Following the Dale Carnegie class, I picked up Peter Drucker’s classic The Effective Executive. In the book, Drucker explains that effective executives are all over the map in terms of their personalities, attitudes, values, strengths, and weaknesses. What makes them all effective is that they followed the same 8 practices:
- They asked, “What needs to be done?” Every 5 years, Jack Welch asked himself, “What needs to be done now?” Every time, he came up with a new and different priority
- They asked, “What is right for the organization?” The most common cause of executive failure is inability or unwillingness to change with the demands of the new position. The executive who keeps doing what he has done before he moved is almost doomed to fail.
- They developed action plans
- They took responsibility for decisions. Drucker points out that a decision has not been made until people know: who is accountable for carrying it out; the deadline; the names of those affected; and the names of those who need to be informed.
- They took responsibility for communicating
- They were focused on opportunities rather than problems
- They ran productive meetings
- They thought and said “we” rather than “I”
Effectiveness, Drucker noted, is a habit or set of practices that can be learned. Effective executives work systematically at managing their time by recording it, pruning time wasters, and consolidating discretionary time. They focus on “what results are expected of me?” and relentlessly pursue those results.
I find these 8 practices to be good reminders of how to be effective in a leadership role. May they serve you well as you shoot for the stars!