Many of my clients like to read.
Like to listen to audiobooks.
Like to talk about books.
Like to suggest books.
Like to get my opinion about the books I read. (Or so I tell myself as I am blathering on about the books I read.)
So today I thought I would tell you about a book I recently discussed with a client. It’s been out for a while (original publication date 2008) so it’s not hot off the press with the latest leadership buzz, and it’s solid. Maybe even a little more solid than some of the ones with the buzz.
The Five Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About Your Organization by the late Peter Drucker, challenges the reader to get clear about getting back to basics – both as an organization, if that’s your focus, or for yourself if you need a self-assessment or recalibration. It’s an easy read at only 140 pages and focuses on….you guessed it…five questions.
1. What is our mission?
2. Who is our customer?
3. What does the Customer Value?
4. What are our Results?
5. What is our Plan?
If you think you know the answers to these questions, great.
However, if you’ve been in the same industry for years, really ask yourself if you know your current customer. Have they changed over the years? Have they changed since COVID?
Do you know what they value? Has that shifted based on the economy? Have your clients advanced with their own technologies and now you need a plan that keeps up?
Have your own values changed? What is important to you now? Do you want a different result from your life than you did 10 or even 5 years ago?
Do you have a personal plan for yourself? You are your own customer, you know.
These questions are easy to ask but not necessarily easy to answer. There’s a lot of spice in this svelte paperback.
If you want to chat about it, I know a bibliophile who likes big (and small) books. No lie.
