What Do We Bring?

In the Foreword to the 50th Anniversary Edition of the Effective Executive, Jim Collins wrote this about his first meeting with Peter Drucker at Drucker’s home:

At the end of that day, Peter hit me with a challenge. I was on the cusp of leaving my faculty spot at Stanford, betting on a self-created path, and I was scared. “It seems to me you spend a lot of time worrying how you will survive,” said Peter. “You will probably survive.” He continued: “And you seem to spend a lot of energy on the question of how to be successful. But that is the wrong question.” He paused, then like the Zen master thwacking the table with a bamboo stick: “The question is: how to be useful!” A great teacher can change your life in thirty seconds.

The details of life can oftentimes bury us in self-focus and self-concern. Of course, we need to take care of ourselves — to find a healthy balance to thrive. But we may lose our way in the details and get off balance, disoriented, and we may feel stuck for too long.

I appreciate this reflection from Collins and the wisdom from Drucker. They highlight that worry adds little value; we expend much energy on striving for “success,” and we lose the sense of purpose regarding why we are on this globe together. There are extraordinary things about you that you can offer to others that already bring immeasurable value — success! What are those things? Discover them! Affirm them! Invest in them by offering them to others.