Classic Quotes From Peter Drucker

No institution can possibly survive if it needs geniuses or supermen to manage it. It must be organized in such a way as to be able to get along under a leadership composed of average human beings.

Company cultures are like country cultures. Never try to change one. Try, instead, to work with what you've got.

Checking the results of a decision against its expectations shows executives what their strengths are, where they need to improve, and where they lack knowledge or information.

The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity.

Executives owe it to the organization and to their fellow workers not to tolerate nonperforming individuals in important jobs.

The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.

People who don't take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who do take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year.

Business, that's easily defined - it's other people's money.

Today knowledge has power. It controls access to opportunity and advancement.

The computer is a moron.

Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.

One cannot hire a hand; the whole man always comes with it.

Accept the fact that we have to treat almost anybody as a volunteer.

A manager is responsible for the application and performance of knowledge.

Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.

The purpose of a business is to create a customer.

So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work.

You cannot manage that which you cannot measure.

The productivity of work is not the responsibility of the worker but of the manager.

Most discussions of decision making assume that only senior executives make decisions or that only senior executives' decisions matter. This is a dangerous mistake.