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It takes far more energy and work to improve from incompetence to mediocrity than it takes to improve from first-rate performance to excellence.

Peter Drucker

The three most charismatic leaders in this century inflicted more suffering on the human race than almost any trio in history: Hitler, Stalin, and Mao. What matters is not the leader’s charisma. What matters is the leader’s mission.
PETER DRUCKER

History Human Leadership Suffering
A decision without an alternative is a desperate gambler’s throw.
PETER DRUCKER

Choice Decision
A man should never be appointed to a managerial position if his vision focuses on people’s weaknesses rather than on their strengths. The man who always knows exactly what people cannot do, but never sees anything they can do, will undermine the spirit of his organization.
PETER DRUCKER

Focus Man People Spirit Strength Vision Weakness
Working on the right things is what makes knowledge work effective.
PETER DRUCKER

Inspirational Knowledge Right
Business has only two functions – marketing and innovation.
PETER DRUCKER

Business Innovation
When a subject becomes totally obsolete we make it a required course.
PETER DRUCKER

Education Important
There is only one valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer.
PETER DRUCKER

Business Creation Customer Purpose
By themselves, character and integrity do not accomplish anything. But their absence faults everything else. Here, therefore, is the one area where weakness is a disqualification by itself rather than a limitation on performance capacity and strength.
PETER DRUCKER

Accomplishment Character Integrity Limitation Strength Weakness
A person can perform only from strength. One cannot build performance on weakness, let alone on something one cannot do at all.
PETER DRUCKER

Alone Person Strength Weakness
1. What is our mission? 2. Who is our customer? 3. What does the customer value? 4. What are our results? 5. What is our plan?
PETER DRUCKER

Customer Mission Ourselves Planning Result
Entrepreneurship is neither a science nor an art. It is a practice.
PETER DRUCKER

Art Entrepreneur Practice Science
It is more productive to convert an opportunity into results than to solve a problem – which only restores the equilibrium of yesterday.
PETER DRUCKER

Opportunity Problem Result
The computer is a moron.
PETER DRUCKER

Stupidity Technology
A well-managed factory is boring. Nothing exciting happens in it because the crises have been anticipated and have been converted into routine.
PETER DRUCKER

Business Excitement
Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.
PETER DRUCKER

Goodness Planning
Meetings are by definition a concession to deficient organization For one either meets or one works. One cannot do both at the same time.
PETER DRUCKER

Business Job Oneself Time

It takes far more energy and work to improve from incompetence to mediocrity than it takes to improve from first-rate performance to excellence.

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It takes far more energy and work to improve from incompetence to mediocrity than it takes to improve from first-rate performance to excellence.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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