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Part 10
Tom Peters’
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
New Master/21 August 2008
Slides at …
tompeters.com
Ten Parts
P1.1, P1.2, P1.3, P1.4/Generic
P2/Leadership
P3/Talent
P4/“Value-added Ladder”
P5/“New” Markets
P6/“The Equations”
P7.1/Implementation
P7.2/Action
P8/13 “Guru Gaffes”
P9/Health“care”
P10/“The Lists”
Part
Ten
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
Lists.
Irreducible209+
0513.2007
These lists are
summaries of this, that,
and the other, FYI …
The Lists
The Irreducible209
A frustrated participant at a seminar for investment bankers in
Mauritius listened impatiently to my explanation of differences of
opinion among me, Mike Porter, Gary Hamel, Jim Collins, etc. Finally,
“What, if
anything,” he asked,
“do you believe ‘for
sure’?”
he’d had enough.
I mumbled something, but his query started
rumbling around in my mind. Three days later, wandering on a
Sunday in London, the idea of “the irreducibles” occurred to
me—and I started jotting down notes on stuff I do indeed believe “for
sure.” Before I knew it, a few days later, the list had grown to
209
items. Hence “The Irreducible209” that follows.
Tom Peters
1.
2.
3.
4.
Hare 1, Tortoise 0. (Hare-y times.)
Tempo. (O.O.D.A.)
MBWA.
Appreciation. (“Motivator” #1.)
(Can’t be faked. Good.)
5. Decency.
6. Hurry.
7. Time out.
8. One matters.
9. Big change. Short time. (Alt not work.)
10. Excellence. Always.
11. Passion. Energy. Hustle. Enthusiasm.
Exuberance. (Move mountains. No alt.)
12. You must care.
13. Emotion.
14. Hard is soft. (Soft is hard.)
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
Men. Women. Different. Contend. Connect.
Women. Buy. All. (RU listening?)
Quality. (“Mind-blowing.” Beyond 6-Sigma.)
Re-invent. Re-pot. (Required.)
Jaywalk.
Big change. Small # of people. (Always.)
Experiment. Now.
Failure. Normal.
Most failures, most success.
(Fail. Forward. Fast.)
24. “Reward excellent failures. Punish
mediocre successes.”
25. Women leaders. (Altered times.)
26. Extremism. (Good business. Bad politics.)
27. Innovation source. Only. Extreme irritation.
28. Smile.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
You must care.
Mentor. (Highest ROI.)
Best “roster” wins.
Wow. (Okay in biz.)
We all have customers. (Biz. Personal.)
All contacts = Experiences.
Cirque du Soleil. (Peerless.)
Leaders create space for growth.
Quests. (Only.)
High aspirations, “high” results.
(Self-fulfilling prophecy.)
39. Attitude 1, Skills 0. (Mostly.)
(Attitude 1, Skill 0.3?)
40. Sometimes: Skill 1, Attitude 0.1.
41. Must “love,” not “like.”
42. Wegmans.” (No excuses. “Mere” groceries.)
43. Less than your best. Cheating.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
Brand You. (No alt.)
Self-sufficiency. (Biggest LT turn-on.)
In the moment.
The moment wins.
Tomorrow = Never.
Action 1, Plan 0.1.
“Execution” can be a “system.”
Realism.
Own up. Move on.
Accountability.
Work hard > Work smart. (Mostly.)
Feedback. Necessary. Fast. (R.F.A. in
“RFA times.”)
56. Customers. Listen. Lead. (Paradox.)
57. “On stage.” Always. (GW, FDR, RG =
Supreme actors.)
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
Master statistical analysis.
Excellence = Set the table.
Legacy. (Will it have mattered?)
“Great.” (Why not?)
Radicals rule. (Think … Olympics.)
!!! = Good.
Red 1, Brown 0. (Red times.)
Talk. Listen. (“Big 2.” Master.)
Politics. (Normal-inevitable state
of affairs. Master.)
67. Student. Forever.
68. “Why?” (Question #1.)
69. Don’t belittle.
70. Respect.
71. All we have: this moment.
(“Moments matter most”?)
72. Now. (Procrastination. Death.)
73.
74.
75.
76.
Exercise.
Paint. (Leader. Portraits of Excellence.)
Best story wins.
“You must be the change you wish
to see in the world.”
77. Two “big ones.” Max. (Priorities.)
78. No “I” in Team. (“I” in Win.)
79. “I” in Win. (No “I” in Team.)
80. Different 1, Better 0. (Better = 0.1)
81. Imitation = Mistake. (Learn, from who?)
82. Choose/battle the “right” competitor.
83. Schools. Creativity. Entrepreneurship.
(Not.)
84. MBAs. Creativity. Entrepreneurship.
Leadership. (Not.)
85. Design. Under-rated. Wildly.
(Still.) (Everything.)
86.
87.
88.
89.
You = Calendar. (Calendar. Never. Lies.)
Laugh.
Handshake. (Quantity. Quality.)
Don’t fold your hands in front of your
chest. Ever. (Never.)
90. Grace. (“Works” in biz.)
91. Weird. Wins. (Weird times.)
92. Crazy times. Crazy orgs.
93. Internet. All.
94. Women. Boomers-Geezers. Market. All.
95. Passion.
(Repeat. So what?)
96. Energy.
(Repeat. So what?)
97. Hustle.
(Repeat. So what?)
98. Enthusiasm. (Repeat. So what?)
99. Exuberance. (Repeat. So what?)
100. Smile.
(Repeat. So what?)
101. Care.
(Repeat. So what?)
102. Simplicity. Redundancy. Resilience. Bloodymindedness. Visible optimism. (Success.)
103. Act. (Repeat. So what?)
104. Appreciate. (Repeat. So what?)
105. Fun. (Biz. Why not?)
106. Joy. (Biz. Why not?)
107. Sales = Life.
108. Marketing = Life.
109. Long-term. “Top line.” c.r.o.
110. Great company = Creates the most
individual success stories. (RE/MAX)
111. Talent first, performance byproduct.
112. Sustained Wow* 1, “Shareholder
value,” 0.2 (*Product, People.)
113. Commitment. by invitation only.
114. Creativity. by invitation only.
115. HR = #1. (Ought to.)
116. Face-to-face. (5K miles, 5 minutes.) 117.
Negotiation. Make all winners.
(Save face.)
118. Grace makes enemies friends.
119. Network.
120. Invest in relationships. (Think ROIR.
Return On Investment in Relationships.)
118. Relationship investment. Forethought.
Calendar item. Intensity.
119. Innovation. Easy. (Hang out
with weird.)
120. Weird = Win. (Weird times.)
121. “The bottleneck is at the top
of the bottle.”
122. Good Board = Weird Board.
(At least, surprising.)
123. No contention, no progress.
R.O.I.R.*
*Return On Investment In Relationships
124. “Crucial conversations.” “Crucial
confrontations.” (Study. Learn. Do.)
125. Honest feedback.
126. Gaspworthy. Yes.
127. “Insanely great.”
128. “Astonish me.”
129. “Make it immortal.”
130. “Will you remember it in 20 years?”
131. No small opportunities. (Reframe.)
132. One playmate, one playpen = Enough.
133. End run. Sensible.
134. Allies are there for the finding.
135. Find successes. Build on successes.
(Pos > Neg. Encourage > Fix.)
136. Somebody’s doing it today. Find ’em.
137. Someone is living 2016 in 2006.
(Find ’em. Study ’em.)
138. Don’t “benchmark.” “futuremark.”
139. “PMA.” It works. (Positive. Mental.
Attitude.)
140. There are no experts. (You are the expert.)
141. Life is short.
142. “Sustained success.” Fat chance.
Make today matter. (“Sustained.” Ha.)
143. Collaborate. (Networked world.)
144. Go solo. (Individual. Unit of
Intellectual Capital.)
145. There are no “perfect” plans. (Do. Wins.)
146. Plans motivate. (Right or wrong.
Sense of purpose.)
147. Never rest.
148. Get some sleep.
149. Winning = Embracing paradox.
150. Ambiguity = Opportunity.
151. Resilience.
152. Relentless-ness.
153. None. Above. Comeuppance.
No. “ultimate.” “business model.”
(GM. Sears. U.S. Steel. DEC.)
154. Be yourself. Period.
155. Never work with jerks. Including
customers. (Life. Too short.)
156. Under-promise, over-deliver.
157. Talent. (Powerful word.)
158. “Customer = Anyone whose actions
affect your results.”
159. Competition stinks. (Seek the soft
spots where you can dominate.)
160. K.I.S.S./Keep It Simple, Stupid.
161. Beauty. (Good biz word.)
162. “See the beauty in a hamburger bun.”
(Go. Ray.)
163.
164.
165.
166.
Own up. Quick. ( Denial. Cancer.)
Celebrate. Often.
78 people = 78 approaches. (Each. Unique.)
Weed. Ceaselessly. (Prune. Stupid.
Rules. Non-stop.)
167. Get out of the way. (You = The problem.)
168. Smile. Sunny. Optimism. (If it kills you.)
169. Flowers. (Cheery workplace.)
170. Enjoy. (Or get the hell.)
171. Be intolerant of “sour.” (1 = Major pollution)
172. No “quick trigger” on promotion.
(Too important.)
173. Evaluation = Lots of study-time.
174. Evaluation = “Life or death” to evaluee.
175. “360” evaluation. No fad.
176. Exit when you’re done. (Done.
Sooner than you think.)
177. Today. Now. My Project. Am. Is. I. Period.
178. “Beautiful” systems. (Good biz phrase.
Not oxymoron.)
179. Build on strengths > Fix weaknesses.
180. “To don’t” = “To do.” (“To don’t” >
“To do” ?)
181. Leaders “Do” People. (Period.)
182. Leaders enjoy leading.
183. Serious leadership training = Serious.
184. Priorities. Obvious. (Or else.)
185. 5 “Priorities” = 0 Priorities.
(3 “Priorities” = 0 Priorities?)
186. People. First. Last. Always.
187. It. Is. Always. The. People.
188. Handshake. (Quantity. Quality.)
189. Don’t fold your hands in front of
your chest. Ever. (Never.)
190. Simplicity. Redundancy. Resilience.
Bloody-mindedness. Visible
optimism. (Success.) (Repeat.)
191. Employee Entrance = Guest
Entrance.
192. Put the customer … SECOND.
(Thanks, Hal.)
193. Flowers. (Or did I say that before?
No matter if I did.)
194. Big Mergers don’t work. Small
acquisitions can/do work—if you
don’t screw with their energy.
195. Instinctively “head for the front
line.” (In all contexts.)
196. Success = DDMMPR/"D-squared,
M-squared, PR” = DramDiff +
Money-Financial Acumen + Good
“Marketing” Instincts + Stellar People
+ Resilience (The “fab five”: What.
Every. Small. Biz. Needs.) (Big too.)
197. Core Mechanism (“Game-changing
Solutions”): PSF (Professional Service
Firm “model”) + Wow! Projects
(“Different” vs “Better”) + Brand You
(“Distinct” or “Extinct”)
198. 2011/2016 has already happened.
Find it.
199. Kids “know” kids. Oldies “know” oldies.
Women “know” women. (Staff accordingly.)
200. Everybody is my customer.
201. Cosset “vendors.”
202. I want to run a Housekeeping department.
(And you?)
203. The military doesn’t follow the “military
model.” (Initiative = Excellence.)
204. No such thing as “going to absurd lengths”
to serve the Customer. (HSM & Lefties.)
205. Forget the “customer.” All = “Clients.”
206. It takes decades to get over “sleights.”
(So don’t sleight.)
207. Don’t “dumb down.” Ever.
208.
209.
NO LESS THAN
EXCELLENCE.
EVER.
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
Work In Progress
XXX. One size fits. One. Only. (Evaluations. Period.)
XXX. Teaching. Individualized. Only. (6 billion people =
6 billion learning trajectories.) (Montessori.)
XXX. First impression. Matters. Shapes all that comes.
Hard to overcome. (Understatement.)
XXX. Jerks. Don’t work with. (Life = Too short.)
XXX. Manage [the hell out of] first impressions.
XXX. Last impression. Matters. Dominates memory.
Hard to overcome. (Understatement.)
XXX. Manage [the hell out of] last impressions.
XXX. Plain English.
XXX. K.I.S.S. (450/8.)
XXX. $798. $55,000,000,000. 3,000,000,000.
7AM-7PM. 6:15AM.
XXX. Donnelly Weatherstrip rules.
XXX. Managers do things right. Leaders do the
right thing. NOT.
Them-Us
“Them”
“Us”
Strategy
Planning
Marketing
Markets
Customers
Micro-segmentation
Cost minimization
Synergy/“Efficiencies”
“Strategic” supplier
Process
Effectiveness
Men
Leadership
Standardization
Big clients
Prestigious Board
EXECUTION
Action
Selling/Sales
Customers
Clients
Big Stuff (Women, Boomers)
Revenue maximization
Decentralization
Pioneering supplier
Project
Excellence
Women
Management + Leadership
Exceptionalism (53 = 53)
COOL clients
INTERESTING Board
“Them”
Big
Growth by merger
Buy market share
Efficient, streamlined
“department”
Certainty-predictability
Fearful of losing
Plan
Careful evaluation
Revised plan
People/Employees
Effective HR department
Benchmark against the
“best”-“industry leader”
“Us”
Mid-size
Organic growth
Create NEW markets
Value-creating “PSF”
Ambiguity-opportunity
Aggressive pursuit
of winning
Prototype
Another prototype
Another prototype
Talent
Rockin’ Talent
Development Center
of Excellence
Benchmark against the
“coolest”
“Them”
“Us”
Benchmark
Orderly career progression
Head
IQ
“Professional”
Stoic, humble leaders
“Future”mark
“Up or Out” (PDQ)
Heart
EQ
Passionate
Noisy, emotional
“characters” in charge
Hire for intangibles
Relentless, pig-headed
determination
Teamwork and disruptive
individuals equal billing
Lead customers
Intimate-Seamless
customer inter-twining
Hire for Resume
Measured-thoughtful
approach
Teamwork comes first
Listen to customers
Customer “involvement”
“Them”
MBM (Management
by memo)
MBA
Shareholder Value
comes first
Work smart
Built to last
Reward successes
“Us”
MBWA
MFA
Great people-product rule
Work hard
Built to Rock the World
Reward (EXCELLENT)
failures
Design 1T
Innovation 1T
Jaw-dropping Experience
Quality first!
Quality first!
High-quality
transaction
CVs demo consistent CVs feature Magic Moments
performance
Good grades
Cool stuff
Operational excellence World-rocking INNOVATION
“Them”
Brand
Best analysis wins
“Beyond politics”
Outsource
“Motivate”
“Motivate”
Measured language
Product-Service
Pastel
Better
“Mission success”
Very good
“Us”
Lovemark
Best STORY wins
Politics-is-life, the
rest is details
Bestsource
Send on QUESTS
Invite
HOT language
Gamechanging SOLUTION,
Thrilling EXPERIENCE,
DREAM come true,
LOVEMARK
Technicolor
Different
“Mission EXCELLENCE”
EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS.
EXCELLENCE.
CAUSES.
ADVERSARIES.
Causes/1966-2006
Women/Market opportunity
Women/Leaders (right for the times)
Design/Design-as-soul
Wow! (Hot language)
Weird!
Passion!/Enthusiasm!/Exuberance! (as Leader Lever #1)
Brand You (or else)
PSF = Bedrock (add value or bust—every group must
demonstrate economic viability)
PSF + Brand You + WOW Projects = New Biz Logic
Sales/+R > -C (increasing revenue more important than cutting cost)
HealthCare/Wellness-Safety-H5N1
Brand = Talent (best roster wins)
New VA Ladder/Products-Services-SOLUTIONSEXPERIENCES-DREAMKETING (Dream Marketing)LOVEMARK
Different > > Better
Boomers & Geezers/marketing to new “mega-segment”
Adversaries
B-schools (crappy at soft skills, implementation, leadership)
Strategy-is-all
By-the-numbers management
Dis-passionate management
Focus groups
Intuition discounted
Leading as an intellectual task
Leading without passion
Cool language in Hot times
Dilbert (accepting cubicle slavery)
Bigness per se (severe scale limitations—even at Microsoft)
White guys! (not really, but enough already)
18-44 emphasis in marketing (geezers > youth for foreseeable future)
-Cost > +Revenue (cost cutting more important than organic revenue
growth)
CI (continuous improvement in an age of discontinuous world)
LESS THAN THE NO-HOLDS-BARRED PURSUIT OF
EXCELLENCE
Tom’s
60TIBs*
*TIB = This I Believe
Sixty for Sixty: Tom’s 60TIBs
The architect Bill Caudill was a contrarian. He pioneered the
idea of working intimately with clients to create spaces that
met their needs; this flew in the face of conventional wisdom,
which held that the architect was pure artist, barely
deigning to make client contact. Caudill’s approach was
wildly successful—so much so that today it’s become
conventional wisdom.
