Effective management

Have you read Peter Drucker’s The Effective Executive, by any chance?

It’s widely considered one of the best books on self-management in business. And since running your practice is a business, you should be aware of it.

Even better, you should own a copy and read it closely.

Well-known business coach and best-selling author Jim Collins said he’s read the book dozens of times. So that should tell you something.

Here are some nuggets from the book so you can get a flavor of the wisdom…

“To be reasonably effective it is not enough…to be intelligent, to work hard, or to be knowledgeable. Effectiveness is something separate, something different.”

Drucker admonishes that effectiveness “has to be learned.” That is, no one is naturally gifted at being effective.

Here’s a famous quote from Drucker:

“Efficiency is doing things right. Effectiveness is doing the right things.”

For most busy people, it’s hard to instinctively know which things are the right things to do.

So we have to learn. But from whom?

And who, specifically, should lawyers learn from?

Well, ideally, from lawyers who value insight and who are willing to invest in growing their practices steadily and sensibly.

And definitely not from people like this.