Effective leaders are aware that it is not useful to start with the facts but with
opinions in the shape of hypotheses. A good decision-making process always includes
disagreement. Leaders should remain skeptical when an agreement is reached too
quickly, claimed Drucker, because disagreement protects the manager from becoming
a “prisoner of the organization” (Drucker 2004, p. 299). Furthermore, disagreement
creates an opportunity for alternatives, and it stimulates the imagination. Therefore,
according to Drucker, the effective decision-maker welcomes disagreement. On the
other hand, there are some situations that will resolve themselves. Likewise, managers
should not intervene if a development is indeed troublesome, but will likely have no
consequences for the company. The effective decision-maker also works fast. He or
she takes only a short time to reflect and then acts quickly, “whether they like it or not”
(Drucker 2004, p. 304).
Drucker states the following aspects as success factors for effective leadership:
Good time management
Focused on the final outcome
Based on employees’ strengths, instead of placing weaknesses in the center of the
group
Making simple, well-founded decisions
The ability to analyze, define and make changes if needed
Setting goals which maintain the company’s focus and standards
Being able to adjust and re-evaluate outcomes due to human error
The management as a role model of efficiency, effectiveness and productivity
The management must accept responsibility, positive or negative, for their employees
Accepting, not fearing, employees’ strengths
Having the ability to open the minds and imaginations of employees; empowering
employees
According to Drucker, in addition you have to earn people’s trust: “Without trust
there are no associates” (Drucker 2004, p. 316). Subordinates do not have to like
their superior in order to trust him or her, nor is it necessary that they share his or her
opinion. Trust stems from the belief that the boss means what he or she says, and is
all about integrity.
Whether a manager has dedicated or two-faced, effective or mediocre emp-
loyees, depends on the standards he or she stands for. The worst are those managers
whose organizations collapse after they have left. Similarly harmful, managers who
feel inadequate will always try to be to get rid of the most competent and therefore
“dangerous” people in their surroundings.
Drucker demonstrated that management is more than just a collection of tech-
niques, tricks, and analytical tools. Ultimately, it depends on a few essential
principles. These factors amount to a combination of “hard” factors related to
processes, structures, and quantified results and “soft” factors that involve building
and maintaining relationships.
Drucker believed that a leader should not only to master certain skills, such as
creating a balance sheet, running a meeting or preparing a budget, but also that he or
she should uphold moral values and contribute certain personal traits and skills we
2.1 The Craft of Leadership 27