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Transcript of EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS. Tom Peters/KillerCombo/22April2006.
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.Tom Peters/“KillerCombo”/22April2006
“Organizations are not machines. That has been the central message of all my books. They are living communities of
individuals. To describe them we need to use the language of communities and the language of
individuals. That means a mix of words we use in politics and in ordinary everyday life. The essential
task of leadership (a word from political theory, unlike the word ‘manager’) is to combine the aspirations and needs of individuals with the
purposes of the larger community to which they all belong.” —Charles Handy
P.P.E.E.R.E.
People.Product.
Execution.Enthusiasm.Relentless.Excellence.
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
Slides at …
tompeters.com
EXCELLENCE.
1982.
Excellence1982: The Bedrock “Eight Basics”
1. A Bias for Action2. Close to the Customer3. Autonomy and Entrepreneurship4. Productivity Through People5. Hands On, Value-Driven6. Stick to the Knitting7. Simple Form, Lean Staff8. Simultaneous Loose-Tight Properties”
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.
ExIn*: 1982-2002/Forbes.com
DJIA: $10,000 yields $85,500 EI: $10,000 yields $140,050
*Excellence Index /Basket of 32 publicly traded stocks
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
Synonyms
PurityTranscendence
VirtueEleganceMajesty
Antonyms
Mediocrity
The Peters Principles: Enthusiasm.
Emotion. Excellence. Energy. Excitement. Service. Growth.
Creativity. Imagination. Vitality. Joy. Surprise. Independence. Spirit. Community. Limitless human potential. Diversity. Profit. Innovation. Design.
Quality. Entrepreneurialism. Wow.
Business* ** (*at its best): An emotional, vital, innovative, joyful,
creative, entrepreneurial endeavor that elicits
maximum concerted human potential in the
wholehearted service of others.***
**Excellence. Always.***Employees, Customers, Suppliers, Communities, Owners, Temporary partners
Business: The Ultimate Creative
Endeavor.
Business: The Ultimate Personal
Development-Growth
Experience.
Business: The Ultimate
Transcendent Service
Opportunity.
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
Great Companies … SET THE
AGENDA.*
(Period.)
* “disturb the sleep of …
AGENDA SETTERS: “Set the Table”/ Pioneers/ Questors/ Adventurers
US Steel … Ford … Toyota … Sears … GM … ITT … The Gap … Limited …
Wal*Mart … Tesco … P&G … 3M … Intel … IBM … Apple … Nokia …
Cisco … Dell … MCI … Sun … Microsoft … Google … Enron …
Schwab … GE … Laker … Southwest … People Express … Ogilvy … Virgin
… eBay … Amazon … Sony … Amgen … BMW … CNN … Nike
“But what if [former head of strategic planning at Royal Dutch Shell] Arie De Geus is wrong in suggesting, in The
Living Company, that firms should aspire to live forever? Greatness is fleeting and, for corporations, it
will become ever more fleeting. The ultimate aim of a business organization, an artist, an athlete or a stockbroker may be to explode in a dramatic frenzy of value creation during a
short space of time, rather than to live forever.” —Kjell Nordström and Jonas Ridderstråle, Funky Business
Donnelly’s Weatherstrip
Service
Weymouth MA
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
First-level Scientific Success:
Beyond Brains
First-level Scientific Success
The smartest guy in the room wins”
Or …
First-level Scientific Success
FanaticismPersistence-Dogged Tenacity
Patience (long haul/decades)-Impatience (in a hurry/”do it yesterday”)
PassionEnergy
Relentlessness (Grant-ian)
EnthusiasmDriven (nuts!)
(Brutal?) CompetitivenessEntrepreneurialPragmatic (R.F!A.)
Scrounge (“gets” the logistics-infrastructure bit)
Master of Politics (internal-external)Tactical Genius
Pursuit of (Oceanic) Excellence!High EQ/Skillful in Attracting + Keeping Talent/Magnetic
Prolific (“ground up more pig brains”)
Egocentric
Sense of History-DestinyFuturistic-In the Moment
Mono-dimensional (“Work-life balance”? Ha!)
Exceptionally IntelligentExceptionally Clever (methodological shortcuts/methodological genius)
Luck
First-level Scientific Success/Short Form
Scientific Success (Nobel-level) = Genius +
Execution + Master of Soft Skills + Enthusiasm + Magnetism + Destiny
(sense of) + Energy
Biz Bonanza Success = DDMMSTERL/
"D-squared, M-squared, STERL” = DramaticDifference + “Business”
Acumen/Money + Good “Marketing” Instinct/“Ice-to-
Eskimos” Sales Skills + Stellar Talent + Aim for Excellence +
Resilience/Tenacity/Adaptability + Luck (The “Necessary Nine”: What Every Small Biz
Requires to Excel.) (Big, too.)
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
Summary:
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 “mini-Wal*Mart.)
*Never attack the monsters head on! (Instead steal niche business and lukewarm customers.)
*“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, Vendors. (BEAT THE BIGGIES ON EMOTION/CONNECTION!!)
$798
$415/SqFt/Wal*Mart$798/SqFt/Whole
Foods
7X. 730A-800P.
F12A.**’93-’03/10 yr annual return: CB: 29%; WM: 17%;
HD: 16%. Mkt Cap: 48% p.a.
EXCELLENCE?
ALWAYS?
Franchise Lost!
TP: “How many of you [600] really
crave a new Chevy?”
NYC/IIR/061205
This is not a “mature
category.”
This is an “undistinguishe
d category.”
