Tom Peters’ X25*
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
GoDucks/Eugene/14May2007
*In Search of Excellence 1982-2007
“You do not merely want to
be the best of the best. You
want to be
considered the
only ones who do
what you do.”
—Jerry Garcia
>>>>>>>>> Ws & Ls
Slides at …
tompeters.com
EXCELLENCE.
CIRCA 1982.
Excellence1982: The Bedrock “Eight Basics”
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
A Bias for Action
Close to the Customer
Autonomy and Entrepreneurship
Productivity Through People
Hands On, Value-Driven
Stick to the Knitting
Simple Form, Lean Staff
Simultaneous Loose-Tight
Properties”
EXCELLENCE.
ASPIRATION.
Why in the
World did you
go to Siberia?
Enthusiasm.
Emotion. Excellence. Energy.
Excitement. Service. Growth.
Creativity. Imagination. Vitality.
Joy. Surprise. Independence.
Spirit. Community. Limitless
human potential. Diversity. Only
ones who do what we do.
Innovation. Design. Quality.
The Peters Principles:
Entrepreneurialism.
Wow!
“enterprises that Matter & change the
game … offer solutions & experiences
that surprise , amaze, and transform
perceptions of what’s possible —and
stick like super-glue in customers’
minds.* such offerings are brilliantly
conceived and flawlessly delivered by
unconventional, creative, hypercommitted, energetic talent from within
& outside the organization.” —Tom Peters
*E.g.: Apple, Whole Foods, Cirque du Soleil, Starbucks, Wegmans, London Drugs, Griffin
Hospital/Planetree Alliance, John Laing Homes, RE/MAX, Sewell Autos, Jim’s Group,
The Met/Big Picture, Virgin, Commerce Bank, Google, Basement Systems Inc.,
Ford (circa 1917), IBM (circa 1970), Wannamaker’s (circa 1880)
“Excellence can be obtained if you:
... care more than others think is wise;
... risk more than others think is safe;
... dream more than others think
is practical;
... expect more than others think
is possible.”
Source: Anon. (Posted @ tompeters.com by
K.Sriram, November 27, 2006 1:17 AM)
EXCELLENCE.
ASPIRATION.
“Every time we come to a
comfort zone, we will find a way
out.” “No Cloning.” “‘Reinvent
the brand’ with each new show.”
“A typical day at the office for
me begins by asking, ‘What
is impossible that I
am going to do
today?’”
—Daniel Lamarre, president,
Cirque du Soleil
“Do one thing
every day
that scares
you.”
—Eleanor Roosevelt
EXCELLENCE.
INNOVATE.
OR.
DIE.
“It is not the
strongest of the
species that survives,
nor the most
intelligent, but the
one most responsive
to change.”
—Charles Darwin
“I am often asked by would-be entrepreneurs
seeking escape from life within huge corporate
structures, ‘How do I build a small firm for
Buy
a very large one
and just wait.”
myself?’ The answer seems obvious:
—Paul Ormerod, Why Most Things Fail:
Evolution, Extinction and Economics
“To grow, companies
need to break out of a
vicious cycle of
competitive
benchmarking and
imitation.”
—W. Chan Kim & Renée
Mauborgne, “Think for Yourself —
Stop Copying a Rival,” Financial Times
Characteristics of the “Also rans”*
“Minimize risk”
“Respect the chain
of command”
“Support the boss”
“Make budget”
*Fortune, article on “Most Admired Global Corporations”
InnoTacs
We become
who we hang
out with 1
“Normal” =
“o for 800”
Why Do I love Freaks?
(1) Because when Anything Interesting happens … it was
a freak who did it. (Period.)
(2) Freaks are fun. (Freaks are also a pain.) (Freaks are
never boring.)
(3) We need freaks. Especially in freaky times. (Hint:
These are freaky times, for you & me & the CIA & the
Army & Avon.)
(4) A critical mass of freaks-in-our-midst
automatically make us-who-are-not-so-freaky at least
somewhat more freaky. (Which is a Good Thing in freaky
times—see immediately above.)
(5) Freaks are the only (ONLY) ones who succeed—as in,
make it into the history books.
(6) Freaks keep us from falling into ruts. (If we listen to
them.) (We seldom listen to them.) (Which is why most
organizations are in ruts. Make that chasms.)
Concoct a
Parallel
universe!
SkunkWorks/
“Skunks” (!!!)
Try it. Try it. Try it
ry it. Try it. Screw
up. Try it. Try it. Try
t. Try it. Try it. Try
t. Try it. Screw it up
t. Try it. Try it. try
“We have a
‘strategic plan.’
It’s called doing
things.”
— Herb Kelleher
“This is so simple it sounds stupid, but it is amazing
how few oil people really understand that
you only find
oil if you drill
wells.
You may think you’re finding it
when you’re drawing maps and
studying logs, but you have to drill.”
Source: The Hunters, by John Masters, Canadian O & G wildcatter
“Experiment
fearlessly”
Source: BW0821.06, Type A Organization Strategies/
“How to Hit a Moving Target”—Tactic #1
“Learn not to
be careful.”
—Photographer Diane Arbus
to her students (Careful = The sidelines, from
Harriet Rubin in The Princessa)
Screw.
things.
“Fail faster.
Succeed Sooner.”
David Kelley/IDEO
“Fail .
Forward.
Fast.”
High Tech CEO, Pennsylvania
Sam’s
Secret
#1!
“Reward
excellent failures.
Punish mediocre
successes.”
Phil Daniels, Sydney exec
try.
Miss.
READY.
FIRE!
No try.
No deal.
“You miss
100% of the
shots you
never take.”
—Wayne Gretzky
Experience
it. Dramatic
difference.
Experience: “Rebel Lifestyle!”
“What we sell is the
ability for a 43year-old accountant
to dress in black
leather, ride through
small towns and have
people be afraid
of him.”
Harley exec, quoted in Results-Based Leadership
#1/100
“Best Companies to
Work for”/2005
7X. 730A800P.
F12A.*
*’93-’03/10
yr annual return: CB: 29%; WM: 17%;
HD: 16%. Mkt Cap: 48% p.a.
Jim’s
Group
Jim Penman/“Empire Builders”/MT /
Jan/Feb 2006/Australia
Basement
Systems inc/
seymour ct
New Markets:
women.
BOOMERS.
GEEZERS.
women
BOOMERS
“Forget China,
India and the
Internet: Economic
Growth Is Driven
by
Women.”
—Headline,
Economist, April 15, 2006, Leader, page 14
Women’s Trifecta+
*Buy
*Wealth
*Lead
+ECLIPSE
OF MALES
(Old/Retire; Young/Poorly educated)
Not Just America …
“Boys Falling
Seven Years
Behind Girls
at GCSE Level”
—headline, Weekly Telegraph, UK, 10.25.06
“Girls are
the new
boys.”
Source: The Daily Mail, 0425.2007,
“Why today’s women want a girl”
10 UNASSAILABLE REASONS WOMEN RULE
Women make [all] the financial decisions.
Women control [all] the wealth.
Women [substantially] outlive men.
Women start most of the new businesses.
Women’s work force participation rates have
soared worldwide.
Women are closing in on “same pay for same
job.”
Women are penetrating senior ranks rapidly
[even if the pace is slow for the corner
office per se].
Women’s leadership strengths are exceptionally well
aligned with new organizational effectiveness &
value-added imperatives.
Women are better salespersons than men.
Women buy [almost] everything—commercial
as well as consumer goods.
So what exactly is … the point of men?
“One thing is certain: Women’s rise to power,
which is linked to the increase in wealth per
capita, is happening in all domains and at all
levels of society. Women are no longer content
to provide efficient labor or to be consumers
with rising budgets and more autonomy to
spend. … This is just the beginning. The
phenomenon will only grow as girls prove to be
more successful than boys in the school
For a number of observers, we
have already entered the age of
‘womenomics,’ the economy as
thought out and practiced by a
woman.” —Aude Zieseniss de Thuin, Financial Times, 10.03.2006
system.
women
BOOMERS
GEEZERS
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“People turning 50
more
than half of
today have
their adult life
ahead of them.”
—Bill Novelli,
50+: Igniting a Revolution to Reinvent America
We are the Aussies & Kiwis & Americans &
Canadians. We are the Western Europeans &
Japanese. We are the fastest growing, the
biggest, the wealthiest, the boldest, the
most (yes) ambitious, the most
experimental & exploratory, the most
different, the most indulgent, the most
difficult & demanding, the most service &
experience obsessed, the most vigorous,
(the least vigorous,) the most health
conscious, the most female, the most
profoundly important commercial market
in the history of the world—and we will
be the Center of your universe for the
20
$14,000,000,000,000$25,000,000,000,000
Boomers’-Geezers’-Women’s Trifecta+
*Buy/all
*Wealth/all
*time left/ lots
*Eclipse of males/retire-die
University of Oregon
Athletics: A Few Offthe-top Thoughts (By
an Outsider)
“You do not merely want to
be the best of the best. You
want to be
considered the
only ones who do
what you do.”
—Jerry Garcia
Excellence/Cirque du Soleil/Jerry Garcia.
“Insane” Goal/Beyond anything ever
Compelling part-heart of the story of a
great university
Department/Oregon Athletics as a whole
stands for something/Department =
A whole > Sum of its parts
We are here for the program, not as
a stepping stone
Sport!
“Insane” level of Integrity/Beacon for
integrity/Best in the University/Best in
the NCAA. (Skip Kenney?)
Model for teamwork (sport, university),
not just individual excellence
Integrity: Accountability
Insanely Great Language!
“Insanely
great.”
—Steve Jobs
Customer/For the students (student body)
Customer/For the students (participants)
Customer/For the total institution
Customer/For the alumni
Customer/Community
Part of every student’s physical
development (eg, Excellence in intramural
sports)
National beacon (Fitness? Obesity?)
Fun/Program
Fun/Great experiences
Innovation/Coach-by-coach
Innovation/Recruiting
Innovation/Fund raising
Innovation/Execution
Radically Thrilling Language!
“Radically
Thrilling.”
—BMW Z4 (ad)
Women!
Women!
Women!
“Minor” sports aren’t minor!
Top decile graduation rate across the board
Risk-taking/Experimentation
Surprising
Goals beyond improvement of record/
How is the program—qualitatively—better
than at the start of the year?
Constant learning/From each other
Constant learning/Best programs
Constant learning/Non-Division 1A
programs!!!!!!!!!
“Gaspworthy”initiatives/Each program
“You do not merely want to
be the best of the best. You
want to be
considered the
only ones who do
what you do.”
—Jerry Garcia
>>>>>>>>> Ws & Ls
bonus.
“Little
Stuff.”
“Courtesies of a small and
trivial character are the
ones which strike
deepest in the grateful
and appreciating heart.”
—Henry Clay
Jim Jeffords
oversight!
The …
THE PROBLEM
IS RARELY THE
PROBLEM.
THE PROBLEM IS
RARELY/NEVER THE
PROBLEM. THE
RESPONSE
TO THE
PROBLEM INVARIABLY
ENDS UP BEING THE
REAL PROBLEM.*
*RMN, M Stewart, WJC, “Scooter” Libby
OFTEN AS
NOT/MORE OFTEN
THAN NOT THE
UNDERLYING
PROBLEM IS NOT
MUCH OF A
PROBLEM.
Relationships
THERE
ONCE WAS A TIME WHEN A
(of all varieties):
THREE-MINUTE
PHONE CALL WOULD
HAVE AVOIDED SETTING OFF
THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL
THAT RESULTED IN A
COMPLETE RUPTURE.
RESPECT
“It was much later that I realized
Dad’s secret. He gained respect by
giving it. He talked and listened to
the fourth-grade kids in Spring Valley
who shined shoes the same way he
talked and listened to a bishop or a
He was
seriously interested in
who you were and what
you had to say.”
college president.
Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Respect
“The [Union senior] officers rode past the
Confederates smugly without any sign
of recognition except by one. ‘When
General Grant reached the line of
ragged, filthy, bloody, despairing
prisoners strung out on each side of
the bridge, he lifted his hat and held it
over his head until he passed the last
man of that living funeral cortege. He
was the only officer in that whole train
who recognized us as being on the
face of the earth.’*”
*quote within a quote from diary of a Confederate soldier
“Ph.D. in leadership. Short
course: Make a short list of
all things done to you that
you abhorred. Don’t do them
to others. Ever. Make
another list of things done to
you that you loved. Do them
to others. Always.” — Dee Hock
THE ONE THING
YOU NEED TO
KNOW
(Marcus Buckingham)
“The mediocre manager believes that most
things are learnable and therefore that the
essence of management is to identify ach
person’s weaker areas and eradicate them.
The great manager believes the opposite.
He believes that the most influential
qualities of a person are innate and
therefore that the essence of management
is to deploy these innate qualities as
effectively as possible and so drive
performance.” —Marcus Buckingham, The One Thing
You Need to Know
“The one thing you need
to know about sustained
individual success:
Discover what you don’t
like doing and
stop
doing it.”
—Marcus Buckingham, The One Thing You Need to Know
end.
“Little
Stuff.”
University of Oregon
Athletics: A Few Offthe-top Thoughts (By
an Outsider)
“You do not merely want to
be the best of the best. You
want to be
considered the
only ones who do
what you do.”
—Jerry Garcia
Excellence/Cirque du Soleil/Jerry Garcia.
“Insane” Goal/Beyond anything ever
Compelling part-heart of the story of a
great university
Department/Oregon Athletics as a whole
stands for something/Department =
A whole > Sum of its parts
We are here for the program, not as
a stepping stone
Sport!
“Insane” level of Integrity/Beacon for
integrity/Best in the University/Best in
the NCAA.
Model for teamwork (sport, university),
not just individual excellence
Integrity: Accountability
Insanely Great Language!
“Insanely
great.”
—Steve Jobs
Customer/For the students (student body)
Customer/For the students (participants)
Customer/For the total institution
Customer/For the alumni
Customer/Community
Part of every student’s physical
development (eg Excellence in intramural
sports)
National beacon (Fitness? Obesity?)
Fun/Program
Fun/Great experiences
Innovation/Coach-by-coach
Innovation/Recruiting
Innovation/Fund raising
Innovation/Execution
Radically Thrilling Language!
“Radically
Thrilling.”
—BMW Z4 (ad)
Women!
Women!
Women!
“Minor” sports aren’t minor!
Top decile graduation rate across the board
Risk-taking/Experimentation
Surprising
Goals beyond improvement of record/
How is the program—qualitatively—better
than at the start of the year?
Constant learning/From each other
Constant learning/Best programs
Constant learning/Non-Division 1A
programs!!!!!!!!!
“Gaspworthy”initiatives/Each program
“You do not merely want to
be the best of the best. You
want to be
considered the
only ones who do
what you do.”
—Jerry Garcia
EXCELLENCE.
BEDROCK.
LEADERSHIP.
“12 Ps.”
Tom Peters/04.18.2007
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
“Management has a lot to do with
answers. Leadership is a function of
questions. And the first question for a
‘Who do
we intend to
be?’ Not ‘What are we going to
leader always is:
do?’ but ‘Who do we intend to be?’”
—Max De Pree, Herman Miller
Ah, kids: “What is your vision for
the future?” “What have you
accomplished since your first book?”
“Close your eyes and imagine me
immediately doing something about
what you’ve just said. What would it
be?” “Do you feel you have an
obligation to ‘Make the world a
better place’?”
Leader Job One
Paint
Portraits of
Excellence!
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
“Nothing is so
contagious as
enthusiasm.”
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge
“Whenever anything is
being accomplished, I
have learned, it is being
done by a monomaniac
with a mission.”
—Peter Drucker
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
“The role of the Director is to create a
space where the actors and
become more
than they’ve ever been
before, more than
they’ve dreamed of
being.”
actresses can
—Robert Altman, Oscar acceptance speech
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Potent.
Positive.
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
“You must
be
the change you
wish to see in the
world.”
