Effective Executive
How to Acquire the Effectiveness Habit
by Peter F. Drucker, Joseph A. Maciariello, Jim Collins, Tim Andres Pabon, Zachary First · first published 1967
80% recommend20% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Short, practical framework for managing your time, priorities and what not to do. Useful to anyone doing knowledge work, including software people and startup founders, not only senior executives.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The measure of the executive, Peter Drucker reminds us, is the ability to "get the right things done." This usually involves doing what other people have overlooked as well as avoiding what is unproductive. Intelligence, imagination, and knowledge may all be wasted in an executive job without the acquired habits of mind that mold them into results.
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…executive is about. When you understand the concerns of the people you are communicating with, you can do so more efficiently and effectively. From a mindset perspective I would start with Peter Drucker, The Effective Executive, and since everyone is their own CEO, his book Managing Oneself is very valuable. These are all classic texts, still valuable and relevant, as these topics are as old as the hills. Good luck.
on “Ask HN: What are some good resources to learn business administration/finance?” ↗…(as the post correctly suggests) empower your team and avoid doing too much as an individual contributor. If you're curious about what execs do and how to be a good one, HOM is an incredible book. The Effective Executive by Drucker is another favorite. https://hbr.org/2009/05/what-only-the-ceo-can-do is one of my favorite articles about the responsibilities of the CEO. https://hbr.org/2018/07/the-leaders-calendar is…
on “What do executives do, anyway?” ↗…trying to do every item on our lists vs selecting only one or two for a day and blocking a huge amount of time to get this activity done. Also Peter Drucker has written a great book about this topic: "The Effective Executive". I keep reminding myself that in life things are not distributed equally. Wealth, intelligence, insightful books, the contribution of activities to my goals, etc
on “A Beginner´s Guide to Getting Things Done” ↗A basic podcast that I’ve found useful is Manager Tooks. It contains a lot of good habits and tools. Listen to it on your commute for a month or two and you’ll get the gist of it. The Effective Executive by Drucker is a great intro to leadership. He puts the role in the context of getting results. A couple other thoughts: 1 - Communicate the same message over and over. Do it verbally and in writing.…
on “Ask HN: Going from Developer to Manager. What should I know or learn?” ↗You might want to check out 'The Effective Executive' by Peter Drucker. It sounds like you are in the perfect place in your career to read that book. It's a quick read and a short book. Let me as you a question. A waitress comes over to you at a Diner…
on “Power Bends Light (2019)” ↗…amazon. here's one example: http://hbr.org/product/harvard-managementor-management-essen... i read a ton of peter drucker - and recommend his books wholeheartedly - and here's his books i suggest: - The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done - just because you're not (yet) an executive doesn't mean you can't learn how to manage like one. this book taught me tons, and i recommend it to…
on “Ask HN: What was the hardest part about being a first time manager?” ↗"I often saw the best practices of general management fail startups." Even a quick reading Peter Drucker offers a lot of wisdom for managing a startup. "The Effective Executive" and "Innovation and Entrepreneurship" have a lot to say about managing time, priorities, and posteriorities (what you are NOT going to do or organized abandonment) that are highly relevant to getting…
on “Is Entrepreneurship a Management Science?” ↗The old expression "don't bite more than you can chew" epitomizes this. Don't start what you can't finish. It's in deciding what to start and what not to start that you'll make progress. Read "The Effective Executive" by Peter Drucker, which addresses this in greater detail.
on “Why I Never Hire Brilliant Men (1924)” ↗…up on that thing. Instead of having various lists with endless "open loops" that I want to close asap / someday/maybe. And by doing that, loosing focus. I believe (like Peter Drucker in his book "The Effective Executive") that in order to accomplish anything of significance we need to focus our resources, "close the door", block as many hours as possible to work single mindedly on very few tasks. This is not what GTD…
on “A Beginner´s Guide to Getting Things Done” ↗What’s your favorite resource on Drucker? I love re-reading his book “The Effective Executive”.
on “A Lifetime of Systems Thinking” ↗His 1973 tome Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices, The Essential Drucker, and Managing for Results are three I find myself opening regularly. The Effective Executive is great as well. It's hard to narrow down because he was such a prolific writer. Recommendations are also hard because you've got to meet the reader where they are. I picked up and put down Drucker early…
on “A Lifetime of Systems Thinking” ↗“The Effective Executive” by Peter Drucker. I’ve never even been an “executive” but have found that nuggets from this book have helped me navigate the working world for 25 years.
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life?” ↗Off the top of my head: - Peter Drucker - The Effective Executive - Andy Grove - High Output Management - Fred Brooks - The Mythical Man-Month - Marty Cagan - Inspired Folks probably have a few others (and I'd love to hear them), but these are the ones I often…
on “More than five whys and “layer eight” problems” ↗The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker is a classic starter manual
on “Ask HN: Favorite books on how to be a good manager?” ↗Never Eat Alone, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Getting to Yes, The Effective Executive ...and like 40 more, too many to list!
on “What books would you recommend reading? Why?” ↗