Final Drucker quote

“...individuals will increasingly have to take responsibility for their own continual learning and relearning., for their own self-development and for their own careers. They can no longer assume that what they have learned as children and youngsters will be the 'foundation' for the rest of their lives. It will be the 'launching pad'—the place to take off from rather than the place to build on and to rest on. They can no longer assume that they 'enter upon a career' that then proceeds along a predetermined, well-mapped, and well-lighted 'career path; to a known destination—what the American military calls 'progressing in grade.' The assumption from now on has to be that individuals on their own will have to find, determine, and develop a number of 'careers' during their working lives.”— The Essential Drucker, pages 325-326

<idle musing>
Scary thought, isn't it? But, stop and think about it. I'm on my fourth career now—bookseller. Granted this one builds on the previous ones, but it is a new and distinct one from the previous one of IT director. And that was different from the previous one of Operations/Warehouse manager, which was distinct from the previous one of professional student/teaching assistant. And that one had multiple jobs within it—ranging from UPS preloader to grocery stocker to handyman to working for a moving company to restaurant cook/dishwasher to...well, you get the idea.

As I say frequently, I wouldn't have chosen the path that God has had me walk—but I wouldn't change it for the world! God knows what he is doing; all I need to do is listen and obey. And, by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, I will be able to do that. One thing I do know for sure: the future will be even more exciting than the present! I used to tell Ryan, our son, that life is like a backwards roller coaster; you don't know where you are going and what turns there will be along the way, but you do know you won't fall off. So, its best to just relax and enjoy the ride! Happy riding!
</idle musing>

The common good

“But in the society of organizations, each of the new institutions is concerned only with its own purpose and mission. It does not claim power over anything else. But it also does not assume responsibility for anything else. Who then is concerned with the common good?”— The Essential Drucker, page 317

<idle musing>
This is the problem we are seeing right now. The common good is not being seen to. Everyone is chasing their own rainbow—in se curvatus—curved in on oneself. That defines our society today. But, the Christian should be different! The last pagan Roman emperor, Julian, singled out the Christians of his day as being examples of not being concerned with their own good, but with the good of others. Would that it were so today!
</idle musing>

The problem of perception

“We perceive, as a rule, what we expect to perceive. We see largely what we expect to see, and we hear largely what we expect to hear. That the unexpected may be resented is not the important thing—though most of the work on communications in business and government thinks it is. What is truly important is that the unexpected is usually not received at all. It is not seen or heard, but ignored. Or it is misunderstood, that is, mis-seen or mis-heard as the expected.

“The human mind attempts to fit impressions and stimuli into a frame of expectations. It resists vigorously any attempts to make it 'change its mind,' that is, to perceive what it does not expect to perceive or not to perceive what it expects to perceive.”— The Essential Drucker, page 263

<idle musing>
Change seems pretty hopeless, doesn't it? No wonder people get so depressed; they think everything has to remain the same because they are stuck in the rut of their own thinking. But, as Flannery O'Connor once said, “Your history doesn't have to define you.” Personally, I think Revelation 21:5 ἰδοὺ καινὰ ποιῶ πάντα—Behold, I make all things new (KJV) is a wonderful promise. The newer translations make it an ingressive: I am making all things new. Not sure I like that translation as well, though.
</idle musing>

Decision making

“...the guidelines are so clear that a decision in the concrete case is rarely difficult. They are:
*Act if on balance the benefits greatly outweigh the cost and risk.
*Act or do not act, but do not 'hedge' or compromise.

“The surgeon who only takes out half the tonsils or half the appendix risks as much infection or shock as if he did the whole job. And he has not cured the condition, has indeed made it worse. He either operates or he doesn't. Similarly, the effective decision-maker either acts or he doesn't act. He does not take half-action. This is the one thing that is always wrong, and the one sure way not to satisfy the minimum specifications, the minimum boundary condition.

“The decision is now ready to be made. The specifications have been thought through, the alternatives explored, the risks and gains weighed. Everything is known. Indeed, it is always reasonably clear by now what course of action must be taken. At this point the decision does indeed almost 'make itself.'

“And it is at this point that most decisions are lost. It becomes suddenly quite obvious that the decision is not going to be pleasant, is not going to be popular, s not going to be easy. It becomes clear that a decision requires courage as much as it requires judgment. There is no inherent reason why medicines should taste horrible—but most effective ones are.”— The Essential Drucker, pages 258-259

<idle musing>
Wow. There's a lot here. I'm reminded of Jesus statement about the person who puts their hand to the plow not turning back. I'm also reminded of the rich ruler; the decision was right there in black and white—and he walked away. The cure was too painful—in the short term.
</idle musing>

Listen and learn

“...the effective decision does not, as so many texts on decision-making proclaim, flow from a consensus on the facts. The understanding that underlies the right decision grows out of the clash and conflict of divergent opinions and out of the serious consideration of competing alternatives.

“To get the facts first is impossible. There are no facts unless one has a criterion of relevance. Events by themselves are not facts.

“People inevitably start out with an opinion; to ask them to search for the facts first is even undesirable. They will simply do what everyone is far too prone to do anyhow: look for the facts that fit the conclusion they have already reached. And no one has ever failed to find the facts he is looking for.”— The Essential Drucker, page 252

<idle musing>
If only our politicians would learn this! Mind the qualification though: serious consideration of competing alternatives. I'm reminded of Stephen Covey's “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

Of course, that's too dangerous! We might have to revise our opinions and admit we aren't infallible! Oh, wait, you already knew that, didn't you? Hmmm...then why aren't we willing to listen to others?

