Purdue for Life’s Matt Folk on the Boilermaker Spirit and Community

Peter F. Drucker is widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers in the field of modern management. Drawing from his decades of experience as a consultant, Drucker authored dozens of books on organizational management and innovation, and he’s been cited as a major influence on many of today’s business leaders. The Essential Drucker is composed of key chapters from Drucker’s most respected works and provides an overview of Drucker’s core ideas.

In this guide, we’ll distill the heart of Drucker’s writings, from the roles and duties of management to the skills managers need to keep a workforce productive. We’ll explore the responsibilities of management to society and its importance in fostering innovation. We’ll also turn to other business writers who’ve expanded from Drucker’s principles, companies that have successfully implemented Drucker’s concepts, and experts who offer ideas that contrast with those that Drucker presents.

Traditional capitalism is facing increasing scrutiny because of its association with socioeconomic inequality, environmental degradation, and corporate greed. According to Marc Benioff, CEO of the Fortune 500 software company Salesforce and renowned philanthropist, it’s time for a conscious revolution in business. In Trailblazer (2019), Benioff says his company is leading the way forward by practicing a business model that foregrounds ideals over profits and represents the future of capitalism.

In this guide, we’ll discuss the principled business model and how integral it is to Salesforce’s operations. We’ll also explore the reasons principled business matters to Benioff—and why it should matter to you—as well as some of the concrete actions Salesforce takes to put its principles into practice. In our commentary, we’ll provide more context about Salesforce’s history, describe how Salesforce’s business model relates to other business models, and share tips from other experts on corporate governance and leadership.

Are you trying to run a company, manage employees, or lead a team? Then take a lesson from ex-football coach Bill Campbell, who mentored tech giants at Apple, Google, Intuit, eBay, and Facebook. Campbell believed that teams, not individuals, are the fundamental building blocks of organizations. Leaders can help their team be more productive, more innovative, and just plain happier by leading like a coach, not just a manager.

Good coaches employ encouragement, honesty, and caring to help every team member flourish. Business leaders should do the same, infusing their workplaces with compassion and people-first values that inspire employees to do their best work—and love their jobs. To win at business, show your team members you care about them, and they'll produce extraordinary results.

Peter F. Drucker is widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers in the field of modern management. Drawing from his decades of experience as a consultant, Drucker authored dozens of books on organizational management and innovation, and he’s been cited as a major influence on many of today’s business leaders. The Essential Drucker is composed of key chapters from Drucker’s most respected works and provides an overview of Drucker’s core ideas.

In this guide, we’ll distill the heart of Drucker’s writings, from the roles and duties of management to the skills managers need to keep a workforce productive. We’ll explore the responsibilities of management to society and its importance in fostering innovation. We’ll also turn to other business writers who’ve expanded from Drucker’s principles, companies that have successfully implemented Drucker’s concepts, and experts who offer ideas that contrast with those that Drucker presents.

Published in 1977, Servant Leadership is Robert K. Greenleaf’s answer to the failure of modern institutions to meet the needs of those they serve and employ. He argues that institutions and the individuals within them should adopt the philosophy of servant leadership: prioritizing their followers’ needs, thus enabling those followers to achieve their goals and empowering them to be of service to others in turn. According to Greenleaf, servant leaders have the potential to improve society dramatically, in every facet of life—in business, religion, philanthropy, education, and so on.

In this guide, you’ll learn about the fundamentals of servant leadership: what it is, the qualities servant leaders have, and how servant leadership solves institutional problems. You’ll also learn about how trustees can become servant leaders by building ideal institutions and how individuals in various institutions can become servant leaders. We’ll supplement Greenleaf’s ideas with other experts’ perspectives on leadership, research on the potential benefits and pitfalls of servant leadership, and concrete suggestions for strengthening the institutions you belong to.

Why do certain organizations become greater than the sum of their parts while other groups fall short? The Culture Code aims to answer this question.

