Workplace inspirational: seven lessons in life

Workplace inspirational: seven lessons in life

Seven lessons, seven philosophy of life, each is a simple and profound maxim.
In a dialogue with Japanese entrepreneurs in 1995, Drucker said: There are seven classes in my life that teach me how to maintain efficiency, sustain growth, cope with change, break the rules, and transcend the past.
The first lesson: the pursuit of perfection. In 1927, the 18-year-old Drucker left his hometown of Austria to come to Germany as an apprentice in Hamburg, and also studied law at the University of Hamburg. However, at that time, Drucker basically did not have to attend classes. Drucker said that in the old age of 1927, the thing to do to get a college degree was to pay a regular tuition fee every year and to show up at the exam.
However, in that ancient era, the youth hostels in Hamburg, the city library and the Hamburg Opera House were free to college students. Drucker’s first lesson, the music class, also benefited from the system of Hamburg in Germany at the time. Without a free system for college students, Drucker, who was an apprentice while studying at the university, could not listen every week. Opera.
Drucker heard the opera "Fostaf" by the Italian composer Verdi. It was late, he was completely shocked by this opera. When Verdi was an 80-year-old man, his paragraph: "In my life's musician career, I worked hard to pursue perfection, but unfortunately I have been lost. I have a responsibility to try again." This is in Drucker's mind. Leave an indelible impression and use it as your motto.

Drucker wrote more than 40 books in his life. When someone asks his most satisfying work, he always smiles and answers: the next one.
The second lesson: God can see. The famous Greek sculptor Fedias was commissioned to make a statue of the Paderon Temple in Athens, but when Fedias asked for compensation from the city of Athens, the accountant Philip Diadis said: "The statues you have made are It is standing on the roof of the temple, and the temple is built on a high mountain. All the people can only see the front of the statue. Without seeing the back of the statue, I can only pay you the cost in front of the statue. The back of the statue is not visible to everyone, so I can't pay you the money."
"You are wrong," Philipias retorted, "God can see."
In a word that awakens the dreamer, the words "God can see" from Philipias become the motto of Drucker, and people must constantly pursue perfection, because God will know everything. After Drucker was over 80 years old, he still conceived and created new works, trying to be more perfect, because God is watching Drucker.
The third lesson: lifelong learning. On November 19, 1929, when Drucker had just celebrated his 20th birthday, there was a happy event that fell on his head. That is, Drucker was hired by the largest newspaper in Hamburg, and he became a financial and foreign affairs agent. Reported reporter.
The newspaper's work is very time-sensitive, starting work at six o'clock in the morning, issuing a manuscript at 2:15 pm, and then handing over the molded version to the printing house for printing. During his time at the newspaper, Drucker learned how to study interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary. For nearly sixty years, Drucker will choose a new discipline for research every three to four years, including statistics, medieval history, Japanese art, economics, and so on.

He is fascinated by Japanese paintings and has in-depth research. He has written the monograph "The Adventures of Brushes: Japanese Paintings" and taught 10 years of Oriental Art classes at the University of Claremont. Indeed, a management scientist who teaches Oriental art classes sounds a bit ridiculous, but it is indeed Drucker's success.
Drucker said: "This learning method not only gives me a wealth of knowledge, but also forces me to accept new knowledge, new ideas and new methods - because every new subject I have studied is based on different theoretical assumptions. , using different research methods." Drucker is such a cross-border flight, and flying out of height and breadth.
Lesson 4: Regular review. At the age of 22, Drucker was already one of the three editor-in-chief assistants of the newspaper. At that time, the editor-in-chief was about 50 years old. In the two periods of the beginning of the new year and after half a year, the editor-in-chief would spend a day and a half reflecting on the past work, starting with summing up the results and then finding that they were not doing enough. Where to find out where you can improve. In the last two hours of the meeting, I will come up with a work plan for the second half of the year. What efforts should I focus on? In what ways need to improve? What new things do the team need to learn? After a week, everyone needs to write a plan report to the general.
In 1937, Drucker came to the United States from the United Kingdom. During the Second World War, Drucker spent 18 months studying American General Motors and wrote the book "The Concept of the Company." At this time, Drucker thought of the reflection class that the editor-in-chief had told him. Thereafter, every summer, Drucker will take two weeks to review and reflect on the past year. Look at those places that may be better, where they should be done and not done, and those places are not doing well. Then, in the solution to the above problem.