Gandhi
Questions: What do others think of you? [Are you sure?] What
do you think of you? [Are you sure?] What is your impact on
others? [Are you sure?] What is your impact on others? [Are
you sure?] What is your impact on others? [Are you sure?]
What are the “little things” you (perhaps unconsciously) do that
cause people to shrivel—or blossom? [Are you sure?] What do
you want? [Are you sure?] Are you aware of your changing
moods? [Are you sure?] How fragile is your ego? [Are you sure?]
Do you have a true confidant? [Are you sure?] Do you perform brief
or not-so-brief self-assessments? Do you talk too much? [Are you
sure?] Do you know how to listen? [Are you sure?] Do you
listen? [Are you sure?] What is your style of “hashing things
out”? Are you perceived as (a) arrogant, (b) abrasive (c) attentive,
(d) genuinely interested in people, (e) etc? [Are you sure?] Are
you flexible? Have you changed your mind about anything important
in a while? Are you comfortable-uncomfortable with folks on the
front line? Do you think you’re “in touch with the pulse of
things around here”? [Are You Sure?] Are you too
emotional/intuitive? Are you too unemotional/rational? Do you
spend much time with people who are new to you? [Do you think
questions like this are “so much BS”?]
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
Pissed Off* **
*As in “I’m pissed off and I’m not gonna take it any more …”
**Innovation Stems from Irritation
(Re-imagining Results from Rage)
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
“You can’t be a serious
innovator unless and until
you are ready, willing and
able to seriously play.
‘Serious play’ is not an
oxymoron; it is the essence
of innovation.”
—Michael Schrage, Serious Play
READY.
FIRE!
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
“This [adolescent] incident [of getting from point A to point B] is notable
not only because it underlines Grant’s fearless horsemanship and his
determination, but also it is the first known example of a very important
Grant had an
extreme, almost phobic
dislike of turning back
and retracing his steps.
peculiarity of his character:
If he
set out for somewhere, he would get there somehow, whatever the
difficulties that lay in his way. This idiosyncrasy would turn out to be one
the factors that made him such a formidable general. Grant would always,
always press on—turning back was not an option for him.”
—Michael Korda, Ulysses Grant
Relentless: “One of
my superstitions had always been
when I started to go anywhere or
not to
turn back , or stop,
to do anything,
until the thing intended was
accomplished.” —Grant
“Success seems to be
largely a matter
of hanging on
after others have
let go.”
—William Feather, author
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
‘do’
“Leaders
people.
Period.”
—Anon.
“Leaders
‘SERVE’
people.
Period.”
—Anon.
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
“Normal” =
“o for 800”
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
The greatest danger
for most of us
is not that our aim is
too high
and we miss it,
but that it is
too low
and we reach it.
Michelangelo
Kevin Roberts’ Credo
1. Ready. Fire! Aim.
2. If it ain’t broke ... Break it!
3. Hire crazies.
4. Ask dumb questions.
5. Pursue failure.
6. Lead, follow ... or get out of the way!
7. Spread confusion.
8. Ditch your office.
9. Read odd stuff.
10.
Avoid moderation!
"The reasonable man adapts
himself to the world. The
unreasonable one persists in
trying to adapt the world to
himself. Therefore, all
progress depends upon the
unreasonable man.” —GB Shaw,
Man and Superman: The Revolutionists' Handbook.
“If I had any epitaph that I
would rather have more than
any other, it would be to say
disturbed
the sleep of my
generation.”
that I had …
—Adlai Stevenson
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
“[other]
admirals more
frightened of
losing than
anxious to win”
On NELSON:
“Never doubt that a small
group of committed
people can change the
world. Indeed it is
the only thing that
ever has.” —Margaret Mead
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
“In Tom’s world, it’s
always better to try a
swan dive and deliver a
colossal belly flop than
to step timidly off the
board while holding
your nose.”
—Fast Company /October2003
"Life is not a journey to the
grave with the intention of
arriving safely in one pretty
and well preserved piece, but
to skid across the line
broadside, thoroughly used
up, worn out, leaking oil,
shouting ‘GERONIMO!’ ”
—Bill McKenna, professional motorcycle racer
(Cycle magazine 02.1982)
Geron-imo!