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Inside Drucker's Brain

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I have read and then reviewed more than 40 books by or about Peter Drucker (November 19, 1909-November 11, 2005) as well most of Jeffrey Krames's books. You can thus understand why I was so eager to read Krames's latest, Inside Drucker's Brain, in which he shares what he learned during an extended interview of Drucker in Claremont (CA) in late-December in 2003. As indicated in his earlier books (notably Jack Welch and the 4E's of Leadership, The Welch, and What the Best CEOs Know), Krames conducts rigorous and extensive research and thus was well prepared for what proved to be one of Drucker's last interviews. By then he was 94 when Krames arrived at his home "and he looked every one of those years. He appeared thin and frail. His glasses were thicker than I had imagined, and his hearing aids were very conspicuous. However, it did not take long to discern the sharp mind behind the bespectacled, aged face...He had his own agenda, and was anxious to get started."

Personal digression: How much I wish I could have had the opportunity to take social science and management courses from Drucker that he taught at what is now the Peter Drucker and Msatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management at Claremont University. For an eyewitness account, please check out William Cohen's A Class with Drucker: The Lost Lessons of the World's Greatest Management Teacher.

Although Krames indicates that, by the time they met, Drucker's physical health had deteriorated and he could no longer continue his classroom teaching, what Krames found inside Drucker's mind was an abundance of information, insights, and wisdom. Even at that advanced age, Drucker's focus was on timely and timeless issues of greatest importance to him. He indicated little (if any) interest in reminiscences. (Those who have elderly relatives can attest to how remarkable that is.) Ducker's intellectual curiosity remained insatiable as he shared with Krames (and with us) his thoughts about subjects such as these:

1. Barriers to effective execution (Chapter 2)
2. Minimizing failed policies, unsound methods, and bad habits (Chapter 3)
3. "Eight Realities" for every manager (Chapter 4)
4. Dominant characteristics of "naturals" (Chapter 5)

Note: In Drucker's view, a "natural" sets the right priorities, inspires others, and knows how to make "life-and-death situations. Naturals do not micromanage people to death. They understand intuitively that autocratic leaders are not effective and part of the problem."

5. Establishing and then strengthening business "partnerships" (Chapter 6)
6. "Abandoning" organizational waste and obsolescence (Chapter 7)
7. Building on people's strengths (Chapter 8)
8. The traits and habits (i.e. critical factors) of the "ideal leader" (Chapter 9)
9. Why Jack Welch was the right leader at the right time for GE (Chapter 10)
10. Why people decisions are the most important questions (Chapter 11)
11. Why Drucker thinks so highly of Jeff Bezos (Chapter 12)
12. The changing role of information in a business environment (Chapter 13)
13. An effective leader's core competencies (Chapter 14)
14. Determining what a customer-centric business must become (Chapter 15)

Note: In Chapter 15, Krames provides what he calls "A Short Course on Innovation" based on three of Drucker's core beliefs: Without a customer, there is no business; customer needs are constantly changing; and, companies must be "organized for innovation" (top to bottom) in order to respond effectively - and profitably - to whatever its customers' needs may be.

15. Important turning points in Drucker's life (Epilogue)

Others will have their own reasons for holding Krames's book (and its subject) in high regard. Here are three of mine. First, at no time while I was reading this book did it seem to me that Krames was shaping, manipulating, filtering, "massaging," or in any sense misrepresenting what Drucker shared with him. In fact, it took Krames about a year to listen to the tape recordings and then listen again to portions of them, a process complicated by Drucker's thick accent and hearing problem. To ensure that his account would be as authentic as possible, Krames also re-read several of Drucker's books, including one of my own personal favorites, Adventures of a Bystander, once described by Drucker as being (contrary to the subtitle of the British version) "no more 'a history of our times,' or even of 'my times,' that it is an autobiography." Credit Krames with a brilliant job of transcribing, organizing, and then presenting material so that his function is that of a bystander rather than of a self-serving link between Peter Drucker and those who read the book.

I also admire the fact that, when providing direct quotations from dozens of sources that express sometimes quite complicated concepts, Krames carefully creates an appropriate context for each. In his books and also, apparently, in his classroom discussions, consulting sessions, and personal conversations, Drucker had a tendency "for repetition, digression, and for bringing in unfathomable ideas that at times distracted [others] from his main thesis. It was as if his mind raced forward as he wrote [and spoke] and he had to work to keep up." Hence the importance of Krames's preparations prior to the extended interview and then of his post-interview efforts. I do not recall a single quotation in the entire book (whatever its source) for which Krames does not create a context.

