In the article, Drucker argues that while the current society and business age offers great and unprecedented opportunities for diligent and ambitious people, individuals need to be their own CEOs to carve out individual space, know when to change course, and preserve personal productivity across work life. I concur with the author that a deep understanding of oneself, including competent evaluations of personal strengths, weaknesses, learning processes, relations and work approaches with others, personal values, and the areas of highest personal potential, is vital if the individual is to acquire genuine and sustainable excellence professionally (Drucker, 1999). By utilizing personal strengths effectively, the individual has a high probability of success in achieving genuine professional excellence. The author argues that feedback analysis, involving focus on performance and results as evaluation tools, forms the best method of assessing personal strengths (Drucker, 1999).I agree with this assessment because the outcomes of personal decisions are representative of how effective or inappropriate the decisions are, in effect showing the individual the extent and persistence of his capabilities. When positive outcomes of the decisions that an individual takes and implements are persistent, he or she can develop confidence about personal prowess in evaluations of problems and choices of their solutions.
Prior to reading the article, I had a fair understanding of the value of focusing on personal strengths as a way of ensuring personal success in the professional world. I knew that the choice of a profession in which one had a passion and personal strengths represented the most convenient and effective way of succeeding professionally. Nevertheless, I had not considered that extensive and in-depth understanding of oneself in all the areas that Drucker identifies was vital. The suggestion of using decision outcomes as tools to evaluate personal strengths resonated the most with me because of its practicality and applicability in life. I would insist on Drucker’s advice of deep understanding of oneself to a new worker because I believe that it matches with the value of emotional intelligence as a vital foundation for professional success.
References
Drucker, P. (1999). Managing Oneself. Harvard Business Review.