Drucker on Leadership: New Lessons from the Father of Modern Management

Part I. The Leader's Role in Shaping the Organization's Future

Peter admonished us in class: "You cannot predict the future, but you can create it." His method of creation was what we term strategic planning—a topic some senior executives ignore as an important element of leadership. Several years ago one CEO of a major corporation called his senior executives together on his ascension to the position and announced: "Gentlemen, I'm dismantling the strategic planning division and ceasing all strategic planning. I am not a believer." Peter, however, was not only a believer, he thought that strategic planning was the foundation of all leadership. In his view, a leader's primary responsibility was to think through the organization's mission clearly ...