Finally, I greatly appreciate having direct access (via Krames) to Drucker near the end of his life just as I greatly appreciate having access (via Cohen) to a much younger Drucker, then in his prime as a classroom instructor. Throughout his life, Drucker granted very few interviews, preferring to focus on his work rather than discuss it. There is still so much about his "life and times" that we will never know. With all due respect to Krames and others who have also written important books about Drucker, I remain convinced that the best way to get inside his brain is to read and then re-read what he has written. However, what Jeffrey Krames makes possible is to feel as if we are in Peter Drucker's presence, and Krames achieves that in ways and to an extent no one else has. Thank you.

I was a very fortunate man: I lived two doors down from Peter F. Drucker while I was completing my studies at Claremont during the early 70s. My course of study was not business, but I probably learned more about business from my casual conversations with Dr Drucker than most learn in a lifetime. The 40 years since that I have spent in the international arena were as fun as they were because of Drucker's wisdom--which he shared without limit. I was deeply impressed that the author of this book, Mr. Krames, Got It as well as he did. He not only presents Drucker's wisdom and practical thinking with remarkable clarity; he does so with consummate skill and focus. No jargon, no MBA SlopThink. Just the pure clarity of Drucker thought, presented in a way that will benefit everyone who reads this book. Drucker was right that most executives today are way out of their elements. They have allowed themselves to be deluded into believing that business is far more complicated than it is. He was fond of pointing out to me that most of the business greats in American history (Ford, Firestone, Carnegie, etc.) had high school educations. He reminded me that Warren Buffett will not contemplate an investment or purchase that requires anything beyond first-year high school algebra (while Wall Street continues to use complex tools that obfuscate far more information than they reveal). If you manage a business and want to climb up to the clearer air, read this book. Mark it up. Make it yours. Once when I was with Dr Drucker, a reporter asked him what he thought about some social policy issue. "I don't know," replied Drucker. "I haven't written about it yet!" Inside Drucker's Brain gives you the best ideas that Drucker ever wrote across almost a century of life. And it will show you why his thinking benefited thinkers like Jack Welch, Bill Gates, and even Winston Churchill.

Hoping to gain a good overview of Drucker's most important concepts I picked this book and was disappointed. Krames had only one day with Drucker to interview him and spent part of that day running errands with him rather than talking. The author therefore focuses too much on the very few new things Drucker told him that day and I sensed an intense competition and almost jealousy towards "The Definitive Drucker" by Elizabeth Haas Edersheim and "The Essential Drucker" by Drucker himself. While some of the content is very interesting, I felt the book badly written at times which was surprising for an accomplished author like Krames. Net, net I would choose another Drucker book before this one.

Of course, reading Peter Drucker's own three-dozen plus books and myriad articles is the ideal way to learn directly from the master. This book by Jeffrey A. Krames is based on a day spent with the then 94 year old Drucker and his own reading of the man's works. If you aren't already well versed in Drucker's thought, you can use this handy and informative book as a introductory volume. Remember, Drucker ran a solo practice. He never built a consulting firm. Yes, he did teach and his students have been writing books and sharing their own take on Drucker's teachings, but whenever you have an author helping you understand the master's approach to management you also get the author's thought, which may be helpful or may be something different than what you are after.

However, where do you dive into the vast sea of Drucker? You will have to invest a lot of time and energy to try and comprehend all that he said and wrote. Maybe you only want a small portion of it. This book can help you find something that sparks your interest and you can dive in at that point.

The book has 15 short chapters. They are:
Opportunity Favors the Prepared Mind
Execution First and Always
Broken Washroom Doors
Outside-In
When Naturals Run Out
The Jeffersonian Ideal
Abandon All but Tomorrow
Auditing Strengths
The Critical Factor?
Drucker on [Jack] Welch
Life-and-death Decisions
The Strategic Drucker
The Fourth Information Revolution
The Leader's Most Important Job
A Short Course on Innovation.

Krames has written other very interesting books and has a nice writing style. He understands how to write about business for businesspeople, and that is no small achievement.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

This was a very good book even for someone without a lot of business knowledge. The author found a way to make a dry subject enlightening and entertaining. I'll keep this book for future reference.

Jeffrey Krames does a great job. Excellent insight through extended interviews. One of my favorite Drucker books. Very fascinated by "Turning points" in Drucker's life.

This user-friendly book will help readers grasp much of Drucker's key ideas on leadership, strategy, innovation, personal effectiveness, career development, and many other topics. Recommended for those who have little time and much curiosity.

A good business book, one worth reading and keeping, is really marked up. Dog-eared pages. Underlined paragraphs. Notes in the margin. Inside Drucker's Brain is that kind of book. The result of an abbreviated six-hour interview with Peter Drucker near the end of his life, this little book is a must-have for leaders looking for an edge.

The genius of author, Jeffrey Krames' work is in the artful integration of classic Drucker from his writings with the off-the-cuff responses captured in Claremont, California in December of 2003. Whether you've read everything Drucker ever wrote or you are just beginning to wrestle with some of his ideas, Inside Drucker's Brain is an important addition to the stack.