An employer has no business with a man's personality. Employment is a specific contract calling for a specific performance... Any attempt to go beyond that is usurpation. It is immoral as well as an illegal intrusion of privacy. It is abuse of power. An employee owes no 'loyalty,' he owes no 'love' and no 'attitudes'--he owes performance and nothing else. -- Management: Tasks Responsibilities Practices (1974)
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Drucker asserts that employers should only demand performance, not loyalty or personal traits, and that intruding into personality is immoral and illegal.
- In plain terms
- Work contracts should focus on tasks, not personal loyalty or attitudes.
- What can you take from it?
- Employment is a performance‑based contract.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When is personal loyalty appropriate in employment?
- How do privacy laws affect managerial expectations?
Another view
Some roles may legitimately require trust or cultural fit beyond pure performance.
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