Peter Drucker Quotes

A company that is not able to attract, motivate, and hold men of talent and competence will not survive. Increasingly, this will mean attracting, motivating, and holding the knowledge worker. Unlike the manual worker of yesterday, the knowledge worker does not, however, look just for a job. He looks for a career. He looks for an opportunity.

Toshiba and Hitachi made better sets at the time, only they showed them on the Ginza in Tokyo and in the big-city department stores, making it pretty clear that farmers were not particularly welcome in such elegant surroundings. Matsushita went to the farmers and sold its televisions door-to-door, something no one in Japan had ever done before for anything more expensive than cotton pants or aprons.

When Henry Ford said, "The customer can have a car in any color as long as it's black," he was not joking.

Results are gained not by solving problems, but by exploiting opportunities.

Exploiting opportunities produces results.

Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly, or it vanishes.

The manager is a servant. His master is the institution he manages and his first responsibility must therefore be to it.

Successful careers are not planned. They develop when people are prepared for opportunities because they know their strengths, their method of work, and their values. Knowing where one belongs can transform an ordinary person — hardworking and competent but otherwise mediocre — into an outstanding performer.

The companies that refused to make hard choices, or refused to admit that anything much was happening, fared badly. If they survive, it is only because their respective governments will not let them go under.

There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.

Peter Drucker

There is no such thing as a “good man.” Good for what? is the question.

Morale in an organization does not mean that "people get along together"; the test is performance not conformance.

If "socialism" is defined as "ownership of the means of production"--and this is both the orthodox and the only rigorous definition--then the United States is the first truly Socialist country.

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 conditions.

Effective executives know that their subordinates are paid to perform and not to please their superiors.