Episode -2: The How, the Why, and the Nazi at Peter Drucker’s Door

Peter Drucker is the closest thing the Alpha Mind Podcast has to a patron saint. This episode tells the story of Drucker’s last night in Germany after the Nazis came to power. The story conveys, in a nutshell, why Drucker shunned perfectionist political systems (they’re incredibly deadly), even while remaining passionate about the welfare of the human family. It explains the passion he poured into his management books; well-run organizations in a free society can help us all reap the benefits of our freedom. At least, good management can minimize harm.

I also hold up two of my favorite contemporary Alpha Minds—Seth Godin and Christopher Penn—to the ideal of Drucker. One of them comes out looking pretty good…

Credits and Links:

• The Adolph Hitler clip is another of those old things in my library, and I don’t remember who I got it from. All other sound effects used this week are my own creations.
• My theme music is “Angry Bob,” by Christopher Brown.
• My secondary theme music is “Once Upon a Summer Day” by the Monika Herzig Acoustic Project. Monika also supplied “A German in New York.” (And by the way, no, Peter Drucker was not German. He was Austrian.)
• I also used “Kubrick’s Tube” from the Cymballenium CD, by Michael Masley, a.k.a The Artist General, one of the most interesting street musicians in my former home of Berkeley. The music is used by special permission (which Michael gave me over two years ago and I hope he remembers).
• I mention “For Immediate Release: the Hobson and Holtz Report” as my #1, must-listen podcast. In a future episode I might get around to explaining why. In any case, if you’re at all interested in public relations, corporate communications or social media, and if you haven’t discovered Hobson and Holtz, go there.
• “Marketing Over Coffee “ is my #2 must-listen podcast. Christopher Penn and John Wall sit in a Dunkin’ Donuts at 5:30 AM once a week and pour forth amazing spates of marketing knowledge.
• Seth’s Blog, by Seth Godin, is a favorite blog. Seth’s written a bunch of books, of which I think The Dip is the best.

Update 10:11 PM Oct. 6. I haven’t really been asleep. I know that Christopher Penn recommended Goebbels as a marketing guru in last week’s episode of Marketing Over Coffee. I haven’t ignored it here because it’s a small thing, but because it’s too big to deal with here. It’ll get its own post, if not more, on the Alpha Mind Blog.

Listen to episode -2:

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