Page 162 - The Drucker Lectures

18

Do You Know Where You Belong?

1992

hen I look at people who have done a good job in manag-
Wing their career—and I don’t just mean in terms of jobs
and money and title, but in terms of achievement and satisfac-
tion and contribution—these are people who build a network.
This is a modern term. We didn’t speak of it 10 years ago. Back
then, we said, “These are people who keep in touch.” Today, they
build a network.
In a way, they have learned how to be considerate. And, be-
lieve me, I don’t think people are born considerate. There are
some people who are born more polite than others. But consid-
erate? No. Considerate is doing a few elementary things.
The first is to have a tickler file in which you have enough
information about the people you work with to be considerate.
To call up and say, “Mary this is your wedding anniversary—20
years. Isn’t it wonderful? Congratulations.” And you know, those
of us who have been married a long time have learned that the
husband had better not forget the wedding anniversary. But no
husband remembers it after 35 years, so we have it in our calen-
dar. We have a tickler file. And one learns that you keep a tickler
file with the names of the children of the people you work with,
and their birthdays, and their wedding anniversaries. And that’s
being considerate. That’s showing respect.

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