Greenleaf and Drucker
Yesterday I blogged about the passing of Peter Drucker. Don Frick, who wrote the biography of Greenleaf's life and is our resident Greenleaf expert, provided these comments:
Bob Greenleaf lived near Peter Drucker and befriended him soon after Drucker immigrated. Bob & Esther entertained the Druckers frequently and Esther delighted in challenging Peter on all kinds of issues.
Later, Greenleaf invited Drucker to lecture at many AT&T seminars, and Drucker invited Bob to speak for the AMA.
In the Introduction to the book "On Becoming a Servant Leader," Drucker reflects on their long relationship.
Thanks Don! Embarrassingly enough, I had forgotten about Drucker's foreword in On Becoming a Servant-Leader, which Don edited with Larry Spears. Although the entire foreword is worth reading, here is a short excerpt:
Bob Greenleaf and I knew that we shared the same beliefs and values, but our relations were always professional, rather than personal or social. We also went about our work very differently. In fact, our aims were quite different. When I worked iwth him, Bob was always out to change the individual, to make him or her into a different person. I was interested in making people do the right things, in their actions and behavior. Bob was interested in motives; I was interested in consequences. This became very clear to both of us in the first session of the Asbury Park school (AT&T Advanced Management School) when one of the senior participants asked, "What do I do?" and Bob said, "That comes laer. First, what do you want to be?" The man then turned to me, and I said, "What do you think will work?" All three of us burst out laughing.
Bob Greenleaf lived near Peter Drucker and befriended him soon after Drucker immigrated. Bob & Esther entertained the Druckers frequently and Esther delighted in challenging Peter on all kinds of issues.
Later, Greenleaf invited Drucker to lecture at many AT&T seminars, and Drucker invited Bob to speak for the AMA.
In the Introduction to the book "On Becoming a Servant Leader," Drucker reflects on their long relationship.
Thanks Don! Embarrassingly enough, I had forgotten about Drucker's foreword in On Becoming a Servant-Leader, which Don edited with Larry Spears. Although the entire foreword is worth reading, here is a short excerpt:
Bob Greenleaf and I knew that we shared the same beliefs and values, but our relations were always professional, rather than personal or social. We also went about our work very differently. In fact, our aims were quite different. When I worked iwth him, Bob was always out to change the individual, to make him or her into a different person. I was interested in making people do the right things, in their actions and behavior. Bob was interested in motives; I was interested in consequences. This became very clear to both of us in the first session of the Asbury Park school (AT&T Advanced Management School) when one of the senior participants asked, "What do I do?" and Bob said, "That comes laer. First, what do you want to be?" The man then turned to me, and I said, "What do you think will work?" All three of us burst out laughing.
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