There is one best management text to which all others must be considered 2nd tier: The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker is that text. Great first-read for the young and must-read for any manager at any level.

This book could have been titled Everything I Ever Needed to Know About Management Was Written Before 1967. Drucker was considered by most to be the ultimate management guru. His articles regularly appeared in Harvard Business Review, the ultimate periodical of management wisdom. Drucker was prolific and authored quite a few books that today are considered the bar by which books such as these are measured. The Effective Executive is a free-flowing stream of consciousness from Drucker’s mind to pen to paper. Each sentence carries depth and meaning. Every paragraph has in it 30 things that you could be doing on the job better than you are today.

Ever wonder where Covey got the idea for his seven habits? Drucker lists the “five habits” (the word synergy was not in fashion as a buzz-word and Drucker doesn’t ever recommend vacations or time-off) which are remarkably similar to a few of Covey’s habits. Drucker asks us to keep track of where our time goes, to prioritize, and to pursue efficiency and effectiveness everywhere.

Efficiency helps us get more done. Effectiveness ensures that those are the right things to get done in the first place.

What you will learn in the Effective Executive:

• Definitive explanation of effectiveness
• Four Realities over which we have no control
• The Five Habits
• Span of control
• Causes of time waste and typical time wasters
• Focus on contribution
• Four requirements of human relations
• Three areas of performance
• Effective meetings
• How to design a job
• How to get promoted
• The steps of good decision making
• And much more … far too much to list here

I could keep writing and gushing over this book. I think you get the idea. This is it - of all the books in all the bookstores to read to improve your salary, hiring potential, and management skill, this is The One.

Grab a copy of The Effective Executive today from Amazon.com.