One of the most important functions in a business or organization of any kind is management. This is the process through which resources are converted into results. The people who perform this task are known as managers. Peter Drucker is known as the father of management today. He is the author of a book known as "The Effective Executive". This book explains how to be more effective in a managerial position at the workplace. To explain how management can be done in today's environment, Drucker emphasizes that we need to get the right things completed. This involves investing resources such as imagination, knowledge and intelligence in the right way to ensure organizational success. By demonstrating and redefining the managerial ability of a modern executive, the author of this book explains how to achieve management success in business and government. Here are some lessons we learned from the Book: The effective executive.
Always do what needs to be done
The main role of an effective executive is to begin by asking what needs to be done and not what they want to do. Every organization has some activities which need to be completed. These are critical elements that need regular attention. The effective executive must keep their eye on these particular activities. In addition to that, it is not enough to just get things done. Drucker indicates that you must ensure that the things which need to be done are the right ones. To be an effective executive, you need to take an objective look at the overall needs of the business and identify where your contribution has the most effect. Once you do this, you can proceed to execute a strategy. If you can answer the question of what needs to be done and what you want to do with the same answer, you are definitely working in the right job.
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Understand that it is more important to invest your time exploiting opportunities than solving problems
Every company normally deals with some problems as it grows. It also encounters some opportunities. An effective executive must respond to both of these conditions. How can they pick the right one to focus their energy on? Drucker indicates that you can gain more effective benefits from exploiting opportunities instead of spending the same time solving problems. One of the powers of an executive is delegation. If you can delegate problem solving to someone capable and spend your time exploiting opportunities, then you are being an effective executive.
Focus on your expected contribution in every situation
Everyone in an organization or company is required to make a contribution. This can be finances or skills. The effective executive must also make a contribution. To do this, he or she needs to ask themselves what is expected of them. By identifying the expected results, an effective executive can work towards them. To do this, they must work by building on the strengths of the organization. Every single person in the company has some strengths and weaknesses. To maximize progress, an effective executive needs to ensure that all effort is focused on the strengths of the stakeholders and not the weaknesses. They also focus on their own strengths and how they can contribute to the progress of the organization.
Be your own effective leader
The modern top executive is not supervised in detail. This is because of their high rank and general load of responsibilities. As such, their surbordinates can only assist the executive to achieve the objectives of the company. This executive must be a leader of his own actions. They must make every effort to push themselves towards high performance as well as positive contribution to the organization. Drucker indicates that it is essentially the job of the managerial leader to be effective. This is because nobody can do it for them. Owning the role of an effective executive results in actions, decision-making processes and delegation skills that boost effectiveness throughout the organization.
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Effective management of time
One of the most important resources which is available to a modern executive is time. Drucker indicates in his book that if you can't manage your time, you can't manage anything else. An effective executive must use their it in the most optimal way possible. This is because time is a non-renewable resource. To be an effective executive, you need to know which activities deserve your time. These should be the ones that are most strategic to the progress of your organization. All the others can be delegated.
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Strive to make the right decisions
Part of being an effective executive is making decisions. This is an essential activity in management. An example of a decision making process is delegation. You need to match tasks with the colleagues who are capable of handling them. Also, you need to decide which potential obstacles to handle first. Drucker indicates that effective executives can utilize a principle which says that the things which everyone worries about do not happen. However, the ones which nobody attends to are the ones which turn into massive problems. By understanding this principle, the effective executive can pick the obstacles that need attention and then make the decision of picking the right people for the job.
Develop Practices for Effectiveness
To become an efficient executive, you need to create practices for effectiveness. These practices can be solidified by further making them policies. According to Drucker, effectiveness is actually a habit. To perfect it, you need to consistently perform activities that boost your ability to embody this quality. These activities do not have to be big and substantial. All you have to do is perform small, daily, activities. These ones compound over time to make you a fully capable effective executive. To achieve this level of proficiency, it is important to remember that you become what you repeatedly do.
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The Important Take Away
When it comes to management, Peter Drucker is a guru. He understands how modern management works and how to improve it by making effective executives. In his book "The Effective Executive", Peter shows us how we can become better executives and achieve more. The lessons above are derived from his book. Learn them and transform yourself into an effective executive at the workplace.
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