Peter Drucker is known as the founder of Modern Management & his writings have contributed to: philosophical & practical foundations of business management, development of management education & management by objectives.
An effective executive does not need to be a leader in the sense of that term most commonly used. Many leaders are all over the map in terms of personality, attitude, values, strengths & weaknesses, extroverts to reclusive or easy going versus controlling.
Peter Drucker outlines 8 Practices of an Effective Leader:
GAIN THE KNOWLEDGE NEEDED TO BE EFFECTIVE (Includes Practices 1 - 2)
Practice 1: The question is not “What do I want to do” rather “What has to be done”
Practice 2: Consider What is Right for the Organization / Enterprise. Effective Executives (leaders) know that organizations will perform well if top management performs well. They do not focus on what’s right for the owners, stock prices, employees or executives as they know the wrong decision will ultimately not be right for any stakeholder.
CONVERT KNOWLEDGE INTO EFFECTIVE ACTION (Includes Practices 3 - 6)
Practice 3: They Develop Action Plans: a statement of intention vs commitment. They understand that knowledge is useless until it is translated into action. Plans & contributions often span 18 - 24 months including results, goals and deadlines. They assure that the decision & plan is ethical & acceptable to the organization as well as legal & compatible with the mission & values.
Revisions are built in to assure flexibility with every success, failure or new opportunity. This includes changes in the business environment, market etc. This is possible through regular check-in points looking at results against expectations. This allows the executive to know what really matters & what is noise.
Time is one of the most precious resources for the executive & must be managed carefully. Drucker states “Know thy time” & talks about how time should be optimized, managed & consolidated to get the best results. He suggests that monitoring, in a log, how & where time is spent over a 4 weeks period allows a leader to identify & eliminate wasted time, what can be delegated to others & prioritize where they need to spend their time for the best results.
Practice 4: Take Responsibility for decisions. Decisions should use a systematic approach allowing the leader to step back to see what is important & make one decision based on understanding boundary conditions. Boundary conditions helps to qualify what is a good decision.
The executive knows that a decision is not made until people know about it including who will be accountable for what, deadlines & those that will be affected or simply need to know. He emphasizes that decision making is a crucial skill & made at every level to leverage talents, knowledge & experience.
Decisions require review periodically to allow for adjustments before real damage is done, monitor performance of those involved & holding them accountable for deliverables & checking results against expectations.
Practice 5: Take responsibility for communicating. Executives share plans with and ask for comments from colleagues, superiors, subordinates & peers. They focus on communication both upward & downstream.
Practice 6: Focus on opportunities versus problems. Leaders look for & exploit opportunities both inside & outside the organization to produce desired results. Treat change as an opportunity rather than a threat. They see innovation as an opportunity including but not limited to changes in mindset, values, perception, meaning, knowledge & technology
CREATE JOINT RESPONSIBILITY & ACCOUNTABILITY (practices 7-8)
Practice 7: Run productive meetings. Effective executives prioritize advanced planning & engagement by participants. Valuing time allows them to determine what requires a meeting vs what can be sent in an email or other communication. They prioritize a purpose in meeting, stick to the agenda managing & adjoining on time.
Practice 8: Use “We” rather than “I”. This seems easily yet needs to be strictly observed to gain trust & engagement at every level. Effective executives think o fate needs & opportunities of the organization before their own.
In summary, effective executives (leaders) know their strengths & leverage these with laser focus as then make ultimate decisions, plan for execution & communicate throughout the process. What they have in common is that they get the right things done. Effectiveness comes from discipline & this can be learned & must be earned.
QUOTE:
“Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Resources:
The Effective Executive Book - Peter Drucker - staple for leaders at all levels
Strength Finders 2.0 Book - Tom Rath - identifies your top 5 strengths regardless of the setting you are in & tips for managing others based on their strengths. Get a free assessment when you buy the book .
Turn the Ship Around Book - David Marquet - a true story about turning followers into leaders
4 Reasons to Meet - Adam Grant - YouTube video
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