Drucker’s habit of reflection began in the forties of the last century and lasted for 60 years until the end of his life.
The fifth lesson: Supreme guidance. In 1933, the Austrian Drucker came to Hamburg, England, from Hamburg, Germany, as an economist in a small private bank and as an executive secretary of a partner. After working here for about three months, the founder of the bank talked to Drucker: "You have now upgraded from the original economic analyst to the executive secretary, but still do the work of the economic analyst, in the end What should the secretary do? How can I be a competent executive secretary? Obviously you have not done it."
At first Drucker couldn't accept it, and he was very annoyed. Slowly Drucker realized that the founder was right.
That is, since then, Drucker has changed his behavior and style of work. Since then, every time he takes up a new position, Drucker asks himself, “What should I do to improve efficiency in my new position, and how?” Drucker discovered that he has changed countless positions in his life. And posts, but each time the answer is different.
Drucker summed up his 50 years of experience in management consulting and found that in all organizations, few of the recruits who have been promoted to new positions will succeed. A large number of people have completely failed, and most people are faint. There are only a handful of successful people.
The reason is that they are often “new bottled old wines” and “changed in constant change” and slowly become mediocre. Drucker said that no one can find these deficiencies on his own, and he must be instructed by high-ranking people.

The sixth lesson: feedback comparison. In 1937, Drucker came to the United States from the United Kingdom. Around 1945, Drucker took three years of courses to study modern European history, especially in the 15th and 16th centuries. Drucker discovered that there are two European mechanisms that have become the driving force behind European development. One is the Catholic Church in the South and the Calvin Church in the Northern Protestant. The success of both is attributed to the same factor: the learning method of the target and the result comparison.
Whenever a pastor does something important, or makes a decision, they will write the goals they want to achieve. After 9 months, they will compare the actual results with the original expectations. Look at what those places are doing well, what are the advantages? What to do next, what are the habits to change? Those are not good places, those are not good at?
After discovering the alignment between this goal and the results, Drucker has done this for half a century. Drucker said that because it can show where things need to be improved, perfect, and finally shows what a person can't do, so don't be reluctant in the future. Know your personal strengths, know how to improve your strengths, and know where your weaknesses are – all of which are key to further learning. ”
Lesson 7: The revelation of Schumpeter. The economist Schumpeter was a good friend of Drucker's father. As early as 1902, Drucker's father was a civil servant of the Austrian Ministry of Finance. He also taught courses in economics at the university, while the 19-year-old Xiong Bie. It is a student who attends classes. In Drucker’s father’s impression, Schumpeter was energetic, arrogant, rude and rude.
On January 3, 1950, his father took Drucker to visit Schumpeter, who was seriously ill. At this time, Schumpeter was already a 66-year-old man. He said to Drucker’s father: "I understand now, It's not enough to just remember your personal writings and theories. Unless one can make a difference in the lives of others, there is nothing rare about him."
You know, when Schumpeter was young, he didn't look at life like this. Drucker’s father remembered that Schumpeter was at the age of 30, and he had just published two books, including the Theory of Economic Development. At that time, Schumpeter boasted that Haikou said that what he most wants to remember is "the greatest lover of beautiful European women, the greatest knight in Europe - perhaps the greatest economist in the world."
Five days later, on January 8, 1950, Schumpeter left the world, at the age of 66.
Drucker will never forget the conversation between Schumpeter and his father. He got three inspirations from it: First, people must ask themselves and hope that others will remember what he is behind him. Second, people should have age. The change is not only the change of the individual's maturity, but also the change of the world; third, the difference in the lives of others is something that is worth remembering.
If a friend is going to read something during this extra long vacation, I suggest you go to the master's masterpiece. The above "Druck's Seven Lessons" is taken from pages 115 to 105 of Drucker's Watching China and Japan.