The Effective Executive teaches corporate executives how to get the most out of their time and effort with foundational strategies of prioritization and time management.
TPM Note: While valid on some basics, Drucker’s assumption of a world without politics and power harms honorable men
Focusing on contribution is only 50% of the equation. Focusing on contribution alone, without power awareness, risks leaving money on the table, leaving you open to being short-changed, and leaves you at a marked disadvantage against more strategic competitors.
Takeaways
- Effectiveness is learned: study it and practice and you’ll become effective
- Start by analyzing your current use of time: how do you spend it? Make it more efficient and consolidate it
- Focus on contribution and results, not on effort
Notes
About the Author:
Peter Drucker was a management consultant and author who penned no less than 39 (!) books.
The Effective Executive was first published in 1966, and it’s mostly aimed at executives of big corporations.
Effectiveness Can Be Learned
A central tenet of The Effective Executive is that effectiveness can be learned and should be learned. Indeed, an effective executive must learn to be effective.
You need to lead by example, and you can only demand efficiency if you first learn to be efficient yourself.
Time Management
The number one priority of effectiveness is managing your time well.
Build on Strengths
Effective executives focus on what they can do well.
This is the idea:
Make your strengths so strong that you weaknesses won’t matter anymore.
With an important caveat: unless your weaknesses are moral and ethical, in which case you need to address them.
Similarly, effective executives focus on what their teams and the people around them can do well. They delegate based on people’s strengths and delegate tasks in a way that compensates for their own weaknesses.
Put Things First
Prioritization is the essence of effectiveness. Always start with the most urgent and important task.
One Thing At a Time
Multitasking is a myth.
The effective executive focuses on the most important task first until it’s done. That’s the secret of those who seem to be doing so many things, Drucker says, they do them one at a time.
Learn What to Say No To
On top of prioritizing and doing things one at a time, learning what to say no to is as important as choosing what to dedicate yourself to.
For more on effectively saying no, read:
Demand More of Yourself
Our growth is highly dependent on the demands we place on ourselves. Effective executives demand a lot of themselves.
Focus on Contribution
People who rise through the rank don’t focus on their tasks, but they always ask themselves “What can I contribute” and “how can I help the organization move forward?“.
Drucker says that those who focus on the effort are always junior employees. And those who focus on contribution are top management material.
TPM Management: Focus on what’s in it for you as well and ensure your contribution is appropriately rewarded
Giving must be balanced by healthy self-interest to take you as far as possible. See more in our smart giving foundational article: how to give for win-win
Listen First, Speak Last
Listening first is a staple of many communication manuals.
Next though, you also want to speak with authority. See:
- How to act and talk like an executive, and be promoted to executive roles
CONS
Basic: most executives know this already
If you have been reading about self-development, a lot of “The Effective Executive” advice won’t be new to you. It can serve as a good reminder, but don’t expect to be gaining a major edge.
Bannister Effect Myth
The Effective Executive perpetuates the self-help myth of the Bannister effect, which is more of a psychology feel-good story than reality.
Review
“The Effective Executive” is a classic book that shares several foundational principles of time management. At The Power Moves, we also add that many other foundations of empowered mindsets and strategic predispositions are not covered.
And it’s those that often differentiate between an executive who does well for both his company, and for himself.
On our part, we might also raise a red flag that some of this book’s principles, like “do what’s good for the company” are naive self-help tropes that to be effective must be coupled with power intelligence and positive self-interest.
For more power-aware guides to go along with your time management, see:
Or check our power-aware training for effective executives:
