Peter Drucker's Quotes

The new information technology... Internet and e-mail... have practically eliminated the physical costs of communications.

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

The only thing we know about the future is that it will be different.

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

Making good decisions is a crucial skill at every level.

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

Time is the scarcest resource and unless it is managed nothing else can be managed.

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

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

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.

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.

When a subject becomes totally obsolete we make it a required course.

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

The computer is a moron.

We can say with certainty - or 90% probability - that the new industries that are about to be born will have nothing to do with information.

Few companies that installed computers to reduce the employment of clerks have realized their expectations... They now need more, and more expensive clerks even though they call them 'operators' or 'programmers.'

Suppliers and especially manufacturers have market power because they have information about a product or a service that the customer does not and cannot have, and does not need if he can trust the brand. This explains the profitability of brands.

The most efficient way to produce anything is to bring together under one management as many as possible of the activities needed to turn out the product.

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

Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.

The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said.

The best way to predict the future is to create it.

Most of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to get their work done.

Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.

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