Peter Drucker

This book is sitting next to my bed right now. The experience of wishing I could've met someone who died is pretty unfamiliar...but I wish I could've have met Peter Drucker. Drucker, the pioneering business consultant who influenced me and generations of leaders died yesterday at age 95. From a distance I have felt his influence. Some of the people who have influenced me along the way were influenced by him. I'm thinking of Lyle Schaller who is a contemporary of Drucker. Lyle lives in the same town and I do and was at the very first celebration service of CCC when we met in the Naperville Central High School cafeteria. If Peter Drucker is the father of modern management, Lyle Schaller must be the father of modern ecclesiology. I've heard Bill Hybels talk about studying under Drucker, so I'm sure he played a part in Bill's development. Depsite all the criticism that Willow and Bill get for being so corporate, I'm grateful for thier leadership. I know that for Bob Buford Drucker was a friend and a mentor. It was Buford who founded Leadership Network which has been a tremendous resource to us at CCC and the NewThing Network. I wish I would have had a chance to meet him.

My favorite Drucker quote: "Decisions are not so much made as they become apparent."

A favorite Drucker story: William Pollard, chairman emeritus of Downers Grove-based ServiceMaster Co., remembered Drucker appearing before his board of directors to ask a trademark question: "What is your business?"One by one, the directors told Drucker how the company cleans floors, kills bugs and makes grass nice and green, Pollard recalled."You're all wrong," Drucker told them. "You're really in the business of growing and developing people."