“…the belief of so many companies that they could–or should–have leadership in everything within their market or industry is a major obstacle to achieving it.”
It is common knowledge that executives spend too much time on the urgent tasks of the day instead of what is truly important for tomorrow’s results. They dash, surge, and scramble. They have more to do than time to do it and they are not happy with what they do get done. Drucker understood this and offered a solution: a comprehensive and integrated strategy. One that encompasses the present and the future business. One that understands the economic realities, opportunities, and how resources should be applied.
The quote above is one economic reality. Leading in every market is fiction. An executive needs to decide what the company’s leadership area will be. This requires asking questions:
- What past or present event will make the future?
- What opportunity will I go after?
- What resources will I commit?
- How will I avoid being overcome by problems?
- What is the minimally viable way?
- What needs to be done to continually focus on opportunities?
- What are my success measures?
(Managing for Results, chapter 1)