Peter Drucker died on Friday, just shy of his 96th birthday.
I recall my first "discovery" of his work when I first moved to Chicago in 1986. I was new to Oak Park and decided to visit the public library. I picked up one of his books and started reading. Given his style of writing and almost constant historical references, I first thought it was a little stuffy. Later I recall reading something that fit my current experiences at Amoco. It wasn't until slightly later when I recall seeing that it had been written in the 1960S 25 plus years prior. Now I was hooked. Isn't it ironic that I had a business degree and don't ever recall Drucker being required reading.
As an example, in The Effective Executive, Chapter 7: Effective Decisions, Drucker wrote:
"A decision is a judgment. It is a choice between alternatives. It is rarely a choice between right and wrong. It is at best a choice between "almost right" and "probably wrong" - but much more a choice between two courses of action neither of which of which is probably more nearly right than the other.
Most books on decision-making tell the reader: "First find the facts." But executives who make effective decisions know that one does not start with the facts. One starts with opinions. These are, of course, nothing bu untested hypotheses and, as such, worthless unless tested against reality. To determine what is a fact requires first a decision on the criteria of relevance, especially on the appropriate measurement. This is the hinge of the effective decision, and usually the most controversial part."
Pretty insightful stuff. His work is filled with similar time tested insights written in plain English. What a treasure he has left us with.
I'm sure much more will be written in the intervening weeks. Here are links to the obituary in the
New York Times and the Washington Post. His work is cataloged on this link at the Drucker Archives
There is also a great interview from last year on NPR by WBUR at Boston University.
