Stepniowski Family

**Originally published on www.proqc.com (3/10/09)

Inside Drucker’s Brain. Jeffrey A. Krames. New York: Penguin Group, 2008. 278 pp.

Every now and then, a little treasure of a book comes along and provides some insightful information that you may already know but haven’t given any thought to in a while. Inside Drucker’s Brain, by Jeffrey Krames, is one of those books.

Krames, who also wrote another favorite of mine, The Welch Way, states the objective of his most recent work as giving “readers a fresh perspective into the thought patterns of this extraordinary thinker.” In addition, he seeks to “show how so many of Drucker’s seminal ideas are as relevant today as when they were written.” Having read a few of the other books written about Drucker, I can say this one stands out with content that’s casual and light, yet informative and insightful.

What initially drew my interest to this book was simple. Throughout my college years, I was inundated in Drucker’s management thoughts and theories. Looking back, the ideas that Drucker presented stand out the most in practice. And, as Drucker approaches his 100th birthday in 2009, I find it inspiring to know that the “father of modern management”, who has written 39 books on organizational behavior, innovation, economy and society, is as true to himself and his ideas as he was when his career got started in 1946 with a book based on his observations at GM. From Jack Welch to Jeff Bezos, Peter Drucker has led the way in management despite the many changes that the business world has experienced throughout his time.

Inside Drucker’s Brain isn’t written like a typical business book. In fact, it’s actually based on an interview that Krames had with Drucker back in 2003 where they discussed Drucker’s most seminal ideas and theories. At the end of each chapter, Krames summarizes and draws his own insight into the discussion. So, even if you’re intimately familiar with all things Drucker, this book goes a little deeper into how his conclusions are drawn and ideas developed.

If you read this and want to learn more about Drucker, visit the Drucker Institute site at http://www.druckerinstitute.com. There, you’ll find everything from the Daily Drucker to a number of “Tools for Effectiveness”.

I didn’t have to read Krames’ book to know how timeless Drucker is, but it was a nice change of pace to see something written with a fresh perspective.

“The purpose of an organization is to enable common men to do uncommon things.” – Peter F. Drucker

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