Irena Grusová Books

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. Drucker identifies five practices essential to business effectiveness that can, and must, be learned: management of time; choosing what to contribute to the practical organization; knowing where and how to mobilize strength for best effect; setting up the right priorities; and knitting all of them together with effective decision making. The author ranges widely through the annals of business and government to demonstrate the distinctive skill of the executive as he offers fresh insights into old and seemingly obvious situations.

This revised edition of Peter Senge’s classic is based on fifteen years of practical application of its ideas. Senge emphasizes that the only sustainable competitive advantage is an organization’s ability to learn faster than its competitors. The leadership stories illustrate how the core concepts, once considered radical, have become integral to managerial practices. Senge explains how organizations can overcome learning “disabilities” that hinder productivity by embracing strategies of learning organizations, where expansive thinking is encouraged, collective aspirations are unleashed, and continuous learning is prioritized. This updated edition includes over one hundred pages of new material from interviews with practitioners at major companies and organizations like BP, Unilever, Intel, and Oxfam. It features a new Foreword reflecting on Senge’s success with learning organizations and new chapters covering topics such as getting started, strategies, the evolving role of leaders, systems thinking, and future challenges. Mastering the disciplines outlined will reignite genuine learning focused on what truly matters, enhance teamwork and creativity, liberate from limiting assumptions, improve perspective, and harmonize work with personal life.