Good Things Come to Those Who Write: Lessons from Peter Drucker

Good Things Come to Those Who Write: Lessons from Peter Drucker

If I look back at all the good things that have happened in my career in the last 3 years, they all come from writing. One little habit of writing 1,000 words a day revolutionized my career. The reason is simple: writing is how you get attention. And in today's world, attention is the most valuable resource. When the writer uses a small portion of that attention to promote something else that will benefit the reader, hundreds or thousands of them buy it. Good writing is about teaching.

Jim Collins, in his article "Ten Lessons I Learned from Peter Drucker," highlights the valuable insights he gained from reading Drucker's definitive classic, The Effective Executive. Drucker emphasizes the importance of self-management, stating that if you want the average performance of those around you to go up, you must first improve your own performance. This aligns with the idea that good things come to those who write because writing forces you to reflect on your own thoughts and ideas, ultimately improving your own performance.

Drucker also emphasizes the importance of doing what you're made for. We are all incompetent at most things, and recognizing our areas of competence allows us to focus on what we do best. Similarly, when writing, it's important to focus on teaching useful skills. By honing in on our expertise and sharing it with others, we can provide value and attract attention.

Another lesson from Drucker is the importance of managing our time effectively. Collins mentions how he was inspired by Drucker's challenge to log the number of creative hours each day. This highlights the need for focused, uninterrupted time to engage in deep work, whether it's writing or any other task. Creating unbroken blocks of time for individual think time and deliberately unstructured time for unexpected tasks can help us make the most of our time.

Drucker also emphasizes the importance of making effective decisions. Instead of making a hundred decisions, focus on finding patterns and making a few big generic decisions that can apply to multiple situations. This allows for more efficient decision-making and reduces the cognitive overload that comes with constant decision-making.

Finding our one big distinctive impact is another lesson from Drucker. Identifying one key decision that contributes to the future and orchestrating it can have a significant impact. This aligns with the idea of teaching through writing. By focusing on one key message or idea, we can make a lasting impact on our readers.

Running lean is another important lesson from Drucker. As an organization grows, it's essential to resist the temptation to add unnecessary complexity. By keeping the organization streamlined and focused, energy can be directed towards contributing to the outside world. Similarly, when writing, it's important to keep the message clear and concise, avoiding unnecessary complexity.

In conclusion, good things truly do come to those who write. Writing allows us to capture attention, teach valuable skills, and make a lasting impact. By incorporating lessons from Peter Drucker, such as self-management, effective decision-making, and running lean, we can enhance our writing and achieve even greater success.

Actionable Advice:

1. Commit to writing 1,000 words a day to improve your own performance and attract attention.
2. Create dedicated blocks of uninterrupted time for deep work and reflection.
3. Focus on teaching useful skills and finding your one big distinctive impact in your writing.