Managing Oneself

As a graduate of Psychology, I agree with Drucker’s perspective on cultivating a deeper understanding of oneself to achieve lasting excellence. However, determining one’s learning style and values are not the only catalysts for success. From a psychological perspective, how and why an individual succeeds may be governed by several other factors: his attitude, abilities, his capacity to process thoughts, and motivation among others. Drucker’s point of view is mainly geared towards “nature” and does not take “nurture” into consideration. While a gene may increase the likelihood that individuals will behave in a particular way, it does not make people do things. This means that we still get to choose and direct our own lives. If we are competitive and motivated enough, we can easily succeed in everything no matter the obstacle.

I also think that the ideas presented in this article are a bit “one-way” and leans more on how a boss/manager can become more effective. Consider the example on page 72, wherein conflict between working/learning styles is discussed. It talks about managing the boss adapting themselves to what makes their bosses most efficient. But what happens to an employee whose working style is completely different from that of his boss? How can that employee become more productive? How can he improve the way he performs? How can he become more effective at work?

For me, Drucker’s perspective ideally relates to everyone in a universal level, but realistically, is geared more on Western point of view. Let me take into consideration Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Westerners typically are a bit more concerned about personal worth and making a contribution to the world than the average Filipino. In a third world country like ours, people put more priority in satisfying their “safety” needs first: security of body, of employment, of the family, of health. We sacrifice building a life of excellence, we overlook our strengths, how we work, our