“To make strength productive is the unique purpose of organization.”
Finding out what people do well and putting their strengths to productive use is a critical executive responsibility.
Strength or talent should be the main criterion for staffing decisions. A person’s strength matters more than his weakness. It matters more than personality. Abraham Lincoln’s decision to promote General Grant to lead the Union Army during the American Civil War and General George Marshall’s selection of generals before WWII are examples Drucker gives.
Next, an executive must find out what his boss’s strength is and endeavor to make it more effective. Doing so will increase organizational results and lead to more opportunities.
Finally, an executive needs knowledge of his or her own strengths. Understanding what they are and putting them to productive use increases opportunity and possibility for one’s team and organization.
Executives who focus on strengths instead of weaknesses see opportunities, make productive decisions, and achieve more results.
(The Effective Executive, chapter 4)