Over the years Bill jotted notes on this and that, and began to
organize them for his children. The title of his musings: This I
Believe. After Caudill’s death, his colleagues collected the
notes and published them. That is, The TIBs of Bill Caudill.
A sixtieth birthday is a monumental occasion, and I chose,
among other things, to give myself a present to mark the/my
date in November 2002. I sat on a hill overlooking my farm
in Vermont, and scribbled down 60 thoughts, one for each
year, that seemed to capture my professional and, to
some extent, my personal journey. Those thoughts—Tom’s
60TIBs—herewith.
1. TECHNICOLOR RULES!
(Passion Moves Mountains!)
2. Audacity Matters!
3. Revolution Now!
4. Question Authority! (& Hire
Disrespectful People.)
5. Disorganization Wins! (LOVE
THE MESS!)
6. Think 3M: Markets Matter Most. ONLY EXTREME
COMPETITION STAVES OFF STALENESS. (You can
take the boy out of Silicon Valley, but you can’t take
Silicon Valley out of the boy!)
7. Three Hearty Cheers for Weirdos. (Bill Gates, Steve
Jobs, Larry Ellison, Scott McNealy, Craig Venter
et al.)
8. Message 2003: Technology Change (Info-sciences,
Biosciences) Is in Its Infancy! (WE AIN’T SEEN
NOTHIN’ YET!)
9. Everything Is Up For Grabs! Volatility Is Thy Name!
(Forever & Ever. Amen.) RE-INVENT … OR DIE!
10. Big Sucks. (Mostly.) (VERY Mostly.)
11. “Permanence” Is a Snare & a Delusion.
(Forget “Built to Last.” It’s Yesterday’s
Idea.)
12. Kaizen” (Continuous Improvement) Is …
Dangerous.
13. DESTRUCTION RULES!
14. Forget It! (“Learning” = Easy. “Forgetting” =
Nigh on Impossible.)
15. Innovation Is Easy: Hang Out with Freaks.
(Employees, Board Members, Customers,
Suppliers, Alliance Partners, Consultants.)
16. Boring Begets Boring. (Cool Begets Cool.)
17. Think “Portfolio.” (We’re All V.C.s.)
18. Perception Is All There Is. (“Insiders” …
ALWAYS … overestimate the Radicalism of
What They’re Up To.)
19. Action … ALWAYS … Takes Precedence.
Think: R.F!A./Ready. Fire! Aim. (REWARD
SUCCESS. REWARD FAILURE. PUNISH …
INACTION.)
20. He Who Makes & Tests the Quickest &
Coolest Prototypes Reigns!
21. Haste Makes Waste. (SO GO WASTE!)
22. Screw-ups are … the … Mark of Excellence.
(“Do It Right the First Time” Is a Very Stupid
Idea.)
23. Play Hard! Play Now! (Cherish Play!)
24. TALENT TIME! (He/She Who Has the Best
“Roster” Rules!)
25. Re-do Education. Totally. (FOSTER
CREATIVITY … NOT UNIFORMITY.) (THE
NOISIEST CLASSROOM WINS.)
26. Diversity’s Hour Is Now!
27. SHE … Is the Best Leader!
28. MARKETING MANTRA: Embrace the “BIG THREE”
Demographics. (1) SHE … is the Customer. (For
everything.) (2) Rapidly Aging Boomers Have …
ALL THE MONEY. (3) Green … Matters.
(TRILLIONS OF $$$$$ Are at Stake.) (NOBODY …
Gets It.) (Mere “Programs” Will Not Suffice.)
29. Re-boot Healthcare. (UNDERSTATEMENT.)
30. WHAT ARE WE SELLING? “Experiences” &
“Solutions” > “Quality” & “Satisfaction.” (The
Traditional Value-added Equation Is Being Set on
Its Ear.)
31. DESIGN = New Seat of the Soul.
32. Branding Is for … EVERYONE. He Who Has
the … BEST STORY … Takes Home the
Marbles.
33. DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE = Only Difference.
34. WORDS/Language Matters … a Lot. (E.g.:
Three Hearty Cheers for “Wow”!)
35. WHAT MATTERS IS STUFF THAT MATTERS.
(Query #1: “Are You Proud of It?”)
36. eALL. (IS/IT: Half-way = No Way.)
37. DREAM … Big! DREAM … Enormous.
DREAM … Gargantuan. (These Are XXXL
Times.)
38. THINK MIKE! (Michelangelo: “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.”)
39. There Is Only … ONE BIG ISSUE. Crossfunctional Communication.
40. Stop Doing Dumb Shit. (SYSTEMATIZE THE
PROCESS OF “UN-DUMBING.”)
41. Beautiful Systems Are … BEAUTIFUL.
42. The … WHITE-COLLAR REVOLUTION … Will
Devour Everything in Its Path.
43. Take Charge of Your Destiny! BrandYou
Moment! DISTINCT … OR EXTINCT!
44. “Powerlessness” Is a State of Mind! Think:
King. Gandhi. De Gaulle.
45. Pursue Adventure … in Every Task.
46. EXCELLENCE … Is a State of Mind.
(Excellence Takes a Minute.) (No Bull.)
47. SHOW UP! (If You Care, You’re There.)
48. YOUR CALENDAR KNOWS ALL. (You =
Calendar.) (Mind Your “TO DON’T” List.)
49. LIFE IS SALES. (The Rest Is Details.)
50. Boss Mantra #1: “I DON’T KNOW.” (“I Don’t
Know” = Permission to Explore.)
51. Management Role 1: GET OUT OF THE WAY.
(Clear the Way.) (“Manager” = Hurdle
Removal Professional.)
52. Epitaph from Hell: “He Woulda Done Some
Truly Cool Stuff … But His Boss Wouldn’t
Let Him.”
53. Change Takes However Long You Think It
Takes. (Eschew … “Incrementalism.”)
54. Respect! (Rule 1: Don’t Belittle!)
55. “Thank You” Trumps All!
56. Integrity Matters! Integrity = Credibility.
(Dennis K. Is a Jerk.)
57. SOFT IS HARD. HARD IS SOFT. (Numbers
Are Soft. People Are Not.)
58. Try Sunny! (Sunny Begets Sunny.
Gloomy Begets Gloomy.)
59. DISPENSE ENTHUSIASM!
60. FUN …Is Not a 4-Letter Word. So, too …
JOY. (And … GRACE.)
Tom Peters’
to-mA-to
to-mah-to
New Delhi. Thirteen September 2004. I awoke,
jetlagged and sweaty, at 3A.M. I’d had a
nightmare. Stark realism. I was, as usual,
accused of overstatement and a few (or more)
too many exclamation marks (!!!!!). Only this
time I’d acceded to “They.” The “They” who
believe in “The Plan” and “Built to Last” and
“Continuous Improvement” and “Quiet,
Humble Leaders.” No! No! I had failed, in my
dream, to live up to my Fervent Beliefs! This
must not pass! In a sweat, fearful that the time
would not come ‘round again, I turned on the
light, picked up a pad of paper, and began to
scribble frantically. Herewith the result.
Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto!
They say … my (Tom) language is extreme.
I say … the times are extreme.
They say I’m extreme.
I say I’m a realist.
They say I demand too much.
I say they accept mediocrity & continuous improvement
too readily.
They say “We can’t handle this much change.”
I say “Your job and career are in jeopardy; what other
options do you have?”
They say Brand You is not for everyone.
I say the alternative is unemployment.
They say “What’s wrong with a ‘good product’?”
I say Wal*Mart or China or both are about to eat your
lunch. Why can’t you provide instead a Fabulous
Experience?
Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto!
They say “Take a deep breath. Be calm.”
I say “Tell it to Wal*Mart. Tell it to China. Tell it
to India. Tell it to Dell. Tell it to Microsoft.”
They say the Web is a “useful tool.”
I say the Web changes everything. Now.
They say “We need an Initiative.”
I say “We need a Dream. And Dreamers.”
They say Great Design is “nice.”
I say Great Design is “necessary.”
They say I “overplay” the “women’s thing.”
I say the share of Women in Senior Leadership
Positions is a Waste and a Disgrace and a
Strategic Marketing Error.
Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto!
They say the Women’s Market Opportunity I harp on is “doubtless
important.”
I say 9 out of 10, make that 99 out of 100, companies aren’t
within striking distance of accurately estimating the potential
of the Women’s Market … let alone exploiting it.
They say the boomer-geezer market is also “doubtless important.”
I say the boomer-geezer market amounts to a Redefining
Moment.
They say we need a “project” to exploit the women-boomer-geezer market.
I say we need Total Strategic Realignment to exploit the
Women-Boomer-Geezer Opportunity.
They say “Wow” is “typical Tom.”
I say “WOW” is a Minimum Survival Requirement.
They say “effective governance” is important.
I say bold-brash Boards that are representative of the market
served—more than a token woman or two and an empty seat
for the “forthcoming Hispanic”—are an Imperative. Now.
They say
“Better.”
I say
“Different!”
Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto!
They say “Plan it.”
I say “DO IT.”
They say “We need more steady, loyal employees.”
I say “WE NEED MORE FREAKS WHO ROUTINELY TELL
THOSE ‘IN CHARGE’ TO TAKE A FLYING LEAP …
BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.”
They say “We need Good People.”
I say “We need Quirky Talent.”
They say “We like people who, with steely determination, say,
“I can make it better.’”
I say “I love people who, with a certain maniacal gleam
in their eye, perhaps even a giggle, say, ‘I can turn
the world upside down. Watch me!’”
They say “We must speed things up.”
I say “We must Radically change the Corporate
Metabolism until Insane Urgency becomes
a Sacrament.”
Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto!
They say, “Sure, we need ‘Change.’”
I say we need “REVOLUTION NOW.”
They say (acknowledge), “Okay, we need revolution.”
I say,
“REVOLUTION.”
They say “fast follower.”
I say “battered and bruised leader.”
They say “Conglomerate & Imitate!”
I say “Create & Innovate!”
They say “Market share.”
I say “Market CREATION.”
They say “Improve & Maintain.”
I say “DESTROY & RE-IMAGINE.”
Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto!
They say “We like words such as ‘calm’ … ‘certainty’ … ‘is.’”
I say “I like words/phrases such as ‘turbulent’
‘opportunity’ … ‘might be’.”
They vote for Republicans and Democrats.
I vote for Independents and Libertarians.
They say “Normal.”
I say “Weird.”
They say “Happy balance.”
I say “Creative Tension.”
They say they favor a “team” that works & lives in “harmony.”
I say “give me a raucous brawl among the most
creative people imaginable.”
They say “Peace, brother.”
I say “Bruise my feelings. Flatten my ego.
SAVE MY JOB.”
Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto!
They say “Vanilla.”
I say “Cherry Garcia.”
They say “Basic Black.”
I say “TECHNICOLOR RULES!”
They say “Branding is for the likes of Nike.”
I say “Branding is for Everyone & Anyone with the
Passion & Tenacity to foist their Wonderful & Weird
Point of View on the world … and the New World’s
(read: Web’s) power allows-encourages such “silly”
(until recently) visions-of-ubiquity to become reality,
perhaps overnight.”
They say we need “happy customers.”
I say “Give me pushy, needy, nasty, provocative
customers who will drag me down Innovation
Boulevard.”
They say they want to partner with “best of breed.”
I say “Give me Coolest of Breed.”
Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto!
They say we need “supply chain harmony.”
I say we need “supply chain Innovation.”
They say “We seek Harvard MBAs.”
I say I seek Certificate-free “PhDs” from the School
of Hard Knocks.
They say they want recruits with a “spotless records.”
I say “the Spots are what matter most.”
They say “Integrity is important.”
I say “Tell the Unvarnished Truth, All the Time …
or take a Long Hike.”
They read Jim Collins and grok on “quiet, humble leaders.”
I say “Give me the Bold, the Brash, the Brassy, the
Egocentric Dreamers who, like Steve Jobs,
‘Dent the Universe.’”
They say
“Improve.”
I say
“Re-imagine!”
Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto!
They say they need a “vision” born of McKinsey.
I say we need a “Grandiose Dream” born of a Passionate
& Intemperate Belief that the world can be a different,
better place.
They say healthcare, our biggest industry, is “a mess.”
I say our hospitals, which kill over 100,000 patients a
year, are part of a system that is “a disgrace.”
They say “obesity is a problem” … “lose some weight.”
I say Re-imagine the entire healthcare system …
NOW … to focus on Prevention & Wellness.
They say “no child left behind.”
I say “education” is leaving ALL our children behind,
as it is totally mis-aligned to deal with tomorrow’s
(this afternoon’s) uncertain, ambiguous, creativitydriven economy.
Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto!
They say, “Of course we believe in marketing.”
I say “Is the CMO [Chief Marketing Officer] on the Board
of Directors?”
They say “Of course we believe in marketing.”
I say “Has your customer data base won numerous major industry awards?”
They say “Of course we believe in marketing.”
I say “Is your Web site Sooooo Cool, Sooooo Fresh, Sooooo
Friendly to Use that it gives you goose pimples just to e-visit,
even though you’ve seen it 1000 times?”
They say “Of course we believe in marketing.”
I say “How many in-depth customer visits did the CEO make
last month?”
They say “Yes, the ‘Women’s thing’ is important.”
I say “Do women hold at least 1/3rd of your Board seats?”
They say “We’re coming around on the design bit.”
I say “Is, as at Braun, your Chief Design Officer on the Board
of Directors?”
Tom’ Re-imagine Manifesto!
They say “Of course we think the ‘experiences thing’ is
important.”
I say “Is there an ‘EVP Experiences’?”
They say “Of course innovation is important.”
I say “Is your percentage of revenue devoted to R&D
at least 1.5 (2.0? 2.5?) times the industry average?”
They say “Of course we believe in IS/IT.”
I say “Is the CIO on the Board of Directors?” (Only 5% of
Fortune500 CIOs are on the Board. One example:
Wal*Mart.)
They say “Of course we believe in IS/IT.”
I say “How many members of your Board are under 35
years old?”
They say “We believe in having a ‘flat organization.’”
I say “Is your headquarters in a Tower?”
Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto!
They say we need to “bring effectiveness to the supply chain.”
I say we need an IS/IT/Best Sourcing revolution based
on nothing less than an Entirely Original Vision of what
organizations are and how they interact.
They say “Globalization is a bumpy road.”
I say India and China and Asia in general are within two
decades of running the show: Get ready or get
trounced.
They say “defense” and “consolidation” are musts for a global
game.
I say encourage Offense, nurture a Generation (or 10) of
Entrepreneurs, cherish Creativity & Risk-taking from
primary school onwards … and don’t expect to be
saved by a bunch of bulky, retro behemoth commanded
by a phalanx of Old White Guys who think 30 minutes a
day on the corporate treadmill and 27 holes on the
links are a fit defense against Revolution.
Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto!
They say “Get an MBA.”
I say “Get an MFA.”
They say “If it can’t be precisely measured then it isn’t real.” (And I
suppose if it can be measured it is real? Think Enron? Adelphia?
WorldCom?)
I say “If it can be precisely measured it isn’t real.” (Think
Age of Intangibles & Relationships.) (Think: “He knew
the price of everything and the value of nothing.”)
They say “Rationality is the Bedrock of Modern Society.”
I say “Irrationality [irrational exuberance?] is the Mother
of all True Entrepreneurial Pilgrimages.”
