Managing Oneself

Below are my notes from the book 'Managing Oneself' by Peter Drucker.

Feedback Analysis

            Whenever you make a key decision or action, write down what you expect will happen. 9-12 months later, compare the results.

            This method will show you what you are doing or failing to do that deprives you of the full benefits of your strengths. Also, it will show you where you are not fully competent. And lastly, it will show you where you have no strengths and where you can not perform.

            Concentrate on your strengths. Put yourself where you strengths can produce results. Work on your strengths. One should waste little time on improving areas of low competence. It takes more time to work on areas of low competence than to work on building your strengths.

It is okay to be subordinate in life. You can be the best at a lower rank-it’s still something to be proud of. General George Patton was a prime war hero in the lower ranks, but was not promoted because the US Chief of Staff knew he wouldn’t make a good general because he would be a better subordinate.

Strong decision makers put someone they trust in their number two spot, and the number two person succeeds there because they are unable to make decisions. The number one is the decision maker and is outstanding, but still needs the number two in order to  remain stable and logical.

Do not change yourself, rather work hard to improve the way in which you perform.

Ethics: What kind of person do you want to see in the mirror each morning?

“I see no point in being the richest man in the cemetery.”

Highly gifted people don’t know where they belong until their mid twenties, but they will know their strengths, values, and how they perform.

When making a plan of action, the results should be hard to achieve (but within reach), meaningful (and make a difference), and finally, visible and measurable.

A midlife crisis is simply boredom. An average person reaches the height of their career at age 45, and has worked twenty long years to reach their fullest potential, and still has another twenty to work. They begin to lose interest or switch careers because they are bored and no longer contributing anything to the workplace or learning anything new.