by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
Peter Drucker
“Called the Man who Invented Management,”
has been viewed as
the founding father of management theory for corporations today.
Business Week recently did a feature on his main contributions and management theories (Drucker died Nov. 11, 2005 at 95 years old.)
Here’s a capsule of what Business Week Reported:
The job to lead people is complex. Drucker taught the importance of picking the best people, focusing on opportunities and not problems, being alongside the customer, and how it is important to build and retain talented people. People want to express gifts and talents.
According to Drucker, this is the greatest "asset" of a business.
A business’ success is directly related to how it develops, organizes and mobilizes these abilities.
Over Drucker’s life he introduced these key business principles:
--the idea of de-centralization: leave as much decision making power where the decision needs to be made.
--workers are assets, not liabilities. They build the business for you.
--the corporation is a human community. Build on trust, respect for people and not just be a profit making machine.
--there is no business without the customer.
--it is important to have substance over style, institutionalized practices over charismatic, cult-like controlling leaders.
--knowledge triumphs over raw materials as the essential capital for the new economy.
The article goes on to say that Drucker was ahead of major corporation trends. His religion-like views on management are now just being recognized for the value they are. He felt it was important to find strengths, enlarge them, and develop business developments around the power of the team strengths you have.
Growing up in Germany during Hitler’s reign, he saw the long-term inherent menace of centralization, versus giving power to the people at critical decision making levels of the business. As Drucker aged, his doubts about capitalism grew. He saw it becoming plagued as a place where self-interest triumphed over egalitarian principles he championed.
(Egalitarian: Affirming, promoting, or characterized by belief in equal political, economic, social, and civil rights for all people)
He was one of Corporate America's grand critics. Although believing in the free market he began developing "serious reservations about capitalism." He became more and more disenchanted with capitalism. He argued that CEO pay had sky-rocketed out of control and that a “CEO should not get more than 20 times what his rank and file made.”
Drucker "was sickened by the excessive riches awarded to mediocre executives even as they slashed the ranks of ordinary workers." When managers and CEO's reaped excessive earnings, he said, "this is morally and socially unforgivable and we will pay a heavy price for it.”
The role of a company is to think in terms of “contribution.” What contribution can you make to your people, your customers, to bettering the community around you?
For more on Drucker, the link to the Business Week article is:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_48/b3961001.htm
Also, the link to Peter Drucker’s website:
http://www.peter-drucker.com/
Business leaders are people mentors.
Brad Anderson, Best Buy’s CEO, spends a great amount of time personally developing his people. “I would guess I coach 100 to 200 employees in a given month. I don't really think you can do the kind of leadership I do on a formal basis. It has to be genuine. I don't think you can force a human connection."
Brad Anderson’s favorite leadership book?
“The Bible.”
From Fortune magazine, Dec 12, 2005. (LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP, 10 Top Leaders Tell Their Secrets) http://www.fortune.com/fortune/ceo/articles/0,15114,1134796-9,00.html
What should a business be? What's its purpose, its focus.
Jesus shared views on this. The Apostle Paul elaborated.
Jesus said, "Beware! Don't be greedy for what you don't have. Real life is not measured by how much we own."
"Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God."
"He will give you all you need from day to day if you make the Kingdom of God your primary concern." (Luke 12)
"Sell what you have and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven have no holes in them. Your treasure will be safe--no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it." (Matt: 6:19)
Contribution and investment are the key words… Give to people, give to their lives, give to their well being as people. Invest your money and resources here. Develop and enhance their gifts and abilities. When you do they will reward you, naturally through Spiritual Incentive… Reward you graciously.
Drucker’s themes for what a business is about are also reflected in what the Apostle Paul said to Timothy:
“17 Tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which will soon be gone. But their trust should be in the living God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give generously to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. 19 By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may take hold of real life." (1 Timothy 6, NLT)
As Jesus-inspired people, our goal in business is to develop those who work for us, cultivate their talents and gifts, move them on to develop Spiritual gifts, ultimately to contribute Super-Naturally to the world around us. We are part of the grand Body of Christ mix throughout businesses.
As One in Spirit, there is Heavenly Power. Our call and obligation is to Charge Up this Grandeur Power within this Body of Jesus, that God has placed in and around us.
As business leaders, managers, entrepreneurs, we are called to serve, to equip the gifts and mission of all we are responsible to corporately.
It is a new twist.
We exist to serve them. They are not ours to own.
We exist to stir up their gifts to the Highest Level possible.
This is the New Way introduced by Jesus.
Business Mission is about The Divine Plan for us as a unit.
Business is about His compassionate, empowering care for
cultivating the least of those among us
to be the Greatest with Spirit as a centrifuge of Power.
Drucker is so consistent to the teachings by Jesus and the Apostle Paul on what a Community in Spirit should be. It represents a higher calling for all those who serve the call of Jesus “through” business ventures.
Jesus' claim for His Community is
“you will walk the earth with Invincible Power!”
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