They say “Order is the necessary precursor to measured,
sustainable success.”
I say “Dis-order is the precursor to Opportunistic Sorties,
Market Creation, Quantum Leaps, and Entrepreneurial
Adventure.
Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto!
They say “To get anywhere, you have to know exactly where the
hell you’re headed.”
I say “If you know precisely where you’re headed and
exactly how you’re gonna get there, then you clearly
suffer from Advanced Shrivelus Imaginationus.”
(This disease is fatal.)
They say “Employees need Well-defined Structure.”
I say “Talent should be encouraged to embark on Quests
to the Unknown.”
They say “I’m here to maximize shareholder value.”
I say “I’m here to inflame each & every member of my
Awesome Staff to embark with Vigor & Determination
& Passion & Enthusiasm on a Quest of Monumental
Consequence.” (And if I come even close to succeeding,
it will, in fact, dramatically up the odds of Thriving
Amidst Today’s Chaos—and creating untold shareholder
value in the process.)
Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto!
They say “men.”
I say “WOMEN.”
They say Diversity is a “good thing.”
I say Diversity is a Fresh Breath of Creative Air … Absolutely
Necessary for Economic Salvation in perilous times.
They say “Wait your turn, honor those who have marched these corridors
before you.”
I say Get Off Your Butt & Go for the Gold … TODAY … or sign
the transfer papers willing your job in perpetuity to a
Chinese or Indian who Gives a Shit and Gets Up
(VERY) Early and works Saturdays & Sundays.
They say “offshoring” is a “blight.”
I say the Earth proved not to be the center of the Solar
System … and the USA is not the epicenter-in-perpetuity
of the Earth … and that we had best learn … NOW … to
prosper and take pleasure in a dynamic, exciting, creative,
multi-polar economic environment. (Damn it.)
Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto!
They say “It’s a fright.”
I say “It’s a Helluva Ride.”
They say it’s “daunting.”
I say it’s “a bronco-bustin’ day at the rodeo.”
They say “Life is a marathon; husband your strength.”
I say “Life is a sprint. Begin planning your World-beating
Me Inc. start-up … TODAY.”
They say lifetime employment was a boon.
I say lifetime employment was Indentured Servitude,
modern-day Slavery.
They say “safety net.”
I say “I am my safety net; give me some version of the
‘Ownership Society.’”
They say “zero defects.”
I say “A day without a screw-up or two is a day pissed
away.”
Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto!
They say “Think about it.”
I say “Try it.”
They say “Plan it.”
I say “Test it.”
They say “continuous improvement.”
I say “Bold Leaps.”
They say “Keep on Improvin’.”
I say “Keep on Leapin’.”
They say “Built to last.”
I say “Built to Soar. We’re all dead in the long run …
live your Insane Fantasy. Devil take the hindmost.”
They (Jim Collins) say “Walgreens is Cool.”
I say “I love Larry Ellison.” (Oracle rules … at least
for the next ten minutes.)
Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto!
They say “Play the odds.”
I say “Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre
successes.” (Thanks, Phil Daniels.)
They say “Eighty-hour weeks will kill you.”
I say “Work 35-hour weeks, and the Chinese will
kill you.”
They say “Install cost controls with teeth.”
I say “Ha. Ha. Ha. Blow Up the existing enterprise and
start with a Clean Sheet of Paper.”
They say “Install cost controls with teeth.”
I say “Grow the Top Line.”
They say “Radical change takes a decade.”
I say “Radical change takes a Minute.” (See AA.)
They say “Times are changing.”
I say “Everything has already changed. Tomorrow is the
First Day of Your Revolution … or you’re Toast.”
Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto!
They say “We can’t all be Anita Roddick or Maxine Clark or Stan
Shih or Les Wexner or Jerry Yang.”
I say “Why not?”
They say “We can’t all be Revolutionaries.”
I say “Why not?”
They say “We can’t all be a Brand.”
I say “Why not?”
They say “Beware the Hype.”
I say “Been to China lately? Visited Infosys in
Bangalore lately?”
They say this is just a Rant.
I say this is just Reality.
They say “The man is not nice.”
I say “The times are not forgiving.”
TP’s
“23Passions”
by date:
1942-2006
Tom’s Passions
B>A* (R.F.A.) (*Behavior drives Attitude) … ’71-’06
Implementation = #1 … ’73-’77 (’06)
“Soft is Hard” (“Management Style”) … ’77-’79 (’06)
(Org) Structure>Strategy … ’77-’83 (’06)
Strategy-Structure+/ “McKinsey 7-S” Model ... ’77-’81
Action>Planning … ’74-’06
Mess = Reality ... ’77-’06
Skunkworks/Skunks (“Offline” Innovation/Innovators) … ’84-’91
MBWA … ’80-’85 (’06)
Excellence I … ’79-’84
Mid-size biz is cool … ’84-’89 (’06)
Customer service … ’84-’88
Innovation … ’87-’92
Free trade/Hayek … ’90-’92
New Org Models … ’92-’96
PSF … ’92-’06
WOW! (WOW Projects) … ’93-’06
Brand You … ’94-’00
Design … ’94-’06
Women (Markets-Leaders) … ’96-’06
EXCELLENCE II … ’06-??
Healthcare (Quality-Wellness-PatientCentric) … ’06-??
Exuberance-Passion (Soft is Hard) … ’42-’06
Worth.
The.
hassle.
Why I Work/Stuff I Care About
*“Hard is soft. Soft is hard.” Social stuff, Emotional stuff =
Good stuff = The Right Stuff!
*Mess = Normal = Reality. Rationality = Delusional.
Non-linearity = Life 101. (Embrace it! Design accordingly!)
*Failure = Normal/Necessary/Good! “Reward excellent failure.
Punish mediocre success.” “Fail faster. Succeed sooner.”
“Fail. Forward. Fast.” Fail. Sam Walton Secret #1: Fail. Fast.
*Do > Think. Act > Talk. Action bias! RELENTLESS
EXPERIMENTATION! R.F.A./Ready. Fire. Aim.
S.A.V./Screw Around Vigorously.
*Decentralization = Holy writ = More independent tries.
*Success for Mortals: Indirection. SkunkWorks. End Runs.
Parallel Universe. 4F/Find a Fellow Freak Faraway.
Demos. Heroes. Stories.
*The “Missing 98%”: Implementation-Execution.
*Strategic planning, limits thereto. Severe.
*Pitiful performance of Huge Companies. Needed: C.D.O./
Chief Destruction Officer.
*Severe limits to scale advantage. Mega-mergers = Stupid.
*“Built to last.” Why??? Instead: Built to change the world.
*People First! People Power! Best “Roster” Wins. HR (should)
rule! Leaders “DO” People! Respect-Appreciation Rules!
*Freaks for Freaky Times!
Why I Work/Stuff I Care About
*WOMEN’S WORLD!/WOMENOMICS! #1 MARKET! WEALTH/ALL!
LEADERS/BETTER! (Also: Boomers/Geezers/Many/Money.)
*Aesthetics! Beauty! Grace! (Design primacy.)
*MBWA! (Managing By Wandering Around.)
*Basics Rule: Don’t over-complicate. (Product, People, Action …)
*Educate for Risk-taking, Creativity, Independence.
*B-schools suck. Teach all … except what’s important.
D-School = Cool.
*Healthcare’s Big Three: Quality. Prevention. Wellness.
*R>C. (Adding Revenue > Cutting cost.) Help Wanted: C.R.O./
Chief Revenue Officer.
*S>M (Selling > Marketing.)
SELL! SELL! SELL! SELL!
*Free markets work! Free trade works! Rise of India-China =
Good thing. Respond with Excellent Performance: Add “insane”
amounts of value! Become a “Lovemark”!!
*Brand You. Self-reliance!! Mastery !! Liberation!!
*Survival = PSF/Professional Service Firm “mindset.” Goal #1:
Enable clients to become successful beyond their dreams!
*Fun! (“Cool” is Cool.)
*Service-obsessed!/Experience-obsessed! (Object: “Raving fans.”)
*PASSION-EXUBERANCE-ENTHUSIASM.
*“Hot” Language! WOW! Insanely great!
*EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS.
good words.
Bad words.
Words that may NOT be used in
my presence: “Motivate” …
“Market” … “MBA” … “Plan”
(mostly) … “Worker” … “Job” …
“Task” … “Exceeds
expectations” … “HR” …
“Employee evaluation” … “Man”
(mostly)
… “Shareholder Value”
Words that MAY be used in my presence: “Invite”
… “Sell” (v. “Market”) … “People” (we’d
like to serve) (v. “Market segment”) … “Client” (v.
“Customer”) “OJT/MFA” (v. “MBA”) … “Act”/ “Execute”
(v. “Plan”) … “Talent” (v. “Worker”) …
“Quest”/“Adventure-in-EXCELLENCE” (v. “Job”) …
“Wow Project” (v. “Task”) … “Rockin’ (profit-makin’)
PSF” (v. “Department”) … “Theater” (v. “Office”) …
“Breathtaking Experience” (v. “Transaction” that “Exceeds
expectations”) … “Talent Fanatics Inc” (v. “HR”) …
“Brand You adventure” (v “Career development”)
“Annual Report development session” … (v.
“Employee evaluation”) … “Woman” (v. “Man”) …
(v. “Motivate”)
Words that MAY be used in my
presence: … “Wow!” (v. “Nice”) … “Bloody-
minded”
(v. “Committed”) … “Thank you! (v. “____”) …
“Attack”/Innovate (v. “defend”/Entrench)
… “Great stuff. Great people. ‘Do it’
fanatics.” (v. “shareholder value”) …
“EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.”
(v. “Good work”)
(v. “shareholder value”)
Tom’s
Top41
Quotes
Tom Peters/01.24.06
“Do one thing every day that scares you.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
“Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”—Helen Keller
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your
one wild and precious life?” —Mary Oliver
“Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.”—James
Dean
“The two most powerful things in existence: a kind word and
a thoughtful gesture.”—Ken Langone, founder, Home Depot
“The deepest human need is the need to be appreciated.”—William
James
“Don’t belittle!” —OD Consultant, on the essence of a
well-functioning human community
“If you don’t listen, you don’t sell anything.”
—Carolyn Marland/MD/Guardian Group
“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 college president. He was seriously
interested in who you were and what you had to say.” —Sara
Lawrence-Lightfoot, Respect
“What creates trust, in the end, is the leader’s manifest respect
for the
followers.” — Jim O’Toole, Leading Change
“If you can’t state your position in eight words or less,
you don’t have a position.” —Seth Godin
“Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change
the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” —Margaret
Mead
“Make your life itself a creative work of art.”
—Mike Ray, The Highest Goal
“Have you invested as much this year in your career as in your
car?”
A man approached JP Morgan, held up an envelope, and said, “Sir, in
my hand I hold a guaranteed formula for success, which I will gladly
sell you for $25,000.”
“Sir,” JP Morgan replied, “I do not know what is in the envelope,
however if you show me, and I like it, I
give you my word as a gentleman that I will pay you what you ask.”
The man agreed to the terms, and handed over the envelope. JP
Morgan opened it, and extracted a single sheet of paper. He gave it
one look, a mere glance, then handed the piece of paper back to the
gent.
And paid him the
agreed-upon $25,000.
1. Every morning, write
a list of the things
that need to be done
that day.
2.
Do them.
Source: Hugh MacLeod/tompeters.com/NPR
“The most successful people are those who are good at plan B.”
—James Yorke, mathematician, on chaos theory in The New
Scientist
“Tom, what have you done this year?”—Jessica Sutherland,
Director, Institute for International Research/Middle East (TP:
“Yikes!”)
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that
is all.”
—Oscar Wilde
“People want to be part of something larger than themselves. They
want to be part of something they’re really proud of, that they’ll
fight for, sacrifice for, that they trust.”—Howard Schultz, Starbucks
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most
intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” —Charles
Darwin
“We may not be interested in chaos but chaos is interested in us.”
—Robert Cooper, The Breaking of Nations:
Order and Chaos in the Twenty-first Century
“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even
less.”—General Eric Shinseki, retired Chief of Staff, U. S. Army
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”—Gandhi
“We eat change for breakfast!”
—Harry Quadracci, founder, QuadGraphics
“If things seem under control, you’re just not going fast enough.”
—Mario Andretti
“You can’t behave in a calm, rational manner. You’ve got to be out
there on the lunatic fringe.” —Jack Welch, retired CEO, GE
“We have a ‘strategic’ plan. It’s called doing things.”—Herb
Kelleher, founder, Southwest Airlines
“I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living,
or get busy dying.” —The Shawshank Redemption (Tim Robbins)
“A man
without a
smiling face
must not
open a shop.”
—Chinese Proverb
“There are people who
prefer to say ‘Yes,’ and
there are people who prefer
to say ‘No.’ Those who say
‘Yes’ are rewarded by the
adventures they have,
and those who say ‘No’ are
rewarded by the safety they
attain.” —Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare,
Just Show Up, Patricia Ryan Madson ( “ … yes I said
yes I will Yes.” —James Joyce, Ulysses)
“Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.”—Steve Jobs, Apple
“Groups become great only when everyone in them, leaders and
members alike, is free to do his or her absolute best.”—Warren
Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman, Organizing Genius
“The best thing a leader can do for a Great Group is to allow its
members to discover their greatness.”—Warren Bennis and Patricia
Ward Biederman, Organizing Genius
“You are the storyteller of your own life, and you can create your
own legend or not.”—Isabel Allende
“Nobody can prevent you from choosing to be exceptional.”
—Mark Sanborn, The Fred Factor
“A leader is a dealer in hope.”—Napoleon
“Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm.” —Samuel Taylor
Coleridge
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
“If you’re enthusiastic about the things you’re working on,
people will come ask you to do interesting things.”
—James Woolsey, former CIA director
“Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with
it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow.
To convince them, you must yourself believe.” —Winston
Churchill
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do
more and become more, you are a leader."—John Quincy Adams
“A year from now
you may wish
You had started
today.”
—Karen Lamb
For Starbucks …
The Cup
Challenge*
Tom Peters/1107.2006
*Potential Quotes for Cups
Enthusiasm!
The Ultimate
Virus!
Re-imagine!
Re-do!
Re-vise!
Re-vo-lu-tion!
“Passion!”
“Energy!”
“Enthusiasm!”
“Passion! Energy! Enthusiasm!”
"Enthusiasm! Enthusiasm! Enthusiasm!"
"Enthusiasm Moves Mountains!"
"Nothing Matches Enthusiasm as a 'Motivator'!"
“Technicolor Times Demand Technicolor Actions”
“Technicolor Times Demand Technicolor People”
“Wow. Now.”
“Re-imagine!”
“Re-imagine! Re-do! Re-vise! Re-vo-lu-tion!”
Excellence.
Always.
“No Less
Than
Excellence.
Ever.”
No Excellence.
no excuse.
"Respect!"
“Leaders ‘Do’ People. Period.”
“Credibility. Asset No. 1.”
“Tell the Truth.”
“Truth Wins.”
“Challenge. Challenge. Challenge.”
“Two Big Goals. Tops.”
“Focus. Your Calendar Never Lies”
“Good Story. Good Leader.”
“Best Story Wins.”
“Live the Story.”
“Change the World. Accept Nothing Less.”
"Dream!"
“Dream. The Only Worthwhile Reality.”
“Beware Those Who Agree With You”
“Seek Dissidents. Nurture Dissidents. Cherish Dissidents”
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
try it. Try it. Try it
ry it. Try it. Try it. Tr
t. Try it. Try it. Try it
ry it. Try it. Try it. Tr
t. Try it. Try it. try it
ry it. Try it. try it. Tr
t. Try it. Try it. Try it
iMplementation
… The “last 98%”
Do it.
Now.
start.
Now.
Most.
Relentless.
wins.
“Excellence!”
“Demand Excellence!”
“Demand Excellence. The Greatest
Gift.”
“Excellence, Life’s Gold Standard”
“Stop Talking! Start Doing!”
“Execute. Execute. Execute.”
“‘Good Execution’ Beats ‘Good
Strategy’”
“Agility Trumps Size”
"Women make the best bosses!"
“Women Rule. Believe It.”
"You must care!"
“Listen.”
