Managing Oneself

I’ve heard people sing Peter Drucker’s praises, but up until this point haven’t read any of his works. I saw one similar to this on a friend’s table, and thought this would be a good time to read something short of his. I liked it quite a lot. Drucker has the kind of writing that I like; he doesn’t speak in the jargon of the modern self-help guru or business journalist. I think he probably predates that. He draws on his experiences as an asset manager in London in the 1930s, but also on his wide ranging and diverse analysis of the leadership styles of presidents, military figures, hospital CEOs, family businesses, and much more.

More so, I can see why people love the simplicity of his argumentation. He can break down concepts that are often on the tip of one’s tongue, and present them in succinct and humorous tone that ends up sticking in memory well. Buffett does this quite well too, and I can see why they are often linked together intellectually (as well as why they overlapped professionally in some ways too). This book’s best moments are in Drucker’s description of learning styles: understanding whether you are a reader, hearer, talker, or notetaker, and why that is key to development.