Maybe the reformers were right. Humanity is in se curvatus—curved in on ourselves...Only Jesus can break the curvature.
</idle musing>

Assumptions

"With the coming of the computer this [need to go and see in person] will become even more important, for the decision-maker will, in all likelihood, be even further removed from the scene of action. Unless he accepts, as a matter of course, that he had better go out and look at the scene of action, he will be increasingly divorced from reality. All a computer can handle are abstractions. And abstractions can be relied on only if they are constantly checked against the concrete. Otherwise, they are certain to mislead us.

“To go and look for oneself is also the best, if not the only, way to test whether the assumptions on which a decision has been made are still valid or whether they are becoming obsolete and need to be thought through again. And on always has to expect the assumptions to become obsolete sooner or later. Reality never stands still very long.”— The Essential Drucker, page 251

<idle musing>
Reality is moving faster than ever, necessitating checking assumptions even more frequently than ever before. The willingness to check assumptions isn't a natural ability or desire; we like to think that what we've figured out once is set in stone. It isn't!

If we are alive, then we need to be open to learning something new, revising what we thought we knew, reexamining our assumptions—in other words, growing. I praise God that he doesn't let me sit in the same spot I was yesterday. I pray that he keeps me open and receptive to new ideas and fresh thoughts as long as I live. I want to keep learning—and applying what I learn. Head knowledge in and of itself is, how does Paul say it? Oh yeah, σκύβαλα—garbage, dung, worthless refuse, the stuff we throw away and haul off to the landfills.
</idle musing>

Work and mission statements

“Unless a decision has 'degenerated into work,' it is not a decision; it is at best a good intention. This means that, while the effective decision itself is based on the highest level of conceptual understanding the action to carry it out should be as close as possible to the working level and as simple as possible...

“In fact, no decision has been made unless carrying it out in specific steps has become someone's work assignment and responsibility. Until then, there are only good intentions.

“This is the trouble with so many policy statements, especially of business: the contain no action commitment. To carry them out is no one's specific work and responsibility. No wonder that the people in the organization tend to view these statements cynically if not as declarations of what top management is not going to do.”— The Essential Drucker, pages 241-242, 249

<idle musing>
Reminds me of a line I read the other day from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:
“Great is the art of the beginning, but greater is the art of ending.”

Perhaps that's why New Year's resolutions only last about a week or two? No action plan with no accountability = nothing happens.
<idle musing>

Attaining to mediocrity

“Far too many people—and especially people with high knowledge in one area—are contemptuous of knowledge in other areas or believe that being 'bright' is a substitute for knowing. And the the feedback analysis soon shows that a main reason for poor performance is the result of simply not knowing enough, or the result of being contemptuous of knowledge outside one's own specialty...

“Feeding back from results to expectations soon shows where a person should not try to do anything at all. It shows the areas in which a person lacks the minimum endowment needed—and there are always many such areas for any person. Not enough people have even one first-rate skill or knowledge area, but all of us have an infinite number of areas in which we have no talent, no skill, and little chance to become even mediocre.”&mdash The Essential Drucker, page 219

<idle musing>
Man! He's too honest, isn't he? Wouldn't we all love to believe that if we just tried hard enough, we'd be able to do whatever we wanted? After all, we're the center of the universe, right :) Praise God for the gifts he's given you and use them well; don't go chasing the ones he hasn't given you!
</idle musing>

Top down?

“We have been working at communication downward from management to the employees, from the superior to the subordinate. But communications are practically impossible if they are based on the downward relationship. This much we have learned from our work in perception and communications theory. The harder the superior tries to say something to his subordinate, the more likely is it that the subordinate will mishear. He will hear what he expects to hear rather than what is being said.”— The Essential Drucker, page 214

<idle musing>
Yep. That sure makes Philippians 2 come alive:

ὃς ἐν μορφῇ θεοῦ ὑπάρχων
οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο
τὸ εἶναι ἴσα θεῷ,
ἀλλὰ ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν
μορφὴν δούλου λαβών,
ἐν ὁμοιώματι ἀνθρώπων γενόμενος·
καὶ σχήματι εὑρεθεὶς ὡς ἄνθρωπος
ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτὸν
γενόμενος ὑπήκοος μέχρι θανάτου,
θανάτου δὲ σταυροῦ.

or, in English (NRSV):

who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.

Not that this even begins to exhaust its wealth!

It also explains why so many people consider Christianity as works-based—it's what they expect to hear! The good news is too good to hear—free grace to all! God's already done it and he invites us to participate in it. What could be better news than that? And, what could be more unexpected?
</idle musing>

Knowledge that you can use

“The person of knowledge has always been expected to take responsibility for being understood. It is barbarian arrogance to assume that the layman can or should make the effort to understand the specialist, and that it is enough if the person of knowledge talks to a handful of fellow experts who are his peers. Even in the university or in the research laboratory, this attitude—alas, only too common today—condemns the expert to uselessness and converts his knowledge from learning into pedantry. If a person wants to be an executive—that is, if he want to be considered responsible for his contribution—he has to concern himself with the usability of his 'product'—that is his knowledge.

“Effective knowledge workers know this. For they are always imperceptibly led by their upward orientation into finding out what the other fellow needs, what the other fellow sees, and what the other fellow understands. Effective people find themselves asking other people in the organization, their superiors, their subordinates, but above all, their colleagues in other areas, 'What contribution from me do you require to make your contribution to the organization? When do you need this, how do you need it, and in what form?'”— The Essential Drucker, pages 212-213

<idle musing>
Wow, “their upward orientation,” “what the other fellow needs,” “what do you require from me.” Those should be descriptive of the Christian—especially the servant leader! What good is your seminary education or graduate training if it isn't used to equip the saints? It “converts his knowledge from learning into pedantry” and condemns you to uselessness. I would also add that it is a good feeding ground for pride...
</idle musing>