“Ask. ‘Why?’”
distinct.
Or …
Extinct.
2007.
Self-reliance.
No option.
2007.
Excellence.
No option.
Excellence.
Not optional.
it’s a …
“brand you”
world.
“‘Me Too’ =
‘Me Dead’”
“‘Different’ beats ‘Better.’”
“‘Distinct’ or ‘Extinct.’”
“Innovate or Die”
“‘Me Too’ = ‘Me Dead’”
“Talent Time!”
“Best Talent Wins.”
“Best Roster Wins.
“Moderation Fails in Immoderate Times”
“Moderation
Fails in
Immoderate
Times”
“freaks win in
freaky times.”
Seek Dissidents.
Nurture Dissidents.
Cherish Dissidents.
“best
talent
wins.”
women = best leaders.
Women = biggest
market.
Women = control
wealth.
Women = rule.
Roir/return on
investment in
relationships
Respect =
magic.
“thank
you” =
magic.
“thank you”
= magic
potion #1.
Generic
Lists …
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”
The older I
get the less
boring the
“basics”
become!
ExIn*: 1982-2002/Forbes.com
$85,000
EI: $10,000 yields $140,050
DJIA: $10,000 yields
*Forbes/Excellence Index /Basket of 32 publicly traded stocks
NOTE.:
drop the “the
companies in in search of
excellence failed”—utter
rubbish. They’ve waaaay
outperformed the market.
Importance of Success Factors by Various
“Gurus”/(Unreliable) Estimates by Tom Peters
Strategy
Systems People
Passion
Porter
50%
20
20
10
Drucker
25%
35
25
15
Bennis
25%
20
30
25
Peters
15%
20
35
30
EXCELLENCE.
TOM. 2005.
Excellence2005: The Bedrock Baker’s Dozen
1. A Bias For Action Is Job One! (Construct a Discipline/Culture of EXECUTION!)
2. DECENTRALIZATION! ACCOUNTABILITY! (Tom’s “Top Two”, 1965-2005.)
3. Fail. Forward. Fast. (“Reward Excellent Failures, Punish Mediocre Successes.”)
4. “Metabolic Management” Matters! (Hustle! Adapt! EAT CHANGE! Win the
“O.O.D.A. Loop” War—Confuse Your Competitors!)
5. INNOVATE or Die. (“Game-changers” or Bust! Lead the Customer! Just Shout “NO” to Imitation!)
6. A Damn Good Product. (Pursue “Dramatic Difference.”)
7. A Damn Cool Product. (Design Rules!)
8. Ride the Value Added Curve to the Sky! (Sell “GamechangerSolutions”; Provide “Scintillating
Experiences”; Become a “Dream Merchant”; Strive to Be a “Lovemark.”)
9. Relentlessly Pursue the “Big Two” Markets.
(WOMEN Buy Everything
BOOMERS & GEEZERS Have All the Money!)
10. Best “Talent”/Roster Wins! (HR Rules! Everyone a Leader!
Women Lead Best!
“Weird” Matters Most! A Workplace to Brag About! Educate for Creativity!)
11. Wanted/Demanded: Radical Technology Strategies! (“Incrementalism” Is for Wimps!)
12. Hard Is Soft! Soft Is Hard! (People! Passion! Enthusiasm! Wow! INTEGRITY! TRUST!
Good Citizenship.)
13. Accept No Less Than EXCELLENCE!
Us Out of Bed in the Morning)
(Excellence, Pursuit thereof, Is the #1 Thing That Vaults
Successful Businesses’ Dozen Truths: TP’s 30-Year Perspective
1. Insanely Great & Quirky Talent.
2. Disrespect for Tradition.
3. Totally Passionate (to the Point of Irrationality) Belief in What
We Are Here to Do.
4. Utter Disbelief at the BS that Marks “Normal Industry Behavior.”
5. A Maniacal Bias for Execution … and Utter Contempt
for Those Who Don’t “Get It.”
6. Speed Demons.
7. Up or Out. (Meritocracy Is Thy Name. Sycophancy Is Thy Scourge.)
8. Passionate Hatred of Bureaucracy.
9. Willingness to Lead the Customer … and Take the Heat Associated
Therewith. (Mantra: Satan Invented Focus Groups to Derail True
Believers.)
10. “Reward Excellent Failures. Punish Mediocre Successes.”
11. Courage to Stand Alone on One’s Record of Accomplishment
Against All the Forces of Conventional Wisdom.
12. A Crystal Clear Understanding of the power of a Good Story
(Brand Power).
Everything You Need to Know about “Strategy”
1. Do you have awesome Talent … everywhere? (“We are the Yankees of home improvement here in Omaha.”) Do you
push that Talent to pursue Audacious Quests?
2. Is your Talent Pool loaded with wonderfully peculiar people who others would
call “problems”? And what about your Extended Community of customers, vendors et al?
3. Is your Board of Directors as cool as your product offerings … and does it have
50 percent (or at least one-third) Women Members?
4. Long-term, it’s a “Top-line World”: Is creating a “culture” that cherishes above all things Innovation and
Entrepreneurship your primary aim? Remember: Innovation … not Imitation!
5. Are the Ultimate Rewards heaped upon those who exhibit an unswerving “Bias for Action,” to quote the co-authors
of In Search of Excellence? Are your O.O.D.A. loops shorter than the next guy’s?
6. Do you routinely use hot, aspirational words-terms like “Excellence” and B.H.A.G. (Big Hairy Audacious Goal, per
Jim Collins) and “Let’s make a dent in the Universe” (the Word according to Steve Jobs)? Is “Reward excellent
failures, punish mediocre successes” your de facto or de jure motto?
7. Do you subscribe to Jerry Garcia’s dictum: “We do not merely want to be the best of the best, we want to be the
only ones who do what we do”?
8. Do you elaborate on and enhance Jerry G’s dictum by adding, “We subscribe to ‘Best Sourcing’—and only want to
associate with the ‘best of the best’.”
9. Do you embrace the new technologies with child-like enthusiasm and a revolutionary’s zeal?
10. Do you “serve” and “satisfy” customers … or “go berserk” attempting to provide every customer with an
“awesome experience” that does nothing less than transform the way she or he sees the world?
11. Do you understand … to your very marrow … that the two biggest under-served markets are Women and BoomersGeezers? And that to “take advantage” of these two Monster “Trends” (FACTS OF LIFE) requires fundamental realignment of the enterprise?
12. Are your leaders accessible? Do they wear their passion on their sleeves? Does integrity ooze out of every pore of
the enterprise? Is “We care” your implicit motto?
13. Do you understand business mantra #1 of the ’00s: DON’T TRY TO COMPETE
WITH WAL*MART ON PRICE OR CHINA ON COST? (And if you get this last idea, then see the 12 above!)
Ten Good Reasons to “Get Up in the Morning”
1. Empower one and all to vigorously seek WOW! in their work/projects. (Or else.) Foster
the “Brand You Spirit” and the “Entrepreneurial Urge” at every turn. (Or else.)
2. Blow up “education” as we know it today! Re-tool education to emphasize the arts,
creativity, entrepreneurial behavior. (Or else.)
3. Seek out the bold, the strange, the misfits, the dreamers—and welcome their presence
in our midst.
4. Drag enthusiasm, passion, Technicolor and bold commitment out of the closet! Make
Passion your Passion! (Hint: Passion makes the world go ‘round.)
5. Be a champion for: Women Roar! Women Rule!
6. Underscore the importance of/stupendous opportunities associated with the “cool new
markets”: Women, Boomers and Geezers, Hispanics, Greenies, Wellness.
7. Dramatically re-orient healthcare from after-the-fact “fixes” to before-the-fact attention
to prevention-Wellness. (And “kindly suggest” that the “acute-care” “industry” give
some passing thought to Quality.)
8. Ensure that the historically neglected “intangibles” are the prime basis for individual
and enterprise success.
9. Support Globalization as the best—if indeed messy—path to maximum human
freedom, security and welfare.
10. Swear by the motto: “Reward excellent failures; punish mediocre successes.”
This I Believe: Tom’s Super-TIB25
1. TECHNICOLOR Times.
2. Passion! Enthusiasm! Energy!
3. Action/R.F.A./O.O.D.A. Speed.
4. Screw-ups. BIG SCREW-Ups!
5. Mess! Improv!
6. Revolution! Re-imagine!
7. INNOVATE OR DIE!
8. Decentralize!
9. Bulk is BULL! (Mergers don’t work. FOCUS Does!)
10 “Different” > “Better”
11. eALL/Power Tools for Power Strategies!
12. Forgetting/Destruction.
13. Hot Language Matters!
14. WOW!/WOW Projects.
15. VA Bedrock: The “PSF.” (Professional Service Firm.)
16. Daring.
17. Talent Time! Leaders “Do” People!
18. Talent+/Diversity.
19. Talent++/Women Rule!
20. “Brand You” Universe.
21. Design!
22. Gasp-worthy Experiences/Lovemarks.
23. New Market Demographics/Women/Boomers & Geezers/Green/Wellness.
24. Grace.
25. EXCELLENCE!
EXCELLENCE.
SIBERIA.
Why in the
World did you
go to Siberia?
Synonyms
Purity
Transcendence
Virtue
Elegance
Majesty
Antonyms
Mediocrity
Enthusiasm.
Emotion. Excellence. Energy.
Excitement. Service. Growth.
Creativity. Imagination. Vitality.
Joy. Surprise. Independence.
Spirit. Community. Limitless
human potential. Diversity.
Profit. Innovation. Design.
Quality. Entrepreneurialism.
The Peters Principles:
Wow!
An
emotional, vital, innovative,
joyful, creative,
entrepreneurial endeavor
that elicits maximum
Enterprise* ** (*at its best):
concerted human
potential in the
wholehearted service of
others.**
**Employees, Customers, Suppliers, Communities, Owners, Temporary partners
An emotional,
vital, innovative, joyful,
creative, entrepreneurial
endeavor that elicits
maximum concerted
human potential in
the wholehearted
service of others.***
Enterprise* ** (*at its best):
**Excellence. Always.
***Employees, Customers, Suppliers, Communities, Owners, Temporary partners
The
Ultimate
Business:
Creative
Endeavor.
The
Ultimate
Business:
Personal
DevelopmentGrowth
Experience.
The
Ultimate
Business:
Transcendent
Service
Opportunity.
“BUSINESS
IS ABOUT
POWER.”
—Joanne Lipman,
editor, on
Portfolio
TP:
“BUSINESS
IS ABOUT ...”
“Make sure your executive team includes
top talent in design, engineering and
manufacturing, because that’s
your
only!
to build! Cars!
People! Want! to
buy!. Hot styling sells them and quality
priority—
keeps them sold.”
— Lee Iacocca,
Where Have All the Leaders Gone?
“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), Wanamaker’s (circa 1880)
“To me business isn’t about
wearing suits or pleasing
stockholders. It’s about
being true to yourself,
your ideas and focusing on
the essentials.” —Richard Branson
“Strive for
Excellence.
Ignore
success.”
—Bill Young, PR driver
(courtesy Andrew Sullivan)
EXCELLENCE.
1982.
Hard is soft.
Soft is hard.
Hard Is Soft
Soft Is Hard
Hard Is Soft (#s)
Soft Is Hard (people)
Hard Is Soft (Plans, #s)
Soft Is Hard (people,
customers, values,
relationships))
“The 7-S Model”
Strategy
Structure
Systems
Style
Skills
Staff
Super-ordinate goal
“The 7-S Model”
“Hard Ss”
(Strategy, Structure, Systems)
“Soft SS”
(Style, Skills, Staff, Super-ordinate goal)
“The 7-S Model”
Strategy
Structure
Systems
Style (Corporate “Culture,” “The way
we do things around here”)
Skills (“Distinctive Competence/s)
Staff (People-Talent)
Super-ordinate goal (Vision, Core
Values)
EXCELLENCE.
“the rules.”
Cause
Space
(worthy of commitment)
(room for/encouragement
for initiative)
Decency
(respect, humane)
Cause
Space
(worthy of commitment)
(room for/encouragement
for initiative-adventures)
Decency
(respect, grace,
integrity, humane)
service
(worthy of our clients’ & extended
family’s continuing custom)
excellence
(period)
Cause
Space
Decency
service
(worthy of commitment)
(room for/encouragement for initiative-adventures)
(respect, grace, integrity, humane)
(worthy of our clients’ & extended
family’s continuing custom)
excellence
servant leadership
(period)
Cause
Space
Decency
service
excellence
servant leadership
Hire Great People
(Resilient, Passionate)
Try a Lot of Stuff
(S.A.V./R.F.A.)
all “wow” all the time
Enjoy It While It Lasts
Tom’s “Change Rules”
Cause. (pissed off.)
Try it. (S.A.V.)
Fail. Forward. Fast.
Quests. Demos. Heroes. Stories.
Boonies. (Parallel universe.)
<12.
Just Say No: Normal.
Attitude>Ability.
Wow. “Insanely great.”
Sell! Sell! Sell!
Master politics!
pursue a mission that rocks the world
Moldy basements)
(Pharmaceuticals,
Hire awesome/weird People for 100% of jobs (Resilient, Passionate)
(Wegmans) (Women RULE!)
give ’em lots of room to experiment, fail, grow
make “respect” “decency” “integrity” our watchwords
try a Lot of Stuff, fast tempo (S.A.V./Screw Around Vigorously,
R.F.A./Ready. Fire. Aim.)
Emphasize revenue
(Organic growth, Sales/“Top line” rules)
have fun/exude joy
demand excellence/Make accountability instinctive
(“Insane” standards for our mates’ and community’s sake)
never, never forget the “it”
(It’s the PRODUCT, Stupid.) (25!)
be “of [‘gaspworthy’] service”
(Cirque du Soleil is our
standard— “even” in finance.) (My customer is my partner.)
(Remember “She”; remember “Me.”) (“Servant”/“Host” Leadership)
Have effective/imaginative/minimalist infrastructure
(K.I.S.S./Keep It Simple, Stupid) (Systems/No bull: beauty, grace, elegance)
re-imagine as “routine”
enjoy It While It Lasts
”
Sir Richard’s Rules
Follow your passions.
Keep it simple.
Get the best people to help you.
Re-create yourself.
Play.
Source: Fortune/10.03
Excellence
“defined”
EG: An amazing performance
A sunrise, a bloom, a smile
“Thank you” (a gesture, an act of Grace)
Extraordinary performance in an odd place (by an
“unlikely” person—EWR) (unlikely market—Jim’s Group)
X small (Small Giants)
X med (Mittelstand)
X large
Sets the agenda
One at bat (Bobby Thompson, Kurt Gibson)
A career (Roger Clemens)
A novel, a short story, a sentence
An Olympian (any)
“Loser” with a great story (Rutgers, George Mason)
Stuff (any sort) that makes you go “wow “/ “insanely
great”/gaspworthy (“The lives of others”)
X + 6:
The “7Es”
Exuberance!
Energy!
Empathy!
Engagement!
Empowerment!
Execution!
Excellence!
InnoTacs
revenue
matters
most
“Creativity”
vs.
“Innovation”
We become
who we hang
out with 1
Measure “Strangeness”/Portfolio Quality
Staff
Consultants
Vendors
Out-sourcing Partners (#, Quality)
Innovation Alliance Partners
Customers
Competitors (who we “benchmark” against)
Strategic Initiatives
Product Portfolio (LineEx v. Leap)
IS/IT Projects
HQ Location
Lunch Mates
Language
Board
The “Fury
factor.”
futuremark
Planners
vs
Searchers
Find ’em!
invite ’em!
send ’em on
a quest!
Women as
innovation
force!
Concoct a
Parallel
universe!
Multipliers:
Broken
Windows
Multipliers, science of/butterflies/Rat Psych 101:
Broken Windows/safe city
Small plates/empty shelves/remote parking lot/
distant food court/slow elevator
Geologists/geophysicists
Contiguous offices/Office layout-location power
casual gathering places
“renegade” buildings
“Hang out factor”/inno #1
“hero galleries”/great art
welcoming reception area (Insta-smell culture)
b.P.d. decals on glasses/12.31.06
beyond escape: Bike at the door/
Running shoes next to the bed
etc.
etc.
