Self-Study: The Peter Drucker Way

Peter Drucker devised his own self-study programs on many different topics throughout much of his life, even when he was in his 90s. For the past couple of years, I’ve written Corporate Learning Network posts and devised the curriculum for Spring and Fall self-directed semesters (with Drucker’s life and work as the topic).

As a follow-up to my Spring 2022 semester, for the first time I’m adding a Summer semester. It has a shorter time period, but there is still intensive reading and reporting.

In the outline/syllabus below, the semester is divided into 6 weekly segments, starting with the week of June 13, and ending the week of July 18. I’ve changed the format somewhat: rather than books, I’ve listed four articles by different writers, from a variety of sources, regarding different aspects of Drucker’s life and work.

Each week, after you have read the chosen material, write a brief (1-2 pages) statement on the following:

• The central points raised by the writers, based on your interpretations of the readings
• Applicability to your current life and work
• Future implications for your life and work

Since each reading is relatively brief, you should be able to include information about each of the four weekly articles.

Week 1: June 13, 2022

William Cohen: In the Classroom with Peter Drucker, Corporate Learning Network

Steve Denning: Why Peter Drucker Is The Albert Einstein Of Management, Forbes.com

Frances Hesselbein: Celebrating Peter Drucker’s Centennial, Leader to Leader

Bruce Rosenstein: 16 Key Insights From Harvard Business Review Press’ ‘Drucker Library,’ Corporate Learning Network

Week 2: June 20, 2022

Simon Caulkin: On Re-reading Peter Drucker, #DruckerForum Shape the Debate

Jim Collins: TEN LESSONS I LEARNED FROM PETER DRUCKER (Foreword to the 50th Anniversary Edition of The Effective Executive), JimCollins.com

Karen Linkletter: LEADING THROUGH MANAGEMENT AS A LIBERAL ART, Leader to Leader

Avivah Wittenberg-Cox: Five CEOs Trying To Keep It Human, Forbes.com

Week 3: June 27, 2022

Marshall Goldsmith: Lessons I Learned from Peter Drucker, #DruckerForum Shape the Debate

Jyoti Guptara: Telling tales to usher in a “century of Drucker,” #DruckerForum Shape the Debate

Joseph A. Maciariello: Peter F. Drucker on a Functioning Society, Leader to Leader

Isabella Mader: Drucker Forum Post Scriptum: “Viva la Vida,” #DruckerForum Shape the Debate

Week 4: July 4, 2022

John Baldoni: Would Peter Drucker Approve Of The New Business Roundtable Purpose Statement?, Forbes.com

Charles Handy: Peter Drucker: An Appreciation, Global Peter Drucker Forum

Jeremy Hunter: Manage Your Attention, Not Your Time, Corporate Learning Network

Rosabeth Moss Kanter: What Would Peter Say?, Harvard Business Review

Week 5: July 11, 2022

Jack Beatty: The Education of Peter Drucker, The Atlantic

Elizabeth Edersheim: “What Do You Want to be Remembered for?,” Corporate Learning Network

Zachary First: The Entrepreneurial Government, #DruckerForum Shape the Debate

Hermann Simon: Man of the Past, Man of the Future, Global Peter Drucker Forum

Week 6: July 18, 2022

Bob Buford: Peter Drucker: An Amazing Grasp of Context, Leader to Leader

Byron Ramirez: Peter Drucker on Social Ecology, Balancing Change and Continuity, and Building a Functioning Society; Management as a Liberal Art Research Institute

Annika Steiber: A report on two sessions of the Global Peter Drucker Forum: Can Big Businesses be Humanized and how Fast should you try to Transform your Business? #DruckerForum Shape the Debate

Rick Wartzman: Peter Drucker and the Big Data Revolution, Forbes.com

Final Project

Write an essay of 1000-1500 words about the main points of what you've learned in the six weeks of the course. What Drucker-related topics were most valuable, and what topics you'd like to pursue in more depth in the future?

Projected Outcome

For purposes of keeping organized and maintaining strong time management, keep all of your material together, either in a computer file, or a notebook. That makes it easier to view your progress and connect the dots of what you’ve learned week to week.

If you apply yourself sufficiently, you’ll find that you’ve learned a lot about a variety of topics through a Drucker-related lens, and perhaps discovered some new writers and new resources in the process.

As we all know, Summer is a fast-moving season. The six weeks will fly by quickly. Stay tuned for details about the Fall 2022 semester!