Have you ever been asked the question: “If you could have dinner with five people, who would they be?” From a business aspect, one of my personal choices would be Peter Drucker. Peter Drucker was a wise and sought-after management consultant. He encouraged leaders to think about mission, long-term vision, objectives and guiding principles. He anticipated some of the critical issues our economy has experienced during the past decade. He believed managers had responsibilities not only to their business, but to society. The November 2009 issue of the Harvard Business Reviewcelebrated the Drucker Centennial with an issue entitled “What Would Peter Do?” This issue is included in my consulting toolbox, and I was reminded of it when preparing for a current project.
This link will bring you to an article by Peter Paschek entitled “The Responsibility of Management Consultants.” It addresses social responsibility and how “…management consultants can and should help organizations become better corporate citizens and regain public trust.” Understanding the broad spectrum of issues within an organization is crucial to understanding that organization’s role in society, and better understanding society as a whole will help a management consultant to share the culture of good corporate citizenship. In a time when public trust in our institutions and corporations is low, we would do well to take a little more time to study the wisdom of Peter Drucker.