Page 218 - The Drucker Lectures

26

Managing Oneself

1999

n a few hundred years, when the history of our time will be
Iwritten from a long-term perspective, I think it is very probable
that the most important event these historians will see is not tech-
nology. It is not the Internet. It is not e-commerce. It is an unprec-
edented change in the human condition. For the first time, and I
mean that literally, very substantial and rapidly growing numbers
of people have choices. For the first time, they will have to man-
age themselves. And let me say, we are totally unprepared for it.
A good many of you were kind enough to send me questions
in advance of this talk, and I am grateful. But not one of these 28
questions deals with managing oneself. They are all focused on
“How do I relate to other people?” “How do other people relate
to me?” “How do I make myself more appreciated?” Not one of
them says, “What do I do with myself? And how do I find out?”
And this is not surprising. Throughout history, practically nobody
had any choice.
Up until 1900, even in the most highly developed countries,
the overwhelming majority followed their father, if they were
lucky. There was only downward mobility; there was no upward
mobility. If your father was a peasant farmer, you were a peas-
ant farmer. If he was a craftsman, you were a craftsman. And so
on. And now suddenly a very large minority of people—and it’s
growing—have choices.

[ 199