Speed/
Tempo/
is-it
Speed/ Tempo/
o.o.d.a. loops/
“Metabolic
Management”
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
SERIOUS
PLAY
Screw.
things.
try.
Miss.
Life 101: A 40-year Reflection
Go on offense.
Give everybody a shot.
Decentralize.
Try a bunch of stuff.
Make it up as you go along.
Get some stuff wrong.
Laugh a lot.
Get some stuff right.
Become a “success.”
Extract “lessons learned” or “best practices.”
Thicken the Book of Rules for Success.
Become evermore serious.
Enforce the rules to increasingly tight tolerances.
Go on defense.
Install walls.
Protect-at-all-costs today’s franchise.
Centralize.
Calcify.
Install taller walls.
Write more rules.
Become irrelevant and-or die.
No try.
No deal.
Try.
Try.
Try.
Try.
try.
Try.
Try.
Try.
Try.
try.
Try.
Try.
Try.
Try.
try.
Try.
Try.
Try.
Try.
try.
Try.
Try.
Try.
Try.
Focus.
Conscious
measurement
personal
Inno64:
Innovation
Strategies
& Tactics
Parallel universe /Exec Ed v res MBA
End run regnant powers/JKC
Find done deals-practicing mavericks/Stone-ReGo
Bell curves2016 in 2006
Non-industry benchmarking
Everything = Portfolio
V.C.s all!
Hot language/Wow-Astonish me-Insanely
great-immortal-Make something great
Lead customers/PW-Embraer
Lead suppliers /Top decile R&D
Weird alliances
Mottos/Paul Arden (“Whatever You Think
Think the Opposite”)
Hire freaks/Enough weird people?
Weird Boards!!!
CEO track record of Innovation (nobody
starts at 45! Or 35!)
System/GE-Immelt
“Strategic thrust overlay”
Calendar
Big Delta easier than Small
MBWA with freaks-weirdos/JKC
MBWA/Boonies’ labs
V.C.-formal/Intel
Acquire weird
Children’s crusade
Old farts crusade
Go Global at any size
Stop listening to customers
Talent!/Unusual sources-Hire innovators-V.C.s
Eschew giant mergers
Remember: scale economies max out early
Assisted suicide! (“Built to last” = Chimerasnare-delusion)
Burn your press clippings
“Forgetting” “strategy”
Fire all strategic planners
Tempo!
Final product bears little relation to starting
notion
Design! Design! Design! (“culture,” not
program)
All innovation: Pissed-off people
Gut feel rules!
Focus groups suck
Weird focus groups okay
Be-Do philosophy
Celebrations
Culture-little as well as big Inno (“everyonean-innovator”)
Life = Wow Projects
Acknowledge messiness-pursue serendipity
(Blitzkrieg-Containers-Science-Jim
Utterback)
R.F.A.
Culture of execution
4/40: decentralization, execution,
accountability, 615AM
EVP (S.O.U.B.)/Systems-process “un-design”
Diversity for diversity’s sake
Women-Women-Women/customers (they
“are the market,” not a “segment”)-leaders
Boomers-Geezers (“all the money”)
CRO (Chief Revenue Officer) “culture”/topline obsessed
CIO (Chief INNOVATION Officer)
Laughter
Facility-space configuration
Experiments-prototypes
“Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre
successes.”
Bizarrely high incentives (& penalties)
We are what we eat/We are who we hang out
with (E.g.: Staff-Consultants-Vendors-Out-sourcing
Partners/#, Quality-Innovation Alliance PartnersCustomers-Competitors/who we “benchmark” against
-Strategic Initiatives -Product Portfolio/LineEx v. LeapIS/IT Projects-HQ Location-Lunch Mates-LanguageBoard)
Driven by anger!! (not “focus groups”)
Great “vision,” no “strategic plan”
Whoops: conflicting “vision/s”
Execution (& vision) (“Dreamers with deadlines”)
Opportunistic
Insane optimism
Failure after failure; disappointment after disappointment
(secret to staying power: Stay pissed off!!)
Plan B rules
Changing cadres
Opportunistic alliances (here today, gone tomorrow)
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend”
Creating events and groups to serve a momentary need
Warring leaders (Freud-Jung)
Petulance (human frailty amidst a Great Struggle)
Agile re goal w/o sacrificing Vision
Go underground for long stretches
Patience (72 years) & impatience
Relentless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (WSC: “Success stems from the ability
to go from failure without losing your enthusiasm”)
Hustle (Seneca Falls, ’48: 5 days)
Fits & starts
Traitors-deserters
Radicals (“good”—MLKjr)
Radicals (“disruptive”—Stokely)
Moderates
Mentors
Schisms
Setbacks (again & again & again—incl lost ground)
(“2-9” = Great record)
“Get off” on the “politics” (TP: “Life is politics—
the rest is details.”)
Managing the goal down to get to the doable (but not losing
sight of the main game in the process)
Small wins
“Externalities” (Civil War)
Small Band of Sisters (<10; Seneca Falls 1848)
Coherent, factual, emotional story
Story altered at the margin to attract specific adherents
Story tellers (superb, relentless public communicators)
Agility (Plan B)
Relentless
Resilient
Optimistic (Unreasonably so)
Pissed Off
“Visionary”
Try It. Try it. Try it. …
Action > Plans
Virus
Small Wins
Demos-Heroes-Stories
Wee Gestures of Decency-Thoughtfulness
Politics >> Science (Get over it!)
Think: R.O.I.R. (Networker)
Sales Rules!
Passion (incl. speaking skills)
Women (Lead Local Change Agents)
Women Leaders (Woman to Woman)
What “We” Know “For Sure” About Innovation
Big mergers [by & large] don’t work
Scale is over-rated
Strategic planning is the last refuge of scoundrels
Focus groups are counter-productive
“Built to last” is a chimera (stupid)
Success kills
“Forgetting” is impossible
Re-imagine is a charming idea
“Orderly innovation process” is an oxymoronic phrase
(= Believed only by morons with ox-like brains)
“Tipping points” are easy to identify …
long after they will do you any good
“Facts” aren’t
All information making it to the top is filtered
to the point of danger and hilarity
“Success stories” are the illusions of egomaniacs (and “gurus”)
If you believe the memoirs of CEOs you should be institutionalized
“Herd behavior” (XYZ is “hot”) is ubiquitous
… and amusing
“Top teams” are “Dittoheads”
CEOs have little effect on performance
“Expert” prediction is rarely better than rolling the dice
Tom’s “Change Rules”
Cause. (pissed off.)
Try it. (S.A.V.)
Fail. Forward. Fast.
Quests. Demos. Heroes. Stories.
Boonies. (Parallel universe.)
<12.
Just Say No: Normal.
Attitude>Ability.
Wow. “Insanely great.”
Sell! Sell! Sell!
Master politics!
Tom’s “Change Rules”
Cause. (Pissed off.)
RELENTLESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Try it. (S.A.V.) (r.f.a.) (hustle.)
project. Project. Project.
Wow! (hot language.)
fun. (growth opportunities.)
Sky-high aspirations.
Fail. Forward. Fast.
“SMALL WINS.” MOMENTUM. INEVITABILITY.
Quests. Demos. Heroes. Stories.
STATISTICAL INDEPENDENCE. (DIVERSITY.)
Boonies. (Parallel universe. Test stuff. Buy WeeCo)
V.C.: Roster = portfolio. everything = portfolio.
Roster = brand yous.
PARTNER WITH WIERDOS. (everywhere.)
Diversity @ top.
Buy a mirror.
FRUSTRATED “GODFATHER.”
<12.
ALREADY IN PLACE/find ’em.
JUST Say No: NORMAL.
wikiWorld.
Attitude > Ability.
Wow. “Insanely great.”
Sell! Sell! Sell! (master-appreciate politics) (r.o.i.r.)
(Decentralization/Execution/Accountability/6:15A.M.)
DECENTRALIZATION.
EXECUTION.
ACCOUTABILITY.
6:15A.M.
De-central-iza-tion!
Ex-ecu-tion!
Ac-counta-bil-ity!
6:15A.M.
DECENTRALIZATION.
EXECUTION.
ACCOUTABILITY.
2a.m.
*Planetree! Commerce! Cirque!
(Pianos! Dog biscuits!)
*Jerry Garcia … or bust (“only ones
who do what we do,” “insanely
great,” “radically thrilling,”
“gaspworthy.”)
*Think/Obsess Wegmans! (Staff: #1;
the Manager’s Handbook of
Decencies; “Kindness is free.”)
*Leaders serve. (Leader as host.)
*”Wow” is free, too.
*Hire nut cases (the “O for 800” rule
holds for DDB)
Excellence: The SE22:
ORIGINS OF
SUSTAINABLE
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
SE22/Origins of Sustainable Entrepreneurship
1. Genetically disposed to Innovations that upset apple carts (3M, Apple,
FedEx, Virgin, BMW, Sony, Nike, Schwab, Starbucks, Oracle, Sun,
Fox, Stanford University, MIT)
2. Perpetually determined to outdo oneself, even to
the detriment of today’s $$$ winners (Apple, Cirque du Soleil, Nokia, FedEx)
3. Treat History as the Enemy (GE)
4. Love the Great Leap/Enjoy the Hunt (Apple, Oracle, Intel, Nokia, Sony)
5. Use “Strategic Thrust Overlays” to Attack Monster Problems (Sysco,
GSK, GE, Microsoft)
6. Establish a “Be on the COOL Team” Ethos. (Most PSFs, Microsoft)
7. Encourage Vigorous Dissent/Genetically “Noisy” (Intel, Apple,
Microsoft, CitiGroup, PepsiCo)
8.
“Culturally” as well as
organizationally Decentralized
(GE, J&J, Omnicom)
9. Multi-entrepreneurship/Many Independent-minded Stars (GE, PepsiCo)
SE22/Origins of Sustainable Entrepreneurship
10. Keep decentralizing—tireless in pursuit of wiping out
Centralizing Tendencies (J&J, Virgin)
11. Scour the world for Ingenious Alliance Partners—
especially exciting start-ups (Pfizer)
12. Acquire for Innovation, not Market Share (Cisco, GE)
13. Don’t overdo “pursuit of synergy” (GE, J&J, Time Warner)
14. Execution/Action Bias: Just do it … don’t obsess on
how it “fits the business model.” (3M, J & J)
15. Find and Encourage and Promote Strong-willed/
Hyper-smart/Independent people (GE, PepsiCo, Microsoft)
16. Support Internal Entrepreneurs (3M, Microsoft)
17. Ferret out Talent anywhere/“No limits” approach to
retaining top talent (Virgin, GE, PepsiCo)
SE22/Origins of Sustainable Entrepreneurship
18. Unmistakable Results & Accountability focus from
the get-go to the grave (GE, New York Yankees, PepsiCo)
19. Up
or Out (GE, McKinsey, big consultancies and law
firms and ad agencies and movie studios in general)
20. Competitive to a fault! (GE, New York Yankees, News
Corp/Fox, PepsiCo)
21. “Bi-polar” Top Team, with “Unglued” Innovator #1,
powerful Control Freak #2 (Oracle, Virgin) (Watch out when
#2 is missing: Enron)
22. Masters of Loose-Tight/Hard-nosed about a very few
Core Values, Open-minded about everything else
(Virgin)
The “PSF35”:
Thirty-Five
Professional Service Firm
Marks of Excellence
The PSF35: The Work & The Legacy
1.
CRYSTAL CLEAR POINT OF VIEW
(E very Practice Group: “If you can’t explain your position in eight
words or less, you don’t have a position”—Seth Godin)
2. DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE (“We are the only ones who do what
we do”—Jerry Garcia)
3. Stretch Is Routine (“Never bite off less than you can chew”—anon.)
4. Eye-Appetite for Game-changer Projects (Excellence at Assembling
“Best Team”—Fast)
5. “Playful” Clients (Adventurous folks who unfailingly Aim to Change
the World)
6. Small “Uneconomic” Clients with Big Aims
7. Life Is Too Short to Work with Jerks (Fire lousy clients)
8. OBSESSED WITH LEGACY (Practice Group and Individual: “Dent the
Universe”—Steve Jobs)
9. Fire-on-the-spot Anyone Who Says, “Law/Architecture/Consulting/
I-banking/ Accounting/PR/Etc. has become a ‘commodity’ ”
10. Consistent with #9 above … DO NOT SHY AWAY FROM THE
WORD (IDEA) “RADICAL”
The PSF35: The Client Experience
11. Always team with client: “full partners in
achieving memorable results” (Wanted: “Chimeras
of Moonstruck Minds”!)
12. We will seek assistance Anywhere to assemble the Best-inPlanet Team for the Project
13. Client Team Members routinely declare that working with us
was “the Peak Experience of my Career”
14. The job’s not done until implementation is
“100.00% complete” (Those who don’t “get it” must go)
IMPLEMENTATION IS NOT COMPLETE UNTIL
THE CLIENT HAS EXPERIENCED “CULTURE
CHANGE”
16. IMPLEMENTATION IS NOT COMPLETE UNTIL
SIGNIFICANT “TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER HAS
TAKEN PLACE-ROOT (“Teach a man to fish …”)
17. The Final Exam: DID WE MAKE A DRAMATIC,
LASTING, GAME-CHANGING DIFFERENCE?
15.
The PSF35: The People & The Leadership
18. TALENT FANATICS (“Best-Coolest place to work”) (PERIOD)
19. EYE FOR THE PECULIAR (Hiring: Go beyond “same old,
same old”)
20. Early Opportunities (vs. “Wait your turn”)
21. Up or Out (Based on “Legacy”/Mentoring as much as
“Billings”/“Rainmaking”)
22. Slide the Old Aside/Make Room for Youth (Find oldsters
new roles?)
23. TALENT IS OBSESSED WITH RENEWAL FROM DAY #1 TO
DAY #“R” [R = Retirement]
24. Office/Practice Leaders Evaluated Primarily on
Mentoring-Team Building Skills
25. A “PROPRIETARY” TALENT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS (GE)
26. Team Leadership Skills Valued Early
27. Partner with B.I.W. [Best In World] Outsiders as Needed
and to Infuse Different Views
The PSF35: The Firm & The Brand
28. EAT-SLEEP-BREATHE-OOZE
is my message”—Gandhi)
INTEGRITY (“My life
29. Excellence+ in EXECUTION … 100.00% of the Time
30. “Drop everything”/“Swarm” to Support a Harried-On
The Verge Team
31. SPEND
ON R&D LIKE A TECH FIRM.
32. A PROPRIETARY METHODOLOGY (FBR, McKinsey,
Chiat Day, IDEO, old EDS)
33. BRAND
MANIACS (Organize Around a Point of View Worth
BROADCASTING)
34. PASSION!
35.
ENTHUSIASM!
EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS.
WallopWal*Mart16*
*Or: Why it’s so ABSURDLY EASY
to BEAT a GIANT Company
The “Small Guys” Guide: Wallop Wal*Mart16
*Niche-aimed. (Never, ever “all things for all people,” a “miniWal*Mart.)
*Never attack the monsters head
business and lukewarm customers.)
on! (Instead steal niche
*“Dramatically
Different”
(La Difference ... within our community, our
industry regionally, etc … is as obvious as the end of one’s nose!) (THIS IS
WHERE MOST MIDGETS COME UP SHORT.)
*Compete on value/experience/intimacy, not price. (You
ain’t gonna beat the behemoths on cost-price in 9.99 out of 10 cases.)
*Emotional bond with Clients,
ON EMOTION/CONNECTION!!)
Vendors. (BEAT THE BIGGIES
The “Small Guys” Guide: Wallop Wal*Mart16
*Hands-on, emotional leadership. (“We are a great &
cool & intimate & joyful & dramatically different team working to
transform our Clients lives via Consistently Incredible
Experiences!”)
*A community
out of it!)
star! (“Sell” local-ness per se. Sell the hell
*An
incredible experience, from the first to last
moment—and then in the follow-up! (“These guys
are cool! They ‘get’ me! They love me!”)
*DESIGN DRIVEN! (“Design” is a premier weapon-inpursuit-of-the sublime for small-ish enterprises, including the
professional services.)
