Pre-Internet Influencers: 20th Century Management Consultants

Let’s take a look at Pre-Internet Influencers: 20th Century Management Consultants. Think about that. Can you imagine building your business or even branding yourself without the internet?

In addition, how on earth did we conduct business or connect with others Pre-Internet? Or as my daughter likes to say, in the “Olden Days”.

Management Consultants Who Impacted Manufacturing

Businesses commonly rely on consultants to help advance their business strategies.

Especially at small manufacturers where it is simply unrealistic to staff an expert in every category necessary.

So where do you find a guru to help you tackle a project quickly, efficiently and effectively?

In the digital age, there are many choices to find that expert who will help fill gaps at your business.

You can conduct a few Google searches. Explore LinkedIn.

Additionally you can browse YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and even watch a Ted Talk.

Yet, can you imagine trying to either become or find an industry influencer today without the internet or social media?

Think about that. How would you establish yourself without a web presence of some type?

Yet, for those of us old enough to recall, that is exactly what life was like in the 20th century.

For this discussion, let’s take a look at three legendary management consultants who left a lasting legacy on manufacturers in the Pre-Internet era: W. Edwards Deming, Peter Drucker and Tom Peters.

All three of these management consultants found international success with their influence as well as pioneering ideas on business management practices.

Additionally, what is even more amazing, they all established a prominent global footprint with NO website. NO social media. NO LinkedIn.

W. Edwards Deming

W. Edwards Deming is considered by many to be the master of continual improvement, as well as overall operational efficiency and quality.

In June 1980, the acclaimed documentary “If Japan Can, Why Can’t We” reintroduced Dr. Deming to America. He quickly became the voice of quality and sparked the quality revolution.

Deming consulted with clients such as Ford, Xerox and Proctor & Gamble.

In particular, Deming played a major role in the resurgence of the American automobile industry in the late 1980’s. Below includes several favorite quotes from Deming:

• “A Bad System Will Beat a Good Person Every Time”
• “Two basic rules of life are: 1) Change is inevitable. 2) Everybody resists change.”
• “Eighty-five percent of the reasons for failure are deficiencies in the system and process rather than the employee. The role of management is to change the process rather than badger individuals to do better.”

For more inspirational quotes, click this link: Do You Find Inspirational Quotes Help Conquer Tough Times?

Peter Drucker

Another consultant from the 20th century who left a lasting legacy includes Peter Drucker.

Peter Drucker, commonly referred to as the “father of management“, authored 39 books.

Above all, he wrote 30 (THIRTY) books AFTER the age of 60 (SIXTY)! That’s inspiration!

The impressive Drucker client list included a line up of corporate giants such as IBM, GM, GE, Intel, Coca-Cola, and Proctor & Gamble. 

Drucker delivered ground breaking views on motivation, efficiency and time management.

Furthermore, he is also credited with coining the term “knowledge worker“.

Check out this fantastic article about Peter Drucker from the Harvard Business Review: “What Peter Drucker Knew About 2020″.

Drucker’s books serve not only corporate warriors, but also entrepreneurs as well.

For example, his 1985 book “Innovation and Entrepreneurship” deserves the role as mandatory reading for every entrepreneur.

Below includes a list of the many memorable quotes from Peter Drucker:

• “Doing the right thing is more important than doing the thing right.”
• “If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old.”
• “There is nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency something that should not be done at all.”
• “Results are gained by exploiting opportunities, not by solving problems.”
• “So much of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to work.”
• “Meetings are by definition a concession to a deficient organization. For one either meets or one works. One cannot do both at the same time.”

Tom Peters

Lastly, Tom Peters co-authored in 1982 a timeless classic and one of the greatest business books of all time: The international best seller “In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best-Run Companies”.

He has written numerous business books including his most recent book from 2018, “The Excellence Dividend: Meeting the Tech Tide with Work That Wows and Jobs That Last”.

Tom Peters continues his decades long legacy as a brilliant business consultant and trusted advisor on management and leadership.

The client list of Tom Peters includes the Hersey Company, Rolls-Royce Aerospace, Texas Instruments and the U.S. Army.

Several excellent quotes from Tom Peters include:

• “Almost all quality improvement comes via simplification of design, manufacturing, layout, processes, and procedures.”
• “The simple act of paying positive attention to people has a great deal to do with productivity.
• “An excellent company attribute … seems to underpin the rest: action orientation, a bias for getting things done.”
• “Many of the innovative companies got their best product ideas from customers. That comes from listening, intently and regularly.”

Wrapping It Up

There you have it. Lasting legacies from three icons that were built prior to the internet and social media.

Three management consultants who just “Crushed It” long before Likes, Follows, or Tweets existed. You know, back in the “Olden Days”.

Do you have influencers from the Pre-Internet era that made a lasting impression on your business or career?

Lastly, how would you brand yourself today without the internet?