Peter Drucker was one of the most influential thinkers of the modern business world. Many still consider as the father of modern management; considering his ideas impacted countless leaders and executives, many of whom have gone on to become high-powered executives and Titan’s of industry. With that being said, Drucker’s ideas are powerful, and should be known by all, not just those destined for the C-suite.
So, to ensure Peter Drucker’s legacy persists, and to help his ideas continue to inform and educate aspiring executives; from the homemaker to the solopreneur, all the way to the high powered corporate executive, we’ve pulled together some of his most insightful quotes on execution, effective management, and getting things done.
So, if you’re ready to dive into some Peter Drucker quotes that can help you start executing like a Rockstar CEO, then let’s get to it.
BEST PETER DRUCKER QUOTES
1. “To be effective is the job of the executive. “To effect” and “to execute” are, after all, near synonyms. Whether he works in a business or in a hospital, in a government agency or in a labor union, in a university or in the army, the executive is, first of all, expected to get the right things done.” – Peter Drucker
2. “Brilliant men are often strikingly ineffectual; they fail to realize that the brilliant insight is not by itself achievement. They never have learned that insights become effectiveness only through hard systematic work.” – Peter Drucker
3. “Don’t think or say “I”. Think and say “we.” Effective executives know that they have ultimate responsibility, which can be neither shared nor delegated.” – Peter Drucker
4. “The greatest wisdom not applied to action and behavior is meaningless data.” – Peter Drucker
5. “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” – Peter Drucker
“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” – Peter Drucker
6. “Entrepreneurship is neither a science nor an art. It is a practice.” – Peter Drucker
7. “Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship. The act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth.” – Peter Drucker
8. “Every knowledge worker in modern organization is an “executive” if, by virtue of his position or knowledge, he is responsible for a contribution that materially affects the capacity of the organization to perform and to obtain results.” – Peter Drucker
9. “An organization is an organ of society and fulfills itself by the contribution it makes to the outside environment.” – Peter Drucker
10. “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” – Peter Drucker
“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” – Peter Drucker
11. “Time is totally irreplaceable. Within limits we can substitute one resource for another, copper for aluminum, for instance. We can substitute capital for human labor. We can use more knowledge or more brawn. But there is no substitute for time.” – Peter Drucker
12. “The effective executive therefore knows that to manage his time, he first has to know where it actually goes.” – Peter Drucker
13. “The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.”
14. “The man who asks of himself, “What is the most important contribution I can make to the performance of this organization?” asks in effect, “What self-development do I need?” – Peter Drucker
15. “Commitment to contribution is commitment to responsible effectiveness.” – Peter Drucker
“Commitment to contribution is commitment to responsible effectiveness.” – Peter Drucker
16. “Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.” – Peter Drucker
17. “People in general, and knowledge workers in particular, grow according to the demands they make on themselves. They grow according to what they consider achievement and attainment. If they demand little of themselves, they will remain stunted. If they demand a good deal of themselves, they will grow to giant stature – without anymore effort than is expended by the nonachievers.” – Peter Drucker
18. “If there is one “secret” of effectiveness, it is concentration. Effective executives do first things first and they do one thing at a time.” – Peter Drucker
19. “Effectiveness is, after all, not a “subject”, but a self-discipline.” – Peter Drucker
20. “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker
21. “Self-development of the effective executive is central to the development of the organization, whether it be a business, a government agency, a research laboratory, a hospital, or a military service. It is the way toward performance of the organization. As executives work toward becoming effective, they raise the performance of the organization.” – Peter Drucker
22. “Executive effectiveness is our one best hope to make modern society productive economically and viable socially.” – Peter Drucker
23. “Intelligence, imagination, and knowledge are essential resources, but only effectiveness converts them into results.” – Peter Drucker
24. “Time is the scarcest resource and unless it is managed nothing else can be managed.” – Peter Drucker
25. “Efficiency is doing the thing right. Effectiveness is doing the right thing.” – Peter Drucker
“Efficiency is doing the thing right. Effectiveness is doing the right thing.” – Peter Drucker
26. “Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly, or it vanishes.” – Peter Drucker
27. “What’s measured improves” – Peter Drucker
28. “People who don’t take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who do take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year.” – Peter Drucker
29. “Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.” – Peter Drucker
30. “If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old.” – Peter Drucker
“If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old.” – Peter Drucker
31. “Never mind your happiness; do your duty.” – Peter Drucker
32. “Every enterprise requires commitment to common goals and shared values. Without such commitment there is no enterprise; there is only a mob.” – Peter Drucker
33. “Meetings are by definition a concession to deficient organization For one either meets or one works. One cannot do both at the same time.” – Peter Drucker
34. “Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else.” – Peter Drucker
35. “Effectiveness must be learned.” – Peter Drucker
“Effectiveness must be learned.” – Peter Drucker
Bonus Peter Drucker Quote
Bonus: Alright, here is our final Peter Drucker quote. We listed as a bonus, because it so effectively summarizes the importance of execution, and while all leaders should focus on getting better at it.
“Strategy Is A Commodity, Execution Is An Art.”
– Peter Drucker –
Final Thoughts
Alright, there you have it, the most effective Peter Drucker quotes to help you hunker down and start taking care of business like a true CEO.
We hope they inspire you and help you realize that you don’t have to be a CEO of some multinational corporation to become an effective executive. You can become one as you are, where you are.
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