Organizations can develop a healthy group culture that promotes interconnection, teamwork, and consistency by focusing on three foundational concepts: safety, vulnerability, and purpose. The Culture Code breaks down the key attributes and benefits of each concept, warns of the consequences of ignoring them, and gives insight into how to implement them in your workplace.

Many successful leaders and businesspeople are lauded as “great geniuses,” but psychologist Angela Duckworth argues that talent and intelligence matter less to success than grit: the personality trait behind perseverance, hard work, and goal-setting. In Grit, she explores what grit is, where it comes from, how it drives success, and how you can develop it.

Duckworth is primarily interested in how to raise gritty kids, and her insights have inspired parents and educators around the globe since the book’s publication in 2016. However, she believes that adults, too, can develop grit, and she lays out specific, measurable ways to do so.

Her work has fueled debates about which matters more—talent or effort. In this guide, we examine these controversies and consider insights from other psychologists who either support Duckworth’s ideas or reveal nuances of them.

We love tales of geniuses and underdogs who rise to success through extraordinary talent and hard work—but this isn’t the whole story. In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell argues that these stories of supposedly self-made men and women mislead us into thinking that success is an individual achievement. But in reality, every successful person had circumstances that contributed to their success.

In this guide, we’ll explain why uncontrollable factors like when you’re born, how you’re raised, and the culture you grow up in impact your success just as much as personal attributes. We’ve also included commentary that adds context to the case studies, provides nuance to the principles, and offers alternative explanations for Gladwell’s conclusions.

Step into the universe of space stations with Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant in their podcast "Stuff You Should Know". From the start of space exploration to current ambitions for space habitation, Clark and Bryant dig into a wealth of history and prospects. The role of pioneers like Werner von Braun is not forgotten, nor are the potential benefits of space tourism and station construction with resources mined from the moon. They discuss the significant impact of space travel on human physiology, cautioning about the high health costs astronauts contribute to expand our reach amongst the stars.

The podcast episode also takes an international view of contributions to space exploration, from the space race between the US and the Soviet Union, to the emerging presence of China. A special focus is given to the diversification in space, particularly highlighting women's role and potential discoveries regarding space influences. Drawing on Valery Polyakov's record-breaking stay on the Mir space station, they shed light on the practical implications of long-term life in space. Let Clark and Bryant guide you on this cosmic journey, challenging the known boundaries of our knowledge and ambition.

Dive into "Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus," where this episode finds Julia chatting with the delightful Rhea Perlman. The iconic duo shares laugh-filled narratives tracing back to their acting beginnings—Julia in an impromptu neighborhood troupe and Rhea comically breaking norms in a school talent show. They also delve into the intertwining paths of motherhood and acting, discussing the changing tides of on-set accommodations for new parents and how they balanced the demands of an acting career with the joys of parenthood.

Embark on a journey through cherished milestones and the art of embracing life's transitions with these exceptional women. Listen as they tackle topics from fitness evolutions and self-image, to navigating grandparenthood and adjusting to life's farewells. Judith Bowles, Julia's mother, adds to the tapestry of wisdom with reflections on mindful living. Between heartfelt discussions, Julia sprinkles in fun endorsements and exciting film promotions, inviting audience interaction that makes "Wiser Than Me" an invaluable treasure of intergenerational dialogue and laughter.

Have you ever attended a conference and couldn’t wait for it to end? Have you ever gone to a wedding and felt there was something missing?

Experiences like these inspired Priya Parker, an expert on gatherings, to write The Art of Gathering. Parker contends that pre-planned gatherings of all types—both business and personal—could be more meaningful experiences than they usually are. She presents a step-by-step guide to transforming your gathering into a meaningful event that people will talk about for years.

In this guide, we’ll discuss what to do before a gathering to set the stage for a potentially transformative experience. Then, we’ll talk about how to begin the gathering and dispel misconceptions—like the idea that hosts should relax—that result in boring or unpleasant gatherings. Finally, we’ll share how to end the gathering in a more meaningful way. We’ll also discuss what other experts say about gathering well and share ways to apply Parker’s tips to virtual or hybrid gatherings.