Just finished reading the last of my 565 pages of OB reading for the quarter (last class for the quarter is tomorrow!). The readings ended with one by Peter Drucker entitled Managing Oneself written for the Harvard Business review in 2005. Drucker's premise is that we all need to manage our own careers - the organization won't manage it for us. Not a stunning revelation, certainly. However, to do this Drucker recommends that we understand some things about ourselves and that the answers to these questions are part of our DNA. That it is a waste of energy to change these things about ourselves. We are far better served if we recognize them and then manage our career to put ourselves in the best possible position to take advantage of who we are.
As has happened to me several times in this class, I've found application of this concept beyond my career. I have children ages 16 and 14. I wish I had started a bit sooner with them but I am going to start a dialogue with them about the ideas presented by Drucker. If my teenage children start thinking about some of these things now, it might help them focus on areas of study and occupation and life pursuit that fits with what God made them to be. It certainly can help them eliminate what doesn't fit earlier than I did. For myself, I know that I suffered in my college and early career years from not having eliminated anything as a possible career path. So, rather than banging their heads against the wall of what they think society demands or what is "right", I'd want for my kids to start thinking about these things now. I'll let you know how this goes as they are teenagers and, right now at least, I'm not one of the smartest people in their estimation.
If you're interested in some of the details, here are the four elements of Drucker's analysis:
1. What are my strengths?: Drucker says that organizations, schools, parents, all of us waste a good deal of time trying to take our weaknesses and make them at least acceptable. Instead, we should focus this energy on improving our strengths such that we become experts in these areas. This, also, is not a new concept. Don Clifton, who later became the CEO of the Gallup organization, was probably the original proselyte of the idea almost 50 years ago. Clifton developed his StrengthsFinder organization and, with Marcus Buckingham, published a book and a program for helping people discover what they are good at. I remember listening to Clifton 20 years ago as he spoke to a small group of us at a company I was working for and I found his ideas - particularly about how we educate our kids - very refreshing at the time. Drucker basically repeats much of what Clifton and Buckingham institutionalized years ago.
2. How do I perform?: Most people do already know a piece of this: the "How do I learn?" element. Am I a reader or a listener? A writer or a talker? These are easy self-assessments and can be easily confirmed by asking a couple of friends or colleagues. However, we have to dig deeper and be tougher on ourselves to answer the questions: Do I work well with people or am I a loner? Am I suited to be the leader or the adviser to the leader? (hard to admit that you're best at NOT having to make the tough decisions). Do I perform well under stress? A big organization or a small firm? Even if we ask ourselves these questions and have the answers, we frequently do nothing about the knowledge. We continue in the safety of a large firm when we would take best advantage of who we are by moving to a smaller organization. We strive to be in charge when our abilities are best suited to being a great #2 person.
3. What are my values?: This isn't about ethics. It is about the value system of the organization with which you are working or considering a relationship. Does the company hire from within or seek new blood? Does the company focus on short-term results or long-term gains? These (and many more questions like this) state emphatically what the organization values. Items 1 & 2 on Drucker's list rarely conflict with each other - our strengths and the way we perform are complimentary. However, this values item frequently presents a conflict with our strengths and the way that we perform. It's up to each of us to recognize this conflict and, optimally, to place ourselves in organizations and groups that are consistent with our values.
4. What Should I Contribute?: As a society, we are no longer automatons that are simply told what to do by management. Most of us are knowledge workers and we have to answer this question for ourselves. To do this, Drucker says we need to ask ourselves three other questions: a) What does the situation require?; b) Given my strengths & my way of performing and my values, how can I make the greatest contribution to what needs to be done? and, c) What results have to be achieved to make a difference? I think most of us stop at question "a" and just do what needs to be done without much thought toward how I apply my own strengths to the situation and even less thought toward what has to be achieved to really make a difference.
One of the final points Drucker makes in his paper is that we need to realize that there are other people in our equation. We don't manage our careers or our lives in a vacuum. Understanding how the people around us work best; what their strengths and values are; and what and how they should best contribute is as important to our success as is understanding our own. It sounds like a lot of work, but the anecdotal evidence Drucker presents regarding those that do this well suggests that it is worth the effort.
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