Four years ago I read a 4 page article on "the Effective Executive" by a man called Peter Drucker. At the time of reading it I was unaware that the 4 page document I was holding was a summary of one of the most popular management books ever written. And I was not aware of who Peter Drucker was. One thing I was sure of was that finding this article was like finding a piece of gold. I read and memorised the article only a month before leading a ministry team around Southern Africa at the age of 20. Knowing precious little about leadership then, at times I wonder if the crash course that this article gave me was the reason for any success that I might have enjoyed that year.It was mainly due to this reason that I decided to buy what looked like a promising book. "In A Class with Drucker, Cohen shares many of Drucker's teachings that never made it into his countless books and articles, ideas that were offered to his students in the classroom or informal settings." (Quoted from the back cover).
The author had used Drucker's name as a launchpad to credibility and there is nothing wrong with this if it were to be a book about Peter Drucker. However the majority of the pages were filled with the author's own accomplishments and details of his own thinking. I was disappointed in this regard. It seems that humility was the one Drucker trait that never quite rubbed off on Mr. Cohen.
Despite this ongoing theme of self-absorption, there were a few heart stopping moments when I got a glimpse into the thinking and method of the greatest management teacher of the last century and for that reason I am very grateful. Unfortunately I had to shake each chapter through a sieve to let the two of three Drucker thoughts land in my mind and let the rest of Cohen's best intentions fall by the wayside.
A few great chapters included:
- Approach Problems with your Ignorance - not your Experience
- Develop Expertise outside your field to be an Effective Manager
- Base Your Strategy on the situation, not on a Formula
It is clear that Cohen has a deep and unmoving respect for Peter Drucker and that Drucker changed the course of his life and his career.
Despite my negative comments I am keeping this book in a special 'refer back here' section on my bookshelf. There are thoughts that I would like to think again. And again after that.
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