The “Small Guys” Guide: Wallop Wal*Mart16
*Employer of choice. (A very cool, well-paid
place to work/learning and growth experience in at
least the short term … marked by notably progressive
policies.) (THIS IS EMINENTLY DO-ABLE!!)
*Sophisticated
use of information
technology. (Small-“ish” is no excuse for “small
aims”/execution in IS/IT!)
*Web-power! (The Web can make very small very
big … if the product-service is super-cool and one
purposefully masters buzz/viral marketing.)
*Innovative! (Must keep renewing and expanding
and revising and re-imagining “the promise” to
employees, the customer, the community.)
The “Small Guys” Guide: Wallop Wal*Mart16
*Brand-Lovemark* (*Kevin Roberts) Maniacs!
(“Branding” is not just for big folks with big budgets. And modest
size is actually a Big Advantage in becoming a local-regionalniche “lovemark.”)
*Focus
*
on women-as-clients. (Most don’t. How stupid.)
Excellence!
(A small player … per me …
has no right or reason to exist unless they are in Relentless
Pursuit of Excellence. One earns the right—one damn day and
client experience at a time!—to beat the Big Guys in your chosen
niche!)
tom peters: what
I’ve Learned
about “Small
Business”
Passion for PRODUCT.
OBSESSION With Product.
LOVE The Product.
Aim To Be “ONLY ONES WHO DO WHAT WE DO.”
Keep ADDIN’ Stuff.
Invest “UNWISELY” in R&D.
Reside Permanently In The DISCOMFORT Zone.
“Unhealthy” PARANOIA Is A Good Thing.
Add Clients That PUSH-PULL.
SELL. SELL. SELL. SELL.
Go For Broke: CUSTOMER CONTACT PEOPLE.
PERFECTION: Customer Contact People.
Hire for ATTITUDE.
INVITE On An Adventure.
GREAT CFO/Biz Guy-Gal.
NASTY CFO/Biz Guy-Gal.
QUADRANGULAR LEADERSHIP: Visionary-Talent FanaticProject Manager-I.P.M. (I.P.M. = Inspired Profit Mechanic)
GREAT Logo.
DESIGN!
“OVERDO” Marketing Materials.
WOMEN Roar. WOMEN Rule. WOMEN Buy.
Diversity = $$$$$$
Be RELENTLESS. Cut And RUN.
Product Includes-Features the PACKAGING.
Define Your DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE (R.P.O.V.8)
Best STORY Wins.
DRESS For Success.
First Goal: AMUSE Yourself.
Know YOURSELF.
DON’T Do Stuff You Hate.
“Over-invest” In RELATIONSHIPS.
(R.O.I.R.: Return On Investment in Relationships)
SYSTEMATICALLY “Manage” Relationships.
“Work” The SUPPORT PEOPLE In Client Orgs.
BLOG As If Your Life Depended On It.
SOPHISTICATED Use Of Infotech.
RESPONSE To Problems.
Make ’Em PAY.
CLOSE The Sale.
Invest BIGTIME In PR.
Media FRIENDLY.
Live-To-SCHMOOZE.
Fun/Laughter = $$$$
MBWA: Stay In Touch.
“You Must Be The Change You Wish
To See In The World”/GANDHI
5K For 5M.
Your CALENDAR Never Lies.
OUT: Pastels. IN: Technicolor
JUST SAY “NO” TO C.E.O.: CIO/Chief Innovation
Officer. CSO/Chief Sales Officer. CWO/
Chief Wow Officer
EXCELLENCE Is Very Cool.
“MICRO-MANAGE” Your Reputation.
Wear Your Integrity On Your SLEEVE.
KEEP Your Promises.
EXECUTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“A Man Without A Smiling Face
MUST NOT Open His Shop.”
RECOGNITION!
Work HARD, Not Smart.
“Insanely Great.” THE STANDARD.
R.O.I.R
Measure #1:
R.O.I.R.*
*Return On
Investment In
Relationships
Sell
Sell
Small Giants:
Companies That
Choose To Be
Great Instead
Of Big
—by Bo Burlingham
Small Giants/Bo Burlingham
"First, I could see that, unlike most entrepreneurs,
their founders and leaders had recognized the full
range of choices they had about the type of company
they would create."
"Second, the leaders had overcome the enormous
pressures on successful companies to take paths they
had not chosen and did not necessarily want to follow."
"Third, each company had an extraordinarily intimate
relationship with the local city, town, or county in
which it did business -- a relationship that went well
beyond the usual concept of `giving back.'"
"Fourth, they cultivated exceptionally intimate
relationships with customers and suppliers, based on
personal contact, one-on-one interaction, and mutual
commitment to delivering on promises."
Small Giants/Bo Burlingham
"Fifth, the companies also had what struck me as
unusually intimate workplaces."
"Sixth, I was impressed by the variety of corporate
structures and modes of governance that these
companies had come up with."
"Finally, I noticed the passion that the leaders brought
to what the company did. They loved the subject
matter, whether it be music, safety lighting, food,
special effects, constant torque hinges, beer, records
storage, construction, dining, or fashion."
Better By Design
The Design49
Tom
Peters/Auckland/30March2005
Better By Design: Tom’s Design49
1. There are only 2 rules.
2. Rule #1: You can’t beat Wal*Mart on price or China on cost.
3. Rule #2: See Rule #1.
4. Econ Survival = Innovate and Sprint Up the Value-added
Chain … OR DIE!
5. DESIGN (WRIT LARGE) (“DESIGN MINDFULNESS”) IS THE
“SOUL”/ENGINE OF THE NEW VALUE-ADDED IMPERATIVE.
6. Design as Soul-Core Competence #1 is a “cultural imperative,” not
a “programmatic” or “process” or
“throw $$$ at it” issue!
7. CDEs (Culturally Design-driven Enterprises) use DesignExperiences-Dream Merchantry-Lovemarks as the Lead
Dog(s) in the OlympianInnovation-“Strategy”-Value
Proposition Struggle.
8. “Dream Merchant” makes as much sense for IBM or GE or UPS as
for Starbucks!
Better By Design: Tom’s Design49
9. At CDEs, Design is the Heart of the “Emotional Branding”
Process.
10. CDEs wholeheartedly embrace ideas such as “mystery,”
“surprise,” sensuality.”
11. CDEs love “WOW!” and “B.H.A.G.” and “Insanely Great”
and “Gasp-worthy” and “Passion” and “Love”! (Axiom: Extreme
language breeds extreme products and services.)
12. Staff at CDEs laugh and cry a lot! (Axiom: “Calm” enterprise =
Crappy enterprise.)
13. CDEs love “strange” and “weird.”
14. CDEs scour the earth for “strange” and “weird” people. (CDEs
know: FREAKS RULE!)
15. CDEs are “extremists.” (KR: “Avoid moderation.”)
16. CDEs know that … EXCELLENCE IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH!
(We must use non-linear measures!)
Better By Design: Tom’s Design49
17. CDEs seek Discontinuities. (JG: “We don’t want to be the best of
the best, we want to be the only ones who do what we do.”)
18. CDEs are “respectful” of their customers, but not slaves to their
customers! CDEs … LEAD THEIR CUSTOMERS! (Axioms: “Listening
to customers” is over-rated! Focus groups suck!)
19. But: “Lead” customers are an entirely different matter!
20: Yet: CDEs turn “customers” into “Raving Fans.” (Think: “Tattoo
Brand”!)
21. CDEs abide by Phil Daniels’ Credo: “REWARD EXCELLENT
FAILURES. PUNISH MEDIOCRE SUCCESSES.”
22. At CDEs the Design Director is at least an Exec Vice President, a
Member of the Senior Executive Team, perhaps on the Board, and
has an office within 10 meters of the CEO (unless she is the CEO).
23. Design Directors at large companies not worth $5,000,000
per year aren’t worth hiring! (DD$21M.)
Better By Design: Tom’s Design49
24. Great Designers are “10,000X” better than “good designers.”
25. At CDEs CFOs are never former CFOs! The CEO always doubles
as the Chief Innovation Officer.
26. CDEs are “Top-line Obsessed.”
27. CDE execs know there is a chasm between “excellent design”
and “game-changer design.”
28. Gasp-worthy design is a moving target!
29. No Broadway shows last forever. So too, great designers!
(Hire them! Pay them! Cherish them! Nurture them! Fire them!)
30. Great design wrestles incessantly with the issue of “cool”
and/versus “usability.”!
31. Designers “get” the stunning principles of Wabi Sabi. (Great
designers side with Chris Alexander against the A.I.A.)
32. CDEs “get” the “feminine side” of life.
Better By Design: Tom’s Design49
33. CDEs Know I: WOMEN BUY EVERYTHING!
34. CDEs Know II: MEN ARE INCAPABLE OF DESIGNING PRODUCTS
FOR WOMEN.
35. CDEs understand that “We’re getting’ older”—and vigorously
embrace the Boomer-Geezer market.
36. CDEs understand: Boomers-Geezers have “ALL THE MONEY” …
are by and large healthy … and have 20 or so years left!
37. CDEs wonder: Can 28-year-olds design “experiences” for 68-yearolds?
38. CDEs seek the sweetest “sweet spot”: Woman-Boomer-GreenieWellness.
39. “Design-mindfulness” is as apparent in the CDE’s facilities as in
its products-services!
Better By Design: Tom’s Design49
40. “Design mindfulness” is as apparent in HR and
Engineering and Logistics and IS/IT as in NPD.
41. CDEs will settle for nothing less then “beautiful,” “gaspworthy” Business Processes/Infrastructure!
42. CDEs obsess on K.I.S.S. (Beware creeping feature-itis!)
(450/8.)
43. “Design-mindfulness”/“aesthetic sensibility” is a requisite
for Every Hire—including waiters and waitresses in Fast Food
outlets and Housekeepers in hotels.
44. Gasp-worthy Design is as essential to “service
companies” as to “manufacturers.”
45. Gasp-worthy design can transform any “commodity,”
including ag!
Better By Design: Tom’s Design49
46. DESIGN MANIA IS A NATIONAL ECONOMIC ISSUE OF
THE FIRST ORDER.
47. “Small” is no disadvantage in an Age of Creativity!
48. There is no such thing as a “National Design
Advantage” unless the current school system is Destroyed
& Re-imagined—to emphasize creativity and risk-taking and
acceptance of failure. (Design Mindfulness … the
suppression thereof … typically begins at Age 4.)
49.
How sweet it is!
(If your head is screwed on right.)
EXCELLENCE.
BEDROCK.
LEADERSHIP.
L23. 7Es.
9Ps. 12Ps.
EXCELLENCE.
THE LEADERSHIP23.
Leadership23/ML
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Enthusiasm. Energy. Exuberance.
Action. Execution.
Tempo. Metabolism.
Relentless.
Master of Plan B.
Accountability.
Meritocracy.
Leaders “do” people. Mentor. (“Success
creation business.”)
9. Women. Diversity.
10. Integrity. Credibility. Humanity. Grace.
11. Realism.
12. Cause. Adventures. Quests.
Attributes of Those Who “Made” the 10th Grade
History Book
–Forgiveness > Permission
–Bone honest!
–Flawed as the dickens!
– “In touch” with their
followers’ aspirations
–Damn good at what they do!
Leadership23/ML
13. Legacy.
14. Best story wins.
15. On the edge. (“Wildest chimera of a
moonstruck mind.”)
16. “Reward excellent failures. Punish
mediocre successes.”
17. Different > Better. (“Only ones who do
what we do.”)
18. MBWA. Customer MBWA.
19. Laughs.
20. Repot. Curiosity. Why?
21. You = Calendar. “To Don’t.” Two.
22. Excellence. Always.
23. Nelsonian! (“Other admirals more afraid
of losing than anxious to win.”)
The “7Es”
Exuberance!
Energy!
Empathy!
Engagement!
Empowerment!
Execution!
Excellence!
Attributes of Those Who “Made” the 10th Grade
History Book
–Forgiveness > Permission
–Bone honest!
–Flawed as the dickens!
– “In touch” with their
followers’ aspirations
–Damn good at what they do!
EXCELLENCE.
BEDROCK.
LEADERSHIP.
“9 Ps.”
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Potent.
Positive.
Attributes of Those Who “Made” the 10th Grade
History Book
–Forgiveness > Permission
–Bone honest!
–Flawed as the dickens!
– “In touch” with their
followers’ aspirations
–Damn good at what they do!
EXCELLENCE.
BEDROCK.
LEADERSHIP.
“12 Ps.”
Tom Peters/04.18.2007
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
Attributes of Those Who “Made” the 10th Grade
History Book
–Forgiveness > Permission
–Bone honest!
–Flawed as the dickens!
– “In touch” with their
followers’ aspirations
–Damn good at what they do!
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!
Attributes of Those Who “Made” the 10th Grade
History Book
–Forgiveness > Permission
–Bone honest!
–Flawed as the dickens!
– “In touch” with their
followers’ aspirations
–Damn good at what they do!
The Re-imagineer’s Credo … or, Pity the Poor Brown*
Technicolor Times
demand …
Technicolor Leaders and Boards who recruit …
Technicolor People who are then sent on …
Technicolor Quests to execute …
Technicolor (WOW!) Projects in partnership with …
Technicolor Customers and …
Technicolor Suppliers all in pursuit of …
Technicolor Goals and Aspirations fit for …
Technicolor Times.
*WSC
Attributes of Those Who “Made” the 10th Grade
History Book
–Forgiveness > Permission
–Bone honest!
–Flawed as the dickens!
– “In touch” with their
followers’ aspirations
–Damn good at what they do!
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
Leadership’s
th
13
“P”:
Promotion
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
“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)
Hire Great People!
(Resilient, Passionate, Curious, Relentless)
Try a Lot of Stuff!
(S.A.V./Screw Around Vigorously;
R.F.A./Ready. Fire. Aim.)
aCCEPT NO LESS THAN
EXCELLENCE!
PURSUE Wow!
enjoy It While It Lasts!
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
Tom’s tenets.
“Strive for
Excellence.
Ignore
success.”
—Bill Young, race car
driver (courtesy Andrew Sullivan)
profits,
people or
people,
profits?
Our Mission
To develop and manage talent;
to apply that talent,
throughout the world,
for the benefit of clients;
to do so in partnership;
to do so with profit.
WPP
Why in the
World did you
go to Siberia?
Synonyms
Purity
Transcendence
Virtue
Elegance
Majesty
Antonyms
Mediocrity
Enthusiasm.
Emotion. Excellence. Energy.
Excitement. Service. Growth.
Creativity. Imagination. Vitality.
Joy. Surprise. Independence.
Spirit. Community. Limitless
human potential. Diversity.
Profit. Innovation. Design.
Quality. Entrepreneurialism.
The Peters Principles:
Wow!
An
emotional, vital, innovative,
joyful, creative,
entrepreneurial endeavor
that elicits maximum
Enterprise* ** (*at its best):
concerted human
potential in the
wholehearted service of
others.**
**Employees, Customers, Suppliers, Communities, Owners, Temporary partners
An emotional,
vital, innovative, joyful,
creative, entrepreneurial
endeavor that elicits
maximum concerted
human potential in
the wholehearted
service of others.***
Enterprise* ** (*at its best):
**Excellence. Always.
***Employees, Customers, Suppliers, Communities, Owners, Temporary partners
The
Ultimate
Business:
Creative
Endeavor.
The
Ultimate
Business:
Personal
DevelopmentGrowth
Experience.
The
Ultimate
Business:
Transcendent
Service
Opportunity.
“BUSINESS
IS ABOUT
POWER.”
—Joanne Lipman,
editor, on
Portfolio
TP:
“BUSINESS
IS ABOUT ...”
