Peter Drucker's Five Most Important Questions: Enduring Wisdom for Today's Leaders

By Peter F. Drucker, Frances Hesselbein, Joan Snyder Kuhl

Book Overview

Enduring Management Wisdom for Today's Leaders From Peter F. Drucker. Peter Drucker's Five Most Important Questions provides insightful guidance and stirring inspiration for today's leaders and entrepreneurs. By applying Drucker's leadership framework in the present context of today's leaders and those who lead with them, this book is an essential resource for people leading, managing and working in all three sectors--public, private and social. Readers will gain new perspectives and develop a solid foundation upon which to build a successful and bright future. They will learn how to focus on why they are doing what they're doing, how to do it better, and how to develop a realistic, motivational plan for achieving their goals. This brief, clear, and accessible guide -- peppered with commentary from distinguished management gurus, contemporary entrepreneurs and dynamic millennial leaders --will challenge readers and stimulate spirited discussion and action within any organization, inspiring positive change and new levels of excellence. In addition to contributions from Jim Collins, Marshall Goldsmith, and Judith Rodin, the book features new insights from some of today's most influential leaders in business (GE and Salesforce.com), academia (Harvard Business School and Northwestern University), social enterprise (Levo League, Pencils of Promise and Why Millennials Matter) and the military (United States Military Academy), who have been directly influenced by Drucker's theory of management.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1118979591
• ISBN13: 9781118979594
• Release Date: March 2015
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.61 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.7" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A Peter Drucker book that makes you think

The five questions are simple, yet the book goes in detail why it's important to ask them in your organization or business. Peter Drucker is a legend and his works show it.

A Must Read for Leaders

This is a must read for leaders in any organization. Simple questions aren't necessarily simple to answer and these most important questions are not asked often enough. I'm paid to do this work every day and I'm amazed at how few companies even come close to executing on a fraction of Drucker's wisdom. The 5 questions are not only expounded upon, but layers of other sagacious questions are presented as well. It will prompt you to facilitate your team to ever greater focus and effectiveness. If AG Lafley and Jack Welch were still learning from Drucker while at the helm, couldn't you?

Leadership Pearls

A deceptively small book full of powerful ideas promulgated by the late Dr. Drucker. A must read for anyone seriously considering, or engaged in leading organizations. One of the best management books I've read.

An intelligent and effective approach to leadership

Drucker has the ability to make complex organizational concepts understandable by detailing a step by step thought process that leads to precise action steps. This is an invaluable tool for any manager who wishes to maximize the effectiveness of their team. It helps you translate your organization's vision into dynamic reality.

Planning Is Not an Event

The first edition of Peter Drucker's self-assessment tool for organizations arrived in 1993 and introduced these five key questions: 1) What is our mission? 2) Who is our customer? 3) What does the customer value? 4) What are our results? and 5) What is our plan? This supplementary tool (just 101 easy-reading pages) includes expanded observations from Drucker along with color commentary from six distinguished management gurus, including Jim Collins, Philip Kotler, James Kouzes, Judith Rodin (Rockefeller Foundation president), V. Kasturi Rangan (Harvard Business School), and Frances Hesselbein (chairman of Leader to Leader Institute and former CEO, Girl Scouts of the USA). Referring to Question #5 on planning, Drucker comments, "Planning is not an event. It is the continuous process of strengthening what works and abandoning what does not, of making risk-taking decisions with the greatest knowledge of their potential effect, of setting objectives, appraising performance and results through systematic feedback, and making ongoing adjustments as conditions change." Peter Drucker says that one benefit of a self-assessment process is that you can evaluate how you match opportunities with your competence and commitment. And he adds that the time to do a self-assessment is when you are successful, not when your leading indicators are lagging. This is a helpful new resource for all of us. If you've ordered my new book, Mastering The Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Non-profit, be sure to read the first four chapters (buckets) that expand on the five Drucker questions: the Results Bucket, the Customer Bucket, the Strategy Bucket and the Drucker Bucket.