The Feedback

Last week, in scrutinizing the situation at Sears, we asked whether a manager should ideally have direct industry experience—or “domain knowledge”—before being placed in charge of a company. Reader Sergio said no—or at least not necessarily:

Peter Drucker taught us that more important than past experience is the ‘consideration of the human being as an organism having peculiar physiological and psychological properties, abilities, and limitations, and a distinct mode of action.’ When a retail giant finds itself in a situation where their very own survival is put in jeopardy, and when the domain specific conventional wisdom they long relied upon is no longer effective, the job for the executive has changed, a new wisdom needs to be learned and a unique individual is required to lead the organization forward.

We also learned—or at least inferred—that Drucker Exchange readers either made no New Year’s promises or else had no wish to share them. (We ruled out the possibility of hangovers, for we know that our readers practice moderation in everything.) When we offered three New Year’s thoughts from Peter Drucker and asked readers to weigh in with some resolutions of their own, our readers stayed uncharacteristically quiet. Except for Alba Patricia Valencia, who had this to say:

A new day, a new year, a new beginning. I make room for new ideas. My world is new as I respond to life in a new way. Fresh ideas refresh my mind, soul and my heart. I am in tune with infinite intelligence and I accept myself as well. Happy New Year.

And Happy New Year to you, too.