...when asked to spend time with an unknown and unproven young man seeking his way in the world, Drucker freely gave the better part of a day to mentor and give guidance. I had the honor of writing about that day in the foreword to The Daily Drucker, wherein I recount how Drucker altered the trajectory of my life by framing our discussion around one simple question: "What do you want to contribute?"
And therein we find the secret to Peter Drucker: He had a remarkable ability not just to give the right answers, but more important, to ask the right questions -- questions that would shift our entire frame of reference. Throughout his work runs a theme that highlights a fundamental shift, away from achievement -- jettisoning with the flick of his hand, as if he were waving away an irritating gnat, any consideration of the question of what you can "get" in this world -- to the question of contribution. Drucker's relentless discipline to say "no thank you" to invitations and inquiries stemmed from thinking always about how he could best contribute with his one lifetime.
