The Effective Executive Book Summary

Book Summary

15 min

Audio available

Brief Summary

To become an effective leader you must look at your own strengths and weaknesses, delegate roles to employees based on their skills, and work effectively with others in a collaborative environment.

About the Author

Peter F. Drucker is an Austrian born American management consultant, educator, author. He was a leader in the development of management education. His ideas have played a large role in shaping the modern corporation. He has been called the “founder of modern management.” He is well known and influential in the subject of management theory and practice. He is the co-author of 25 books, including The End of Economic Man published in 1939. He graduated with a PhD from Goethe University Frankfurt.

Topics

Management & Leadership

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Key Insights

Many of us work for big corporations today, where it’s easy to get lost in a pool of nameless co-workers.

So, how do you make yourself stand out?

How do you find success as a small fish in a big pond?

In “The Effective Executive” Peter F. Drucker will help you to navigate your way to success within a big company and become an effective executive.

He will explain how the effective executive works to support his team, encourages the development of skills among employees, and how that benefits the entire team.

“Efficiency is doing the thing right. Effectiveness is doing the right thing.”- Peter F. Drucker

Get ready to become the most effective executive with Drucker’s advice.

The Road to Being an Effective Executive

First things first, effective executives are made not born. Though it might look like they’re naturally good at what they do, it took a lot of work to get there. So, you can do it too!

If you have a management position, you must start to think of it from a different perspective. These positions are not about transforming others, it’s really about transforming yourself, which will then result in you leading by example. Your employees will see what you are doing and mirror it to gain respect and improve their skills.

An effective executive sees the overall picture of what needs to happen in order to be more productive and successful. He also encourages accountability amongst his employees and makes sure that everyone feels a responsibility to the company and to each other.

For example, if an employee makes a mistake, they will own up to it and feel the responsibility to fix it for the sake of the team.

President Harry Truman is a superb effective executive example. When he began his term in 1945, though he wanted to put attention to the issues of the US, he understood that issues oversea needed attention from him more. Truman knew that he had the responsibility to interfere. By, paying attention to the chaos that was happening in Europe, he became known for his effective decisions regarding foreign policy.

But, these decisions only result in outcomes like Truman’s if you are consciously making an effort to improve. You must want to do good for your company and be a role model for your employees.

Performance reviews are a good tool to help you decipher where your downfalls are. For example, you may have a decision bias, which is the habit of taking the loudest and most-discussed option within a decision, rather than looking at the facts and delving deep into the issue.

When you discover your weaknesses during performance reviews, it will help you to delegate jobs to different employees. If you know you are not good with something, it’s best to hand it over to someone who is.

Plotting Your Path

Our world is full of organizations. And, learning how to navigate them is the only way we can become successful. It doesn’t matter if you are in an entry-level position or the top of the chain, learning how to...