somanytictoc's review against another edition
3.0
I read this because I wanted to learn more about business and management. While the actual act of reading this book was a bit of a chore (even listening to the audiobook was a bit rough at times), the concepts have stayed with me over the past few months.
Drucker is widely considered the godfather of management, and his fingerprints are seen all over business culture. As a result, some of the essays seem dry and jargon-y given how pervasive the ideas have become. It's kind of like listening to The Beatles for the first time and thinking "they sound really derivative." It's easy to forget that Drucker is the origin of this line of thinking, not just another copycat.
I feel like I accomplished my mission with this book. Reading it gave me a good basis of business knowledge, probably equivalent to an intro undergrad business course. My biggest problem since reading the book is that I've started noticing when business practices don't align with best practices in an organization. I've become less patient with incompetent management, since all they had to do was read some Drucker, ya know?
Luckily I work in an environment where this isn't a problem, but it has made me less patient as a customer of other services. I suppose if a book's central tenets have that much influence in your life, you should probably consider it a good book. I only wish the actual act of reading it was more pleasant.
Drucker is widely considered the godfather of management, and his fingerprints are seen all over business culture. As a result, some of the essays seem dry and jargon-y given how pervasive the ideas have become. It's kind of like listening to The Beatles for the first time and thinking "they sound really derivative." It's easy to forget that Drucker is the origin of this line of thinking, not just another copycat.
I feel like I accomplished my mission with this book. Reading it gave me a good basis of business knowledge, probably equivalent to an intro undergrad business course. My biggest problem since reading the book is that I've started noticing when business practices don't align with best practices in an organization. I've become less patient with incompetent management, since all they had to do was read some Drucker, ya know?
Luckily I work in an environment where this isn't a problem, but it has made me less patient as a customer of other services. I suppose if a book's central tenets have that much influence in your life, you should probably consider it a good book. I only wish the actual act of reading it was more pleasant.
labbyreads's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
3.5
More than a decade after his death his business and management lessons are still true. Since the time of original publishing, much of these foundational principles have spawned their own books.
I'm confident that without a group to dig into the book's principles, I would not have appreciated it as much. Overall, I'm glad that I read this book but Drucker's light touch left me wishing that I was just going straight for some of the newer books on the specific topics.
I'm confident that without a group to dig into the book's principles, I would not have appreciated it as much. Overall, I'm glad that I read this book but Drucker's light touch left me wishing that I was just going straight for some of the newer books on the specific topics.
lavaplanetleopard's review against another edition
4.0
A great tome of wisdom. It explains management in a practical and philosophical way. Though I may not remember everything - which is a great breadth of topics, particular stand-out points include how to choose people - based on their strengths and competencies and leadership - that leaders need not be charismatic figures, they just need to be competent. There is no particular personality or image that makes a successful person. He reminds us that innovation starts small and is meant to solve present needs, while not needing to project into the future. Drucker also highlights the rise in the social sector - where people seek to challenge themselves after achieving success in their day jobs and that the social sector will reunite the community and address social problems in ways far better than any government or private organisation. He emphasises the need for knowledge workers to continue learning throughout their lives as whatever they are initially taught will become obsolete.
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