Peter Drucker, the father of modern day management, inspired a generation of leaders with his quote, “One cannot manage change. One can only be ahead of it.”
This quote needs to be reconsidered in the context of today’s rapidly changing world. Drucker’s idea of staying ahead of change may have been feasible in the past, but with today’s exponential and non-linear times, it’s no longer realistic. Technological progress has outpaced our ability to keep up, making it impossible to stay ahead of change. Instead, we must focus on creating change, responding to it nimbly, and moving in sync with it.
Drucker’s leadership principles were rooted in a world of local and linear thinking, but the current landscape demands a new approach. The systems and structures that worked in the past may no longer be effective in managing change at this scale.
If you enjoyed this post, you may also like our Leadership Archives. Photo by Matt Ridley on Unsplash. Drucker’s quote is from Management Challenges of the 21st Century.
