What Makes an Effective Executive

By: Peter F. Drucker

Narrated by: Bill DeWees

"Great managers may be charismatic or dull, generous or tightfisted, visionary or numbers oriented. But every effective executive follows eight simple practices." -Peter F. Drucker

An effective executive does not need to be a leader in the sense that the term is now most commonly used. Harry Truman did not have one ounce of charisma, for example, yet he was among the most effective chief executives in U.S. history. Similarly, some of the best business and nonprofit CEOs Drucker has worked with over his 65-year consulting career were not stereotypical leaders. They were all over the map in terms of their personalities, attitudes, values, strengths, and weaknesses. They ranged from extroverted to nearly reclusive, from easygoing to controlling, from generous to parsimonious.

What made them all effective is that they followed the same eight practices:

They asked, "What needs to be done?"

They asked, "What is right for the enterprise?"

They developed action plans.

They took responsibility for decisions.

They took responsibility for communicating.

They were focused on opportunities rather than problems.

This concise audiobook is based on Mr. Drucker's summary of The Effective Executive done at the request of Harvard Business Review and is now one of their best selling published works. This article is a perfect way to learn about the subject broadly in a short period of time. Unlike many articles of this kind, summarizing a book's contents, this article was written and crafted by the author himself. The Audiobook has nine tracks. 1. Introduction. 2. Get the Knowledge You Need. 3. Write an Action Plan. 4. Act. 5. Take Responsibility for Decisions. 6. Take Responsibility for Communicating. 7. Focus on Opportunities. 8. Make Meetings Productive. 9. Think and Say "We."

©2004 Harvard Business School Publishing (HBSP) (P)2008 No Hassle Inc.

Best leadership advice ever recorded

I listen to this short recording once a month to keep me on track as I run my company.

Straight shooting approach

I love how clear and concise the message is. It is short and brief, but is very informative. It gives a blueprint of how a business should operate. It is one of the best investments of 20 minutes I've ever made. If you want a no nonsense approach to business that limits subjectivity and maximizes objectivity, this is a great start!

Best investment

The amount of wisdom contained in this compact gem is unbelievable. As in, literally unbelievable. You will not believe how many insights you'll get from listening to this time after time.

Only wish that it were longer

Well narrated. Well organized. Solid advice. Enjoyed it. Would very highly recommend. 10 / 10.

Decent Synopsis

Good little synopsis for a quick commute listen. Nothing too deep, though. Probably only got about one good note out of the listen.