essential resources, but only effectiveness converts them into results. By themselves, they only set limits to what can be attained.

The knowledge that we consider knowledge proves itself in action. What we now mean by knowledge is information in action, information focused on results.

The best way to predict the future is to create it.

To make strength productive is the unique purpose of organization. It cannot, of course, overcome the weakness with which each of us is abundantly endowed. But it can make them irrelevant.

They know that they have no choice but to do first things first—and second things not at all. The alternative is to get nothing done.

If there is one ‘secret’ of effectiveness, it is concentration. Effective executives do first things first and they do one thing at a time.

We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn.

To make knowledge productive, we will have to learn to see both forest and tree. We will have to learn to connect.

All in all, the effective executive tries to be himself; he does not pretend to be someone else. He looks at his own performance and at his own results and tries to discern a pattern. ‘What are the things,’ he asks, ‘that I seem to be able to do with relative ease, while they come rather hard to other people?’