What Makes an Effective Executive
ARTICLE www.hbr.org What Makes an
Effective Executive by Peter F Drucker
.
Included with this full-text Harvard Business Review article:
1 Article Summar y
The Idea in Brief—the core idea
The Idea in Practice—putting the idea to work
2 What Makes an Effective Executive
8 Further Reading
A list of related materials, with annotations to guide further exploration of the article’s ideas and applications
Product 6980
What Makes an Effective Executive
The Idea in Brief
The Idea in Practice
Worried that you’re not a born leader? That you lack charisma, the right talents, or some other secret ingredient? No need: leadership isn’t about personality or talent. In fact, the best leaders exhibit wildly different personalities, attitudes, values, and strengths— they’re extroverted or reclusive, easygoing or controlling, generous or parsimonious, numbers or vision oriented.
GET THE KNOWLEDGE YOU NEED
So what do effective leaders have in common? They get the right things done, in the right ways—by following eight simple rules: Ask what needs to be done.
When Jack Welch asked this question while taking over as CEO at General Electric, he realized that dropping GE businesses that couldn’t be first or second in their industries was essential—not the overseas expansion he had wanted to launch. Once you know what must be done, identify tasks you’re best at, concentrating on one at a time. After completing a task, reset priorities based on new realities. • Develop action plans.
Ask what’s right for the enterprise.
Don’t agonize over what’s best for owners, investors, employees, or customers. Decisions that are right for your enterprise are ultimately right for all stakeholders.
• Take responsibility for decisions.
CONVERT YOUR KNOWLEDGE INTO ACTION
• Take responsibility for communicating.
Develop action plans.
Devise plans that specify desired results and constraints (is the course of action legal and
Effective Executive by Peter F Drucker
.
Included with this full-text Harvard Business Review article:
1 Article Summar y
The Idea in Brief—the core idea
The Idea in Practice—putting the idea to work
2 What Makes an Effective Executive
8 Further Reading
A list of related materials, with annotations to guide further exploration of the article’s ideas and applications
Product 6980
What Makes an Effective Executive
The Idea in Brief
The Idea in Practice
Worried that you’re not a born leader? That you lack charisma, the right talents, or some other secret ingredient? No need: leadership isn’t about personality or talent. In fact, the best leaders exhibit wildly different personalities, attitudes, values, and strengths— they’re extroverted or reclusive, easygoing or controlling, generous or parsimonious, numbers or vision oriented.
GET THE KNOWLEDGE YOU NEED
So what do effective leaders have in common? They get the right things done, in the right ways—by following eight simple rules: Ask what needs to be done.
When Jack Welch asked this question while taking over as CEO at General Electric, he realized that dropping GE businesses that couldn’t be first or second in their industries was essential—not the overseas expansion he had wanted to launch. Once you know what must be done, identify tasks you’re best at, concentrating on one at a time. After completing a task, reset priorities based on new realities. • Develop action plans.
Ask what’s right for the enterprise.
Don’t agonize over what’s best for owners, investors, employees, or customers. Decisions that are right for your enterprise are ultimately right for all stakeholders.
• Take responsibility for decisions.
CONVERT YOUR KNOWLEDGE INTO ACTION
• Take responsibility for communicating.
Develop action plans.
Devise plans that specify desired results and constraints (is the course of action legal and