We will have to place ourselves where we can make the greatest contribution. We will have to learn to develop ourselves. Now, most of us, even those of us with modest endowments, will have to learn to manage ourselves. But they are rare exceptions, so unusual both in their talents and their accomplishments as to be considered outside the boundaries of ordinary human existence.

That, in large measure, is what makes them great achievers. History’s great achievers-a Napoléon, a da Vinci, a Mozart-have always managed themselves. This article challenges readers to take responsibility for managing their futures, both in and out of the office. They develop when people are prepared for opportunities because they have asked themselves those questions and have rigorously assessed their unique characteristics. Today’s successful careers are not planned out in advance. If you do that, you can transform yourself from an ordinary worker into an outstanding performer. Instead, concentrate on improving the skills you have and accepting assignments that are tailored to your individual way of working. He challenges each of us to ask ourselves: What are my strengths? How do I perform? What are my values? Where do I belong? What should my contribution be? Don’t try to change yourself, Drucker cautions. But, Drucker says, very few people actually know-let alone take advantage of-their fundamental strengths.

It may seem obvious that people achieve results by doing what they are good at and by working in ways that fit their abilities. And we have to stay mentally alert and engaged during a 50-year working life, which means knowing how and when to change the work we do. We have to place ourselves where we can make the greatest contribution to our organizations and communities. What does that mean? As Peter Drucker tells us in this seminal article first published in 1999, it means we have to learn to develop ourselves. Today we must all learn to manage ourselves. Throughout history, people had little need to manage their careers-they were born into their stations in life or, in the recent past, they relied on their companies to chart their career paths.

Drucker managing oneself