Letters

Readers react to articles from the March issue of Inc., including Harriet Rubin's "Peter's Principles," Pierre Mornell's "Zero-Defect Hiring," and Norm Brodsky's "I've Got a Secret..."

In the opinion of many readers, our March issue showcased a rogues' gallery of personalities--Michael Bloomberg, Dr. Pierre Mornell, Norm Brodsky, and Newt Gingrich. However, the much-revered Peter Drucker escaped their carping.

In praise of Saint Peter

Harriet Rubin's tête-à-tête with management guru Peter Drucker, " Peter's Principles," was the only story in our March issue that received universal praise:

Peter Drucker is an American icon, and I think your characterization of him as a Zen master was both artful and correct. As Drucker himself says, "Fortune favors the prepared mind." Thank you for your wonderful chronicle of a truly great man.

L. Joshua Eikov
Chairman/CEO
Digital Consumer Technologies
Stroudsburg, Pa.

Your article reminded me why Drucker is such a treasure and also, sadly, why his ideas are so easily dismissed as irrelevant in much of academia.

Mike Bowen
Soloist And Former Business-School Professor
Palm Harbor, Fla.

Drucker's comments hit home, particularly his admonitions about thinking like a bystander and learning to look instead of merely seeing. I've spent most of my life letting life be in charge--kind of like being a leaf on a stream. Whenever I've tried to force a path or to play the corporate games, it's been a disaster or has left me feeling bad. The things I've fallen into have worked out best, and I've learned the most from watching the world around me--albeit with more than a little bemusement.

Scott Flood
Owner
Scott Flood Writing
Plainfield, Ind.

I thoroughly related to the article, especially Drucker's thoughts on going solo as a three-year journey filled with emotional ups and downs. I've got two years, five months, and 23 days to go!

Richard H. Van Gelder
President
Innovate
Salisbury, Md.

Panning the pol

Newt Gingrich's review of Jack Beatty's book about Drucker's ideas was not as well liked as Rubin's profile of Drucker. To wit:

That new writer you hired (goes by Gingrich) really doesn't measure up to the high quality I'm used to from your magazine. Although I think he's pretty much a jerk anyway, I was interested in reading his perspective. Actually, his article did get me mildly interested in looking into the Austrian school of economics, but it seemed to be mostly a political diatribe--a bit out of place in Inc. It wasn't till later, when I read the FYI page, that I realized you'd intended it to be a book review. It certainly wasn't that--it gave more ink to Drucker's The Effective Executive than to the book Gingrich was supposed to be reviewing!

John Seiffer
Business and Executive Coach
Bethel, Conn.

A Mornell misfire?

Readers were divided on the topic of Dr. Pierre Mornell's " Zero-Defect Hiring" (Further Reading, March). Some, like this reader, hated Mornell's advice to learn as much as you can about an employee's past behavior:

Your article is frightening. It shows how Mornell manipulates people and how he makes a remarkable effort to rationalize gut feelings. It presumes that the people responsible for hiring know exactly what they want. I am convinced that sales managers with sloppy cars can be just as effective as those with impeccable cars. Inefficient, dull human-resources interviewers will prostitute the ideas presented in the article. I can envision lines of Dilbert-like human-resources bureaucrats walking candidates to their cars and writing notes on their way back to the office.

Miha Ahronovitz
Vice-President of Sales and Business Development
Genias North America
Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada

And here's a rave--from a job candidate:

Please accept my congratulations and thanks for what is, in my opinion, the single most informative and useful primer on interview techniques that I have ever read. As someone who is about to run the gantlet again as an interviewee, I found your observations and suggestions to be right on the mark. I hope I am lucky enough to get interviewers who have also read the article and who will use your recommendations. I think that being armed with the same information will give me an opportunity to shine and distinguish myself from the rest of the pack.