Week 29 of 52. Welcome to Drucker Mondays, a 52-week journey through the new book, A Year with Peter Drucker: 52 Weeks of Coaching for Leadership Effectiveness, by Joseph A. Maciariello. Each Monday, we'll feature a Drucker fan and his or her favorite snippet from the week's topic. (Subscribe on this page.) Terry Stokesbary is our guest writer today.
Week 29: A Second Chance for Failures
THE BIG IDEA FROM THE BOOK: First—this is required reading for every leader and manager! Second—Peter Drucker reminds us that not everyone succeeds, but if at all possible, you must give team members a second chance in another role. Many organizations, like The Salvation Army, report a 60 percent success rate when people are given a second chance.
TERRY STOKESBARY'S FAVORITE DRUCKER INSIGHTS from Week 29, pages 225-230:
• Drucker lists five steps for successfully placing people. “These procedures should help reduce failed placements. Nevertheless, failures still occur, and the executive who made the promotion decision is responsible for making things right for both the organization and the individual who has failed.”
• “Your casualty rate is going to be high if your demands are high. If your demands are not high, you damage your organization. Mediocre results can destroy the spirit of an organization.”
• “The Peter Principle (an observation by Laurence J. Peter) asserts that a person who keeps getting promoted eventually reaches his or her level of incompetence. The Peter Principle is invalid.”
TERRY STOKEBARY'S COLOR COMMENTARY:
From my unique vantage point at the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, I see a wide range of placement practices in nonprofit organizations—both successes and failures. We are big fans of those who have success, but we’re also realistic—failures will happen. That’s okay.
I appreciate Drucker’s insights on giving people a second chance, in a different role, and we’ve seen that happen. I was struck with Drucker’s comments that “Of the people who get a second chance in a job that fits their strengths—the job they should have been put into in the first place—a very high percentage perform well.”
But note his final remark: “Few managers believe that.”
This is a valuable, important chapter with incredible wisdom in just six pages!
THIS WEEK'S QUOTES & COMMENTARY BY TERRY STOKESBARY:
Terry Stokesbary is Senior Program Director at M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, Vancouver, Wash. He served previously with Young Life for nearly 25 years. With a special interest in organizational growth and leadership development, Terry has helped to enhance and expand the enrichment programs that the Trust offers to its constituency. Terry and his wife, Becky, live in Vancouver and have two grown children, a daughter-in-law, and their first grandson!
TO-DO TODAY:
• Analyze: “What is the casualty rate of people in the first assignment in your organization? Are these people given a second chance? If not, why not?”
• Inspire: As part of new employee orientation, ask each person to read—with his or her supervisor—the helpful book, The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter (read John Pearson’s review here).
NEXT MONDAY:
On July 27, 2015, W. Scott Brown, Vice President, Leadership Experiences and Resources, Christian Leadership Alliance, will share his color commentary on Week 30’s topic, “What Kind of Organization Does America Need to Strengthen Society?” the third of three weeks on “Managing Your Members.”
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