Drucker Interview

1099: Where Independent Professionals Work and Live

Intellectual capitalists work the same way artists do. They think for a long time, and when they act, it's swift. They trust the truth--instinct--more than the details or facts.

He answers questions by trotting through history, art, science. Listening to him, you learn not just the answer but also how to make connections between disparate subjects and thus deepen your understanding. It makes you, the listener, more valuable as an adviser and teacher.

History is Drucker's primary tool for complexifying. "I'm not a professional historian," he says, "but I've learned that nothing helps me as much in my work as a little bit of historical knowledge about a country, technology, or industry.

To help people learn what they're good at, Drucker suggests "a learning method developed in the 14th century by an obscure German scholar who recommended that whenever you make a key decision or perform a key activity, write down what you expect to have happen, put the list away, and go back to it nine months or a year later. Then check expectations against results. In no time at all, you know what you do well and what you have to learn to do to get the full effectiveness of your strengths. You also learn what you do poorly. I compose such a list every nine months."

The most vital clue you can have in knowing what kind of learner you are is whether you're a reader or a listener. "People are either one or the other," Drucker says. "Very few people know which they are."

Rubin: You're your own boss; you have choice assignments; clients come to you, not vice versa. How can I get a life like that?
Drucker: If you believe in yourself, perform solo.

"Jobs are too risky," Drucker says. "I call them 'dangerous liaisons.' "

I know what he means. Jobs can destroy people's creativity with routine and limits.

"Since people have no job security anyway, they are increasingly going out on their own to do the work they want to do," he says.

The only thing that matters is how you touch people. Have I given anyone insight? That's what I want to have done. Insight lasts; theories don't.