In this interview Drucker discusses his early work with General Electric in the 1950s, his work with Fred Borch (later CEO of General Electric) and the types of consulting he did for the company. He compares the work he did with GE to his appointment, under President Richard Nixon, as a member of the advisory committee to the Peace Corps and the work he did for them. Drucker also states that because of what he learned during his time at General Electric he was able to write his book, “The Practice of Management.” He then discusses a seminar he gave where several of the participants went on to establish specialty mass magazines, such as, “Psychology Today.” He then delves into his work with ServiceMaster, which he says is, “…the best example I know of an institution that converts a social need into a business opportunity.” He then proceeds to gives his thoughts on the ENRON scandal. Towards the middle of the interview Drucker goes into his work abroad, specifically in Japan and Canada. Later in the interview he gives his thoughts on some of the individuals that he has worked with over the years including, Dolores Cross, Carolina Picard, and Francis Hesselbein. Towards the end of the interview Drucker tells of his experiences in Germany as a newspaper reporter prior to World War II and his impressions of Adolf Hitler and the concept of leadership. Following this he goes into his various consulting work with the United States government. Drucker closes by saying that he hopes he is remembered as someone who, “…helped a few people get results, get the right things done.”
Interviews Drucker, Peter F. (Peter Ferdinand), 1909-2005 General Electric Company Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Millhouse), 1913-1994 Peace Corps (U.S.) Borch, Fred J., 1910- ServiceMaster Foundation Enron Corp Japan Canada Cross, Dolores E Hesselbein, Frances Nonprofit organizations Hitler, Adolf, 1889-1945 Germany Leadership Specialty mass magazines Psychology Today Picard, Carolina
Place
Claremont (Calif.)
Source
Original videotape: Excerpts from five 30 minute VHS Tapes; Tapes 46-50: Peter F. Drucker Biography 01/17/2002
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