“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), Wanamaker’s (circa 1880)
“To me business isn’t about
wearing suits or pleasing
stockholders. It’s about
being true to yourself,
your ideas and focusing on
the essentials.” —Richard Branson
All you need
to know …
MBWA*
*5,000 miles for a 5-minute face-to
-face meeting (courtesy superagent Mark McCormick)
When Bob Waterman and I wrote In Search of
Excellence in 1982, business was “by the
numbers”—and the Americans were struggling (to
put it mildly) with hands on, tactile stuff, like
Japanese quality. Then, at Hewlett Packard, we were
introduced to the famed “HP Way,” the centerpiece
of which was in-touch management. HP had a term
(Managing By
Wandering Around.) Bob and I
for this … MBWA.
fell in immediate love. Not only was the idea per se
important and cool, but it symbolized everything we
were coming to cherish—enterprises where bossesleaders were in immediate touch with and
emotionally attached to workers, customers,
the product. The idea is as important or more
important in fast-paced 2007 as it was in 1982.
You = Your
calendar*
*Calendars
never lie
All we have is our time. The
way we spend our time is
our priorities, is our
“strategy.” Your calendar
knows what you really
care about. Do you?
“You must
be
the change you
wish to see in the
world.”
Gandhi
“It’s always
showtime.”
—David D’Alessandro, Career Warfare
“… a blinding
flash of the
obvious”
—Manny Garcia
“All this” [this little riff] is indeed, as seminar participant and
leading Burger King franchisee Many Garcia once said to me,
“obvious.”* But observation over four decades** suggests that
amidst the hubbub and travails of a typical day’s work, the socalled obvious is often-usually left unattended. For perfectly good
reasons, another week passes without a visit to our equivalent of
the Starbucks shops or HP R&D labs, without the equivalent to
Hank Paulsen’s “How ya doin’?” call to a key customer. My [Tom
Peters] Job One in life? Remind busy folks of the obvious!
*Manny Garcia/1983: “Tom, I hope you won’t be insulted when I say
this was the best seminar I’ve ever been to—and it was
a blinding flash of the obvious.”
**I had two commanding officers during my two Vietnam tours in
U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion NINE. One was a Shultz
look-alike—instinctively in the field. The other was an in the office
“leader.” The one produced. The other didn’t. At age 24 I learned
an incredible life lesson, though I couldn’t describe it well until
tripping over HP’s MBWA/Managing By Wandering Around.
The older I
get the less
boring the
“basics”
become!
Thank
you!!!
FLOWER
POWER
“Courtesies of a small and
trivial character are the
ones which strike
deepest in the grateful
and appreciating heart.”
—Henry Clay
“Be kind, for
everyone you meet
is fighting a great
battle.”
—Philo of Alexandria
R.O.I.R
“Leaders
‘SERVE’
people.
Period.”
—Anon.
People are
always ready to
tell their story!
TP:
See also: “The story leaner’s edge” (Steve Farber)
“The dream manager” (Matthew Kelly)
Cause
Space
(worthy of commitment)
(room for/encouragement
for initiative)
Decency
(respect, humane)
Our Mission
To develop and manage talent;
to apply that talent,
throughout the world,
for the benefit of clients;
to do so in partnership;
to do so with profit.
WPP
“Do one thing
every day
that scares
you.”
—Eleanor Roosevelt
NOTE:
you will discover
that the prior slide
appears time and time again
in this presentation.
“I’m not comfortable
unless I’m
uncomfortable.”
—Jay Chiat
“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
“Forget China,
India and the
Internet: Economic
Growth Is Driven
by
Women.”
—Headline, Economist,
April 15, 2006, Leader, page 14
The last
word:
There is
no “last
word.”
Flat as a Pancake (Or Worse)
Wal*Mart … Dell … Intel
… Yahoo … Home Depot
… Microsoft … GE
“We may not be
interested in
chaos but chaos is
interested in us.”
—Robert Cooper, The Breaking of Nations:
Order and Chaos in the Twenty-first Century
The facts
of (messy)
life …
“It is not the
strongest of the
species that survives,
nor the most
intelligent, but the
one most responsive
to change.”
—Charles Darwin
“Active mutators in
placid times tend to die
off. They are selected
against.
Reluctant mutators in
quickly changing times
are also selected
against.” —Carl Sagan & Ann Druyan,
Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
“Natural selection is death. ...
Without huge amounts of
death, organisms do not
change over time. ... Death
is the mother of structure. ...
It took four billion years of
death ... to invent the human
mind ...” — The Cobra Event
“[other]
admirals more
frightened of
losing than
anxious to win”
On NELSON:
Keep Austin Weird
F(Anger/Passion)
>>>> f(Pushback
from Threatened
Fat-cats &
Bureau-crats)
“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)
“Strive for
Excellence.
Ignore
success.”
—Bill Young, PR driver
(courtesy Andrew Sullivan)
Really, really
All you need
to know …
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
What makes
God laugh?
People
making
plans!
NOTE:
you will discover
that the prior slide
appears time and time again
in this presentation.
READY.
FIRE!
“We are in a
brawl with no rules.”
Paul Allaire/Xerox:
TP:
“There’s
[literally]
only one
Screw
Around Vigorously!
possible answer …
“Fail .
Forward.
Fast.”
High Tech CEO, Pennsylvania
“You miss
100% of
the shots you
never take.”
—Wayne Gretzky
“The secret of fast
progress is
inefficiency, fast and
furious and numerous
failures.” —Kevin Kelly
Innovation:
mad. Start Doing
something
about it. Now.
Get
EXCELLENCE????
“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
“It’s just a fact:
Survivors
underperform.”
—Dick Foster
Forget > “Learn”
“The problem is never how to get
new, innovative thoughts into your
mind, but how to get the old
ones out.”
—Dee Hock
Success Kills!
“The more successful
a company, the flatter
its forgetting curve.”
— Gary Hamel and C.K. Prahalad
“It is generally much easier to
organization
kill an
than change it
substantially.”
—Kevin Kelly, Out of Control
Warren Bennis & Patricia Ward Biederman/
Great
Groups Don’t
Last Very
Long!
Organizing Genius:
Jane Jacobs:
Exuberant
Variety vs. the Great Blight of Dullness.
F.A. Hayek: Spontaneous
Discovery Process.
Joseph Schumpeter: the Gales of
Creative
Destruction.
“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
Language!
Language!
Language!
Language!
Language!
“In-sane-
ly-great”
Radically Thrilling Language!
“Radically
Thrilling.”
—BMW Z4 (ad)
“wow”
“Astonish me!”
(SD).
“Build something great!”
“Make it immortal!”
“Insanely great”
(SJ)
(DO)
(HY).
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”
“Breakthrough” 82*
People!
Customers!
Action!
Values!
*In Search of Excellence
The older I
get the less
boring the
“basics”
become!
ExIn*: 1982-2002/Forbes.com
$85,000
EI: $10,000 yields $140,050
DJIA: $10,000 yields
*Forbes/Excellence Index /Basket of 32 publicly traded stocks
What is In Search of Excellence all about:
People. Emotion. Engagement.
Exuberance. Action-Execution.
Empowerment. Independence. Initiative.
Imagination. Great Stories. Incredible
Adventures. Trust. Caring. Fun. Joy.
Customer-centrism. Profit. Growth.
“Brand You.” “Dramatic Differences.”
Experiences that Make You “Gasp.”
Excellence. Always.
NOTE.:
drop the “the
companies in in search of
excellence failed”—utter
rubbish. They’ve waaaay
outperformed the market.
Importance of Success Factors by Various
“Gurus”/(Unreliable) Estimates by Tom Peters
Strategy
Systems People
Passion
Porter
50%
20
20
10
Drucker
25%
35
25
15
Bennis
25%
20
30
25
Peters
15%
20
35
30
DRUCKER’S GREAT
CONTRIBUTION: management
per se as a/the principal
determinant of institutional
effectiveness
EXCELLENCE.
GAMECHANGER.
(MAYBE.)
Hardball: Are You Playing to Play or Playing to Win?
by George Stalk & Rob Lachenauer/HBS Press
“The winners in business have always played hardball.”
“Unleash massive and overwhelming force.” “Exploit
anomalies.” “Threaten your competitor’s profit
sanctuaries.” “Entice your competitor into retreat.”
Approximately
640 Index entries: Customer/s
(service, retention, loyalty),
worker/s),
4. People (
0. Innovation (
employees, motivation, morale,
product development, research &
development, new products),
0.
EXCELLENCE.
TOM. 2005.
Excellence2005: The Bedrock Baker’s Dozen
1. A Bias For Action Is Job One! (Construct a Discipline/Culture of EXECUTION!)
2. DECENTRALIZATION! ACCOUNTABILITY! (Tom’s “Top Two”, 1965-2005.)
3. Fail. Forward. Fast. (“Reward Excellent Failures, Punish Mediocre Successes.”)
4. “Metabolic Management” Matters! (Hustle! Adapt! EAT CHANGE! Win the
“O.O.D.A. Loop” War—Confuse Your Competitors!)
5. INNOVATE or Die. (“Game-changers” or Bust! Lead the Customer! Just Shout “NO” to Imitation!)
6. A Damn Good Product. (Pursue “Dramatic Difference.”)
7. A Damn Cool Product. (Design Rules!)
8. Ride the Value Added Curve to the Sky! (Sell “GamechangerSolutions”; Provide “Scintillating
Experiences”; Become a “Dream Merchant”; Strive to Be a “Lovemark.”)
9. Relentlessly Pursue the “Big Two” Markets.
(WOMEN Buy Everything
BOOMERS & GEEZERS Have All the Money!)
10. Best “Talent”/Roster Wins! (HR Rules! Everyone a Leader!
Women Lead Best!
“Weird” Matters Most! A Workplace to Brag About! Educate for Creativity!)
11. Wanted/Demanded: Radical Technology Strategies! (“Incrementalism” Is for Wimps!)
12. Hard Is Soft! Soft Is Hard! (People! Passion! Enthusiasm! Wow! INTEGRITY! TRUST!
Good Citizenship.)
13. Accept No Less Than EXCELLENCE!
Us Out of Bed in the Morning)
(Excellence, Pursuit thereof, Is the #1 Thing That Vaults
Successful Businesses’ Dozen Truths: TP’s 30-Year Perspective
1. Insanely Great & Quirky Talent.
2. Disrespect for Tradition.
3. Totally Passionate (to the Point of Irrationality) Belief in What
We Are Here to Do.
4. Utter Disbelief at the BS that Marks “Normal Industry Behavior.”
5. A Maniacal Bias for Execution … and Utter Contempt
for Those Who Don’t “Get It.”
6. Speed Demons.
7. Up or Out. (Meritocracy Is Thy Name. Sycophancy Is Thy Scourge.)
8. Passionate Hatred of Bureaucracy.
9. Willingness to Lead the Customer … and Take the Heat Associated
Therewith. (Mantra: Satan Invented Focus Groups to Derail True
Believers.)
10. “Reward Excellent Failures. Punish Mediocre Successes.”
11. Courage to Stand Alone on One’s Record of Accomplishment
Against All the Forces of Conventional Wisdom.
12. A Crystal Clear Understanding of the power of a Good Story
(Brand Power).
Everything You Need to Know about “Strategy”
1. Do you have awesome Talent … everywhere? (“We are the Yankees of home improvement here in Omaha.”) Do you
push that Talent to pursue Audacious Quests?
2. Is your Talent Pool loaded with wonderfully peculiar people who others would
call “problems”? And what about your Extended Community of customers, vendors et al?
3. Is your Board of Directors as cool as your product offerings … and does it have
50 percent (or at least one-third) Women Members?
4. Long-term, it’s a “Top-line World”: Is creating a “culture” that cherishes above all things Innovation and
Entrepreneurship your primary aim? Remember: Innovation … not Imitation!
5. Are the Ultimate Rewards heaped upon those who exhibit an unswerving “Bias for Action,” to quote the co-authors
of In Search of Excellence? Are your O.O.D.A. loops shorter than the next guy’s?
6. Do you routinely use hot, aspirational words-terms like “Excellence” and B.H.A.G. (Big Hairy Audacious Goal, per
Jim Collins) and “Let’s make a dent in the Universe” (the Word according to Steve Jobs)? Is “Reward excellent
failures, punish mediocre successes” your de facto or de jure motto?
7. Do you subscribe to Jerry Garcia’s dictum: “We do not merely want to be the best of the best, we want to be the
only ones who do what we do”?
8. Do you elaborate on and enhance Jerry G’s dictum by adding, “We subscribe to ‘Best Sourcing’—and only want to
associate with the ‘best of the best’.”
9. Do you embrace the new technologies with child-like enthusiasm and a revolutionary’s zeal?
10. Do you “serve” and “satisfy” customers … or “go berserk” attempting to provide every customer with an
“awesome experience” that does nothing less than transform the way she or he sees the world?
11. Do you understand … to your very marrow … that the two biggest under-served markets are Women and BoomersGeezers? And that to “take advantage” of these two Monster “Trends” (FACTS OF LIFE) requires fundamental realignment of the enterprise?
12. Are your leaders accessible? Do they wear their passion on their sleeves? Does integrity ooze out of every pore of
the enterprise? Is “We care” your implicit motto?
13. Do you understand business mantra #1 of the ’00s: DON’T TRY TO COMPETE
WITH WAL*MART ON PRICE OR CHINA ON COST? (And if you get this last idea, then see the 12 above!)
Ten Good Reasons to “Get Up in the Morning”
1. Empower one and all to vigorously seek WOW! in their work/projects. (Or else.) Foster
the “Brand You Spirit” and the “Entrepreneurial Urge” at every turn. (Or else.)
2. Blow up “education” as we know it today! Re-tool education to emphasize the arts,
creativity, entrepreneurial behavior. (Or else.)
3. Seek out the bold, the strange, the misfits, the dreamers—and welcome their presence
in our midst.
4. Drag enthusiasm, passion, Technicolor and bold commitment out of the closet! Make
Passion your Passion! (Hint: Passion makes the world go ‘round.)
5. Be a champion for: Women Roar! Women Rule!
6. Underscore the importance of/stupendous opportunities associated with the “cool new
markets”: Women, Boomers and Geezers, Hispanics, Greenies, Wellness.
7. Dramatically re-orient healthcare from after-the-fact “fixes” to before-the-fact attention
to prevention-Wellness. (And “kindly suggest” that the “acute-care” “industry” give
some passing thought to Quality.)
8. Ensure that the historically neglected “intangibles” are the prime basis for individual
and enterprise success.
9. Support Globalization as the best—if indeed messy—path to maximum human
freedom, security and welfare.
10. Swear by the motto: “Reward excellent failures; punish mediocre successes.”
This I Believe: Tom’s Super-TIB25
1. TECHNICOLOR Times.
2. Passion! Enthusiasm! Energy!
3. Action/R.F.A./O.O.D.A. Speed.
4. Screw-ups. BIG SCREW-Ups!
5. Mess! Improv!
6. Revolution! Re-imagine!
7. INNOVATE OR DIE!
8. Decentralize!
9. Bulk is BULL! (Mergers don’t work. FOCUS Does!)
10 “Different” > “Better”
11. eALL/Power Tools for Power Strategies!
12. Forgetting/Destruction.
13. Hot Language Matters!
14. WOW!/WOW Projects.
15. VA Bedrock: The “PSF.” (Professional Service Firm.)
16. Daring.
17. Talent Time! Leaders “Do” People!
18. Talent+/Diversity.
19. Talent++/Women Rule!
20. “Brand You” Universe.
21. Design!
22. Gasp-worthy Experiences/Lovemarks.
23. New Market Demographics/Women/Boomers & Geezers/Green/Wellness.
24. Grace.
25. EXCELLENCE!
EXCELLENCE.
TOM. 2007.
Hire Great People
(Resilient, Passionate)
Try a Lot of Stuff
(S.A.V./R.F.A.)
aCCEPT NO LESS THAN
EXCELLENCE/PURSUE Wow!
enjoy It While It Lasts
pursue a mission that rocks the world (Pharmaceuticals, Moldy basements)
Hire awesome/weird People for 100% of jobs (Resilient, Passionate) (Wegmans)
give ’em lots of room to experiment, fail, grow
make “respect” “decency” “integrity” our watchwords
Leaders “Serve.” (“Servant”/“Host” Leadership)
try a Lot of Stuff, fast tempo (S.A.V./Screw Around Vigorously,
R.F.A./Ready. Fire. Aim.)
