Managing Oneself

Success in the knowledge economy comes to those who know themselves - their strengths, their values, and how they best perform." -Peter F. Drucker Compare Drucker's brilliant concise audiobook to his longer works-and be amazed at how practical and simple Drucker can make things in just 45 minutes! Playing this audiobook twice is far more effective than reading a quarter of his longer book-on the same subject-which takes the same amount of time! Challenge yourself to add a major practical insight on every replaying. Perfect on the way into work so you can set one practical goal for your day. And then check back on your progress on your next listening. Throughout history, people had little need to manage their careers - they were born into their stations in life or, in the recent past, they relied on their companies to chart their career paths. But times have drastically changed. Today we must all learn to manage ourselves. What does that mean? As Peter Drucker tells us in this seminal article, first published in 1999, it means we have to learn to develop ourselves. We have to place ourselves where we can make the greatest contribution to our organizations and communities. And we have to stay mentally alert and engaged during a 50-year working life, which means knowing how and when to change the work we do. It may seem obvious that people achieve results by doing what they are good at and by working in ways that fit their abilities. But, Drucker says, very few people actually know - let alone take advantage of - their fundamental strengths. He challenges each of us to ask ourselves, "What are my strengths? How do I perform? What are my values? Where do I belong? What should my contribution be?" Don't try to change yourself, Drucker cautions. Instead, concentrate on improving the skills you have and accepting assignments that are tailored to your individual way of working. If you do that, you can transform yourself from an ordinary worker into an outstanding performer. Today's successful careers are not planned out in advance. They develop when people are prepared for opportunities because they have asked themselves those questions and have rigorously assessed their unique characteristics. This article challenges listeners to take responsibility for managing their futures, both in and out of the office.