The Effective Executive

by Peter F. Drucker

The danger is that executives will become contemptuous of information and stimulus that cannot be reduced to computer logic and computer language. Executives may become blind to everything that is perception (i.e., event) rather than fact (i.e., after the event). The tremendous amount of computer information may thus shut out access to reality.

Quite a foresight! And a concise comparison of perception vs. fact.

Effective executives focus on outward contribution. They gear their efforts to results rather than to work. They start out with the question, “What results are expected of me?” rather than with the work to be done, let alone with its techniques and tools.

First things first. This advice helps prioritize my tasks. So far, too much focus on behind-the-scenes processes.