One prays for miracles but works for results

I wish I could take credit for the title of this post. However, once again, the credit goes to Peter Drucker.

I was recently rereading Peter's book Managing the Non-Profit Organization. Though you may not be able to tell from the title, the book is all about leadership. In fact, it is the best leadership book I have ever read.

One assumption people can have is the idea that prayer works. Drucker's assumption is better. One prays for miracles but works for results. Peter would say prayer is no substitute for right action.

Drucker was a man intensely interested in people. He wanted to know what people did and why they did it. And, when studying people, it does not take long to discover they are driven by goals.

The goal could be as mundane as getting out of bed in the morning. Doesn't matter the specific goal, humans are driven by goals.

As its most simplistic, people have two main goals: seek pleasure and avoid pain. But, people vary widely regarding their proficiency at achieving goals. For this reason, Drucker's name has become synonymous with the word "effective."

If people follow their goals, it made sense for Drucker to study the best paths to goal attainment. And, one thing which stood out for certain was, goals can only be attained by taking action. For this reason, Peter had a very strong bias towards action.

It is fine to pray for miracles, but ya gotta work for results.