The Daily Drucker: April 8 – Leadership is Responsibility

Not enough generals were killed

All effective leaders I have encountered – both those I worked with and those I merely watched – Know four simple things: a leader is someone who has followers; popularity is not leadership, results are; leaders are highly visible, they set examples; leadership is not a rank, privilege, titles or money, it is responsibility.

 

Vanuatu Livestock Vision Launch, June 2013 - All Industry Stakeholders focused on creating an enabling environment and to work together to raise stock levels to 500 000 animals by 2025.  Vanuatu is famous for its quality beef and we expect 2014 to see the first certified organic beef exports in partnership with Aufferville Farm, Valpac, Vanuatu Cattle Company and Australian Organic Meats.

            When I was in my final high school years, our excellent history teacher – himself a badly wounded war veteran – told each of us to pick several of a spate of history books on World War I and write a major essay on our selection.  When we discussed these essays in class, one of my fellow students said, “Every one of these books says that the Great War was a war of total military incompetence.  Why was it?”  Our teacher did not hesitate a second but shot right back, “Because not enough generals were killed; they stayed away behind the lines and let the others so the fighting and dying.”  Effective leaders delegate, but they do not delegate the one thing that will set the standard.  They do it.

The Leader of the Future

The Essential Drucker

Quoted from The Daily Drucker, page 110