Practical Wisdom from the Entrepreneurs Creative Edge by William Reed

Peter F. Drucker (1909~2005) was one of the great thought leaders of our time, the man who early on coined the term knowledge worker, and is widely considered the father of modern management. http://budurl.com/556g

 

His writings are so profound that now, one hundred years after his birth, he has a huge global following of people who want to understand and implement his principles for living. While it is best to read Drucker in his own words, it is also difficult to know where to begin.

 

An excellent place to start would be Living in More Than One World: How Peter Drucker's Wisdom Can Inspire and Transform Your Life, by Bruce Rosenstein. Find information, reviews, articles, endorsements, and a video of the author’s interview with Peter Drucker just seven months before Drucker’s passing, at http://www.brucerosenstein.com/book.html

 

Rosenstein portrays Drucker’s philosophy in a highly accessible way, combining the skills of a veteran journalist, with the respect of a dedicated disciple. Drucker remained relevant to the end of his life, and left a lasting legacy.

 

A theme running through the book is that of building a Total Life List, a way of making sure that you consider and attend to the most important ingredients of a meaningful life. The title of the book was inspired by words spoken in his interview, saying that people who are truly happy live in more than one world. They are multidimensional, not wholly dependent on one area of life, nor ignorant of the others.

 

The Chapter titles are tantalizing, and provide a blueprint for the life that Drucker himself exemplified, or as Frances Hesselbein says in the Foreword, the way to diversify our daily existence.

 

1) Designing Your Total Life

 

2) Developing Your Core Competencies

 

3) Creating Your Future

 

4) Exercising Your Generosity

 

5) Teaching and Learning

 

Conclusion: Launching Your Journey

 

Suggested Readings to continue your journey.

 

Peter Drucker saw far into the future. He wrote in 1969 in The Age of Discontinuity, “Today the center is the knowledge worker, the man or woman who applies to productive work ideas, concepts, and information, rather than manual skills or brawn.” These words could have been written today.

 

He led an amazing and varied life, not just as thought leader in management, but even as a recognized expert on Japanese art. Drucker was walking and talking Life/Work Balance long before the term became popular. He even anticipated that having a life outside of work could be both a cushion against job stress, and also an asset in pursuing a creative career path.

 

In his book published in 1999, Management Challenges for the 21st Century, he emphasized that you need to know your values, strengths, where you fit, what you will contribute, how you will take responsibility for relationships, and plan for the second half of your life. His advice was not focused on the future, so much as how you live in the present.

 

Drucker emphasized making the most of your leisure time, and of becoming a master or at least an amateur expert at something outside of your work. His vision for a fulfilled life included exercise, time for reading and thinking, teaching and learning, community involvement, time to create a legacy.

 

A man who lived a full life of nearly 100 years, telling us that we need to reinvent ourselves as we get older, and not just seek new supplies of energy. This is a man worth listening to. And the legacy he created makes this possible.

 

In addition to his many books, the Drucker Institute at Claremont Graduate University carries on the Drucker legacy. http://www.druckerinstitute.com

 

There are Drucker Societies on 6 continents, as well as a Drucker Society in Tokyo at http://drucker-ws.org

 

But the best place to begin is with Rosenstein’s book, which will inspire and transform your life through the wisdom of one of the great leaders of our time.

 

William Reed

WEBSITE: http://www.williamreed.jp

WEB TV: http://williamreed.tv

NANBA: http://www.nanbanote.com

JAPANESE SITE: http://www.reedcom.jp

BLOG: http://www.EntrepreneursCreativeEdge.com