A Class with Drucker - Headway | Work on yourself

AFTERWORD ■ 247
articulate truths that most of us did not readily see were all extraordinary
and unprecedented.
Fortunately, the lessons he taught, both in and out of the classroom,
are still available to us. In many ways Peter was unique in this respect,
too. A Peter <strong>Drucker</strong> comes along perhaps only once in a century. Usually
the lessons of such an individual are restricted because the genius is so
successful that he is largely isolated from the rest of us. As a young boy,
Peter was introduced to a family friend, Sigmund Freud. Freud’s genius in
psychology is acknowledged everywhere. Yet, not many of us know
exactly what he taught. We depend on others to interpret his teachings or
explain what he actually meant. Few are capable of doing this directly.
And even these experts fight and argue about what Freud said or did not
say, and whether his theories are true or false, or maybe were true once,
but are no longer true today.
Not so <strong>with</strong> <strong>Drucker</strong>. Peter left behind his lessons and insights through
many media. These included writings, speeches, recordings, and videos. To
me, it is his actual classroom lessons and personal teachings that offer such
a wealth of insight into his ideas on a wide range of topics, which were not
always restricted to management. Even more than that, he was accessible to
his students on a one-on-one basis, and to those he thought would value
and not waste what they would learn from him. I was extremely fortunate
enough to be one.
Because his productive life was more than three quarters of a century,
<strong>Drucker</strong>’s lessons were many. Plus, he frequently taught in “shorthand.”
That is, he gave us only guideposts which needed to be developed fully by
those who received them. Peter communicated his ideas to be understood.
It was sometimes frustrating that he told us what to do, and not exactly
how to do it. But, as attested to by his clients, readers, and students, this
method too was part of his genius. His general guidelines and concepts,
even put forth as questions and hints, invariably led the recipients to
whom these were given in order to apply and benefit from unimagined
rewards in application, which would not have resulted had he simply told
us how to implement his ideas.
Just this morning, Dean Ira Jackson, Dean of the Peter F. <strong>Drucker</strong> and
Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management, announced that the
School’s entire core faculty will soon be jointly teaching a new required
course for all entering MBA students, entitled “The <strong>Drucker</strong> Difference.”
The course will share the best of Peter <strong>Drucker</strong> on topics ranging from