Emphasize revenue (Organic growth, Sales/“Top line” rules)
have fun/exude joy
demand excellence/Make accountability instinctive
(“Insane” standards for our mates’ and community’s sake)
It’s all about Women! (Market, Leadership, Wealth, “Womenomics”)
never, never forget the “it” (It’s the PRODUCT, Stupid.)
25! (Go, Howard!) (Conrad says, “Don’t forget the shower curtain.)
be “of [‘gaspworthy’] service” (Cirque du Soleil is our standard—”even” in
finance.) (My customer is my partner.) (Remember “She”;
remember “Me” … the latter = Old & $$$. )
Create effective/imaginative/minimalist infrastructure
(K.I.S.S./Keep It Simple, Stupid; RED BUTTON on the terminal)
re-imagine as “routine” (Forget > Remember)
enjoy It While It Lasts
EXCELLENCE.
1982.
Hard is soft.
Soft is hard.
Hard Is Soft
Soft Is Hard
Hard Is Soft (#s)
Soft Is Hard (people)
Hard Is Soft (Plans, #s)
Soft Is Hard (people,
customers, values,
relationships))
“The 7-S Model”
Strategy
Structure
Systems
Style
Skills
Staff
Super-ordinate goal
“The 7-S Model”
“Hard Ss”
(Strategy, Structure, Systems)
“Soft SS”
(Style, Skills, Staff, Super-ordinate goal)
“The 7-S Model”
Strategy
Structure
Systems
Style (Corporate “Culture,” “The way
we do things around here”)
Skills (“Distinctive Competence/s)
Staff (People-Talent)
Super-ordinate goal (Vision,
Core Values)
“If I could have chosen not to tackle the IBM
culture head-on, I probably wouldn’t have. My
bias coming in was toward strategy, analysis and
measurement. In comparison, changing the
attitude and behaviors of hundreds of thousands
[Yet] I
came to see in my time at
IBM that culture isn’t
just one aspect of the
game—it is the game.”
of people is very, very hard.
—Lou Gerstner, Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance
R.O.I.R.
Measure #1:
R.O.I.R.*
*Return On
Investment In
Relationships
Axiom #65: (1) It’s
always about
relationships. (2)
Sweat the small
stuff—and the big
stuff will take care
of itself.
“Soft Skills,
Hard Dollars”
Source: Headline, BigBuilder, September 2006
“A man
without a
smiling face
must not open
a shop.”
—Chinese Proverb
EXCELLENCE.
Always.
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
“It’s not people who
aren’t credit-worthy.
It’s banks that aren’t
people worthy.”
Muhammad Yunus
“The deepest
human need is
the need to be
appreciated.”
William James
“Don’t
belittle!”
—OD Consultant
“Be kind, for
everyone you meet
is fighting a great
battle.”
—Philo of Alexandria
“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
“You can make more
friends in two months by
becoming interested in
other people than you can
in two years by trying to
get other people interested
in you.” —Dale Carnegie
R.O.I.R.
Rules!
“He had done nothing to sell me on his
business, yet he had given me the most
Because
his sole concern had
been my welfare and the
success of my business.”
powerful sales pitch of my life.
—Jim Penman, on learning how to sell (What Will
They Franchise Next? The Story of Jim’s Group)
EXCELLENCE.
“the rules.”
“No leader sets out to be a
leader per se, but rather to
express him- or herself
freely and fully. That is
leaders have no interest in
proving themselves, but an
abiding interest in expressing
themselves.” —Warren Bennis,
On Becoming a Leader
“Breakthrough” 82*
People!
Customers!
Action!
Values!
*In Search of Excellence
The “7Es”
Exuberance!
Energy!
Empathy!
Engagement!
Empowerment!
Execution!
Excellence!
The “Vigor Axiom”:
Vigorous schools.
Vigorous people.
Vigorous organizations.
Vigorous competitors.
Vigorous economy.
Vigorous nation.
Vigorous world.
Cause
Space
(worthy of commitment)
(room for/encouragement
for initiative)
Decency
(respect, humane)
Cause
Space
(worthy of commitment)
(room for/encouragement
for initiative-adventures)
Decency
(respect, grace,
integrity, humane)
service
(worthy of our clients’ & extended
family’s continuing custom)
excellence
(period)
Cause
Space
Decency
service
(worthy of commitment)
(room for/encouragement for initiative-adventures)
(respect, grace, integrity, humane)
(worthy of our clients’ & extended
family’s continuing custom)
excellence
servant leadership
(period)
Cause
Space
Decency
service
excellence
servant leadership
Hire Great People
(Resilient, Passionate)
Try a Lot of Stuff
(S.A.V./R.F.A.)
all “wow” all the time
Enjoy It While It Lasts
Tom’s “Change Rules”
Cause. (pissed off.)
Try it. (S.A.V.)
Fail. Forward. Fast.
Quests. Demos. Heroes. Stories.
Boonies. (Parallel universe.)
<12.
Just Say No: Normal.
Attitude>Ability.
Wow. “Insanely great.”
Sell! Sell! Sell!
Master politics!
pursue a mission that rocks the world
Moldy basements)
(Pharmaceuticals,
Hire awesome/weird People for 100% of jobs (Resilient, Passionate)
(Wegmans) (Women RULE!)
give ’em lots of room to experiment, fail, grow
make “respect” “decency” “integrity” our watchwords
try a Lot of Stuff, fast tempo (S.A.V./Screw Around Vigorously,
R.F.A./Ready. Fire. Aim.)
Emphasize revenue
(Organic growth, Sales/“Top line” rules)
have fun/exude joy
demand excellence/Make accountability instinctive
(“Insane” standards for our mates’ and community’s sake)
never, never forget the “it”
(It’s the PRODUCT, Stupid.) (25!)
be “of [‘gaspworthy’] service”
(Cirque du Soleil is our
standard— “even” in finance.) (My customer is my partner.)
(Remember “She”; remember “Me.”) (“Servant”/“Host” Leadership)
Have effective/imaginative/minimalist infrastructure
(K.I.S.S./Keep It Simple, Stupid) (Systems/No bull: beauty, grace, elegance)
re-imagine as “routine”
enjoy It While It Lasts
”
Excellence Is a
Universal
Striving.
If Not
Excellence,
What?
“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)
Organizations exist
to serve. Period.
Leaders live to
serve. Period.
Tom Peters/10 September 2007
“I have always
believed that the
purpose of the
corporation is to be a
blessing to the
employees.” *
—Boyd Clarke
*TP: An “organization” is, in fact and after all
is said and done, a/the “house” in which
most of us “live” most of the time.
Organizations exist
to serve. Period.
Leaders live to
serve. Period.
Organizations exist to serve. Period.
Leaders live to serve. Period.
Passionate servant leaders, determined to create
a legacy of earthshaking transformation in their
domain (a 600SF retail space, a 4-person training department,
an urban school, a rural school, a city, a nation), create/
must necessarily create organizations which are
no less than Cathedrals in which the full and
awesome power of the Imagination and Spirit and
native Entrepreneurial flair (We are all
entrepreneurs—Muhammad Yunus) of diverse individuals
(100% creative Talent—from checkout to lab, from Apple to
Wegmans to Jane’s one-person accountancy in Invercargill NZ)
is unleashed in passionate pursuit of jointly
perceived soaring purpose (= win a Nobel peace prize
like Yunus, or at least do something worthy of bragging about
and personal and
community and client service Excellence.
25 years from now to your grandkids)
Organizations exist to serve. Period.
Leaders live to serve. Period.
Passionate servant leaders, determined to create
a legacy of earthshaking transformation in their
domain create/ must necessarily create
no less than
Cathedrals in which the full and
awesome power of the
Imagination and Spirit and native
Entrepreneurial flair of diverse
individuals is unleashed … In
organizations which are …
passionate pursuit of jointly perceived soaring
purpose and personal and community and client
service Excellence.
… no less than Cathedrals in
which the full and awesome
power of the Imagination and
Spirit and native
Entrepreneurial flair of
diverse individuals is
unleashed in passionate
pursuit of … Excellence.
Such Talent unbound pursue Quests
(rapidly and
relentlessly experimenting and failing and trying
which surprise and surpass and
redefine the expectations of the individual
and the servant leader alike. The collective
“products” of these Quests offer the best
chance of achieving rapid organizational and
individual adaptation to fast-transforming
environments, and provide the nutrition for
continuing (and sometimes dramatic) reimaginings which re-draw the boundaries
of industries and communities and human
achievement and the very conception of
what is possible.
again)
In turn, such organizations, bent upon excellence
and re-imaginings based on maximizing human
creativity and achievement, will automatically
create cadres of imaginative and inspiring and
determined servant leaders who stick around to
take the organization to another level, and then
another—or, equally or more important, leave
to spread the virus of Freedom-CreativityExcellence-Transforming Purpose by pathfinding
new streets, highways and alleyways which
vitalize and revitalize, through creative
destruction, Entrepreneurial Capitalism, which
is the best hope for maximizing collective human
Freedom, Happiness, Prosperity, Wellbeing—and,
one prays, some measure of Peace on earth.
… such organizations, bent upon
excellence and re-imaginings based on
maximizing human creativity and
achievement … vitalize and
revitalize, through creative
destruction, Entrepreneurial
Capitalism, which is the best hope
for maximizing collective human
Freedom, Happiness, Prosperity,
Wellbeing—and, one prays, some
measure of Peace on earth.
Clever “human resources” programs
that take into account the “new
realities” concerning Gen X or Chinese
competition or Web 2.0 are not the
basis for creating “competitive
advantage through an excellent
workforce.” The “great secret” to “people
excellence” is “treat people with
manifest respect and appreciation and
trust, and give them a chance to express
the best in themselves and dramatically
broaden their horizons”—and “the rest”
will take care of itself for Gen A or Gen B
or Gen X or Gen Boomer.
The Dream
Manager
—Matthew Kelly
E.g.: “An organization can only become the-best-version-of-itself to the
extent that the people who drive that organization are striving to
become better-versions-of-themselves.” “A company’s purpose is to
become the-best-version-of-itself. The question is: What is an
employee’s purpose? Most would say, ‘to help the company achieve its
purpose’—but they would be wrong. That is certainly part of the
employee’s role, but an employee’s primary purpose is to become thebest-version-of-himself or –herself. … When a company forgets that it
exists to serve customers, it quickly goes out of business. Our
employees are our first customers, and our most important customers.”
Servant Leadership
—Robert Greenleaf
The Human Side of Enterprise
—Douglas McGregor
The Manager’s Book of Decencies: How Small
gestures Build Great Companies. —Steve
Harrison
Hostmanship: The Art of Making People Feel
Welcome —Jan Gunnarsson and Olle Blohm
The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing that
Changes Everything —Stephen M.R. Covey and
Rebecca Merrill
The Dream Manager —Matthew Kelly
The Customer Comes Second: Put Your
People First and Watch ’em Kick Butt
—Hal Rosenbluth and Diane McFerrin Peters
"We all start out in life loving our fathers and mothers above
everything else in the world, but that does not close the
doors of love. That prepares us to love our wives and
husbands and children and friends and to cooperate with and
show respect to all worthy individuals with whom we come in
contact or have an opportunity to reach in other ways. We
must apply that to nations and to other businesses.
"We in IBM must not confine our thoughts just to IBM. We
must extend our cooperation to all other businesses whether
we do business with them or not. We are one cog in the
industrial wheel.
"Then as citizens we must extend our respect to all worthy
people in all nations. We are moving along in troublesome
times, but the love of these various things of which I have
spoken and of the people in whom we are interested is going
to be the great force which will make us all appreciate the
spiritual values which constitute the only solid foundation on
which we can build."
—Thomas J. Watson, Sr. address to IBM Sales and Service
Class 525 and Customer Engineers Class 528,
IBM Country Club, Endicott, NY, October 30, 1941
Wherefore The Impact Of
Superior Management
Practice on Increased
Human Welfare and the
Pursuit of Happiness*
and Excellence?
Tom Peters/16 September 2007
Wherefore The Impact Of Superior
Management Practice on Increased
Human Welfare and the Pursuit of
Happiness* and
Excellence?
Wherefore The Impact Of Superior Management
Practice on Increased Human Welfare and the
Pursuit of
Happiness*
and Excellence?
*“To Aristotle eudaimonia was what the good
life was all about. The complex Greek word is usually
translated as ‘happiness,’ but Aristotle means
something else. Happiness to Aristotle is not a state
but an activity. It is not lying on a beach with a glass
of wine and a book, nor having wanton sex with the
person of your dreams. Eudaimonia is better
translated as ‘flourishing,’ or doing your best with what
you are best at.” —Charles Handy, Myself and More Important Matters
Given that most adults work-“live” for
most of their adult life in organizations
(or, as a solo practitioner, within a web
of organizations) …
Given that Effective Management is the
principal mechanism through which
Organizational Effectiveness is realized …
Then it follows that “effective” management
is the engine of human growth
(micro-level) and economic well-being
(macro-level) …
EXCELLENCE AND ENTREPRENEURIAL ENTERPRISE
AND HUMAN FREEDOM AND GROWTH:
Effective enterprise always, but today (the creative age)
more than ever, is a product of maximizing
human freedom to create and serve.
Organizations exist to serve. Period.
Leaders exist to serve. Period.
Respond to customers’ desires with products and
services and experiences (think Cirque du Soleil) that
are “gaspworthy,” and a lot of “other issues” will
mostly take care of themselves.
BMW says “radically thrilling” sells cars—and I agree, for
the country store in Vermont as well … and for the IS
process devised by the purchasing professional in a
24-person office in Omaha.
Only in touch (MBWA—Managing By Wandering Around)
leaders inspire commitment from their talent.
EXCELLENCE AND ENTREPRENEURIAL ENTERPRISE
AND HUMAN FREEDOM AND GROWTH:
Only “in love” leaders (outrageously excited by
their product and service) inspire commitment from
their talent.
Want “all this” (see above)? It’s the people, stupid!
Maximum human freedom and betterment and growth is
achieved under conditions of free markets and free
people, governed by law and acknowledging the sanctity
of contracts (Hayek), which are in turn the product of
education and infrastructure which maximizes the
likelihood of and support for entrepreneurial people and
entrepreneurial organizations.
Entrepreneurs with the freedom and support to start
and nurture new businesses are the cornerstone of
the economy. (Said entrepreneurs replace, like cell
replacement, the current ruling firms—or at the very
least wake those firms up to the possibility of rebirth.)
EXCELLENCE AND ENTREPRENEURIAL ENTERPRISE
AND HUMAN FREEDOM AND GROWTH:
Entrepreneurs with
Individual Independence of
Mind/Entrepreneurial Spirit = “Brand You”
= Maximized organizational and social
effectiveness.
Education that unleashes human creativity
and the entrepreneurial instinct maximizes
longterm economic growth and realized
human potential.
EXCELLENCE AND ENTREPRENEURIAL ENTERPRISE
AND HUMAN FREEDOM AND GROWTH:
Free Markets maximize Entrepreneurial Opportunities
which in turn Maximize Growth.
Progress, as commonly defined and through an
American lens: Declaration of Independence (all equal,
pursuit of happiness); Bill of Rights (e.g., free speech);
freedom of commerce; Entrepreneurial Opportunity;
effective, efficient, minimalist Infrastructure
(transportation, financial stability, available financing,
access to financing, transparency); laws > men;
enforceability of contracts = FREEDOM TO SUCCEED.
“Agile organizations” win—in markets and in wars. Agile
organizations are the product of people who are
committed and have the freedom to act and create—
from the checkout to the lab.
The new tech-tools offer astounding “power to the
people”—this is a wonderful expansion of human
freedom and an incredible opportunity for organizations
that become fullscale players in the New Regime.
EXCELLENCE AND ENTREPRENEURIAL ENTERPRISE
AND HUMAN FREEDOM AND GROWTH:
The new tech-tools offer astounding “power to
the people”—this is a wonderful expansion of
human freedom and an incredible opportunity
for organizations that become fullscale players
in the New Regime.
Cherish the mid-size organizations—they add
incredible value directly and as a spur to
others. (Think Germany’s Mittelstand—the
basis for that nations global leadership as an
exporter despite high wages and
encompassing social benefits.)
END
Part 10
END
MASTER
EXCELLE
ALWAYS.