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Heads Up! These are MY NOTES on an article by Peter Drucker. The link to the original doc is in the metadata.

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Key Points

Use “Feedback Analysis”: Whenever you make a decision, write down what you expect to happen 9-12 months later. Then revisit what you wrote and see what you learn about yourself.

Are you a reader or a listener? Do you need things in writing beforehand (reader; Eisenhower, Kennedy) or are you better on your feet taking things in the moment (listener; Lyndon Johnson)?
How do you learn? Do you learn by writing? Do you need to take copious notes? By hearing yourself talk (that’s not perjorative)?
- Once you know how you learn, do you act on that knowledge?
Do you work well with people or are you a loner?
- If you work well with people, in what relationship? Are you best as a subordinate, commander, team member, coach, mentor?
Do I produce results as a decision-maker or adviser?
- Sidebar: a good “number two” struggles to make decisions and will fail in the top spot if promoted.
Do I perform well under stress, or do I need a highly structured and predictable environment?
Do I work best in a big organization or a small one?

“To work in an organization whose value system is unacceptable or incompatible with one’s own condemns a person both to frustration and to nonperformance.”
HR Example: Do you value looking inside for talent before going outside for a search or do you value bringing in fresh blood? Or a combination of both?
Pharma Example: Do you value “helping physicians do better what they already do” vs. “making scientific discoveries?”
Business Management Example: Do you value short term results or a focus on the long-term?
Church Example: Do you value new parishioners or the depth of each member’s spiritual growth?

“But most people, especially highly gifted people, do not really know where they belong until they are well past their mid-twenties.”
By knowing the answers to: (1) what are your strengths? (2) How do you perform? and (3) What are your values? You will be equipped to make informed decisions on where you belong (big org? Small? Decision-making role?)
“Successful careers are not planned. They develop when people are prepared for opportunities because they know their strengths, their method of work, and their values.”