“The ‘surplus society’ has a surplus of
similar companies, employing
similar people, with
similar educational backgrounds,
coming up with similar ideas,
producing similar things, with
similar prices and similar quality.”
Kjell Nordström and Jonas Ridderstråle, Funky Business
The “Small Guys” Guide: Wallop Wal*Mart16
*Niche-aimed. (Never, ever “all things for all people,” a “mini-Wal*Mart.)
*Never attack the monsters head on! (Instead steal niche business and lukewarm customers.)
*“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, Vendors. (BEAT THE BIGGIES ON EMOTION/CONNECTION!!)
“This is an essay about what it takes to create and sell something remarkable. It is a plea for originality, passion, guts and daring. You can’t be remarkable by following someone else who’s remarkable. One way to
figure out a theory is to look at what’s working in the real world and determine what the successes have in common. But what could the Four Seasons and Motel 6 possibly have in common? Or Neiman-Marcus and Wal*Mart? Or Nokia (bringing out new hardware every 30 days or so) and
Nintendo (marketing the same Game Boy 14 years in a row)? It’s like trying
to drive looking in the rearview mirror. The thing that all these companies
have in common is that they have nothing in common. They
are outliers. They’re on the fringes. Superfast or superslow. Very exclusive or very cheap. Extremely big or extremely small. The reason it’s so hard to follow the leader is this: The leader is the leader precisely because he did something remarkable. And that remarkable thing is now taken—so it’s no
longer remarkable when you decide to do it.” —Seth Godin, Fast Company/02.2003
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 star! (“Sell” local-ness per se. Sell the hell out of it!)
*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-in-pursuit-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-regional-niche “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!)
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
Donnelly’s Weatherstrip
Service
Weymouth MA
25
Cirque du Soleil!
And the Winner is …
1. Audacity of Vision2. Innovation/R&D/Design3. Talent Acquisition & Development4. Resultant “Experience”5. Strategic Alliances6. Operations7. Financial Management8. Overall/Sustaining Excellence9. “Wow!”10. Lovemark!
Tattoo Brand: What % of users would tattoo the brand name on their
body?
Top 10 “Tattoo Brands”*
Harley .… 18.9%Disney .... 14.8
Coke …. 7.7Google .... 6.6Pepsi .... 6.1Rolex …. 5.6Nike …. 4.6
Adidas …. 3.1Absolut …. 2.6
Nintendo …. 1.5
*BRANDsense: Build Powerful Brands through Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight, and Sound, Martin Lindstrom
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
$55B
And the “M” Stands for … ?
Gerstner’s IBM: “Systems Integrator of choice.”/BW
(“Lou, help us turn ‘all this’ into that long-promised ‘revolution.’ ” )
IBM Global Services* (*Integrated Systems
Services Corp.): $55B
“By making the Global Delivery Model both legitimate and mainstream, we have brought the battle to our territory. That is, after all, the purpose of strategy. We have become the leaders, and incumbents [IBM, Accenture]
are followers, forever playing catch-up. … However, creating a new business innovation is not enough for rules to be changed. The
innovation must impact clients, competitors, investors, and society. We have seen all this in spades. Clients have embraced the model and are
demanding it in even greater measure. The acuteness of their circumstance, coupled with the capability and value of our solution, has made the choice not a choice. Competitors have been dragged kicking
and screaming to replicate what we do. They face trauma and disruption,
but the game has changed forever. Investors have grasped that this is not a passing
fancy, but a potential restructuring of the way the world
operates and how value will be created in the future.” —Narayana Murthy,
chairman’s letter, Infosys Annual Report
“Big Brown’s New Bag: UPS
Aims to Be the Traffic Manager for Corporate
America” —Headline/BW/2004
“SCS”/Supply Chain Solutions: 750 locations;
$2.5B; fastest growing division; 19 acquisitions,
including a bank
Source: Fast Company
And …
MasterCard Advisors
Huge: Customer Satisfaction versus Customer
Success
EXCELLENCE?
ALWAYS?
“ ‘Disintermediation’ is overrated. Those who fear disintermediation should in fact be afraid of
irrelevance—disintermediation is just another way
of saying that … you’ve become
irrelevant to your
customers.”
—John Battelle/Point/Advertising Age/07.05
Chicago:
HRMAC
“support function” / “cost center” /
“bureaucratic drag”
or …
Are you … “Rock Stars of the
Age of Talent”
DD$21M
A review of Jack and Suzy Welch’s Winning claims there are but two key differentiators that set GE “culture” apart from the herd:
First: Separating financial forecasting and performance measurement. Performance measurement based, as it usually is, on budgeting leads to an epidemic of gaming the system. GE’s performance measurement is divorced from budgeting—and instead reflects how you do relative to your past performance and relative to competitors’ performance; ie it’s about how you actually do in the context of what happened in the real world, not as compared to a gamed-abstract plan developed last year.
Second: Putting HR on a par with finance and marketing.
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
“support function” / “cost center” /
“bureaucratic drag”
or …
Answer:
PSF
Core Mechanism:“Game-changing Solutions”
PSF (Professional Service Firm “model”/The Organizing Principle)
+
Brand You(“Distinct” or “Extinct”/The Talent)
+
Wow! Projects (“Different” vs “Better”/The Work)
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
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 Aims7. 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”
?????
Do good (excellent?!) work
Make a lot of money
Point of
View!
PSF + BY + WP +
DD + E = UVA
PSF (Professional Service Firm) + BY (Brand You) + WP (WOW Projects) +
DD (Dramatic Difference)
+ E (Excellence) = UVA (Unassailable
Value-Added)
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
Answer:
PSF
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
Trapper: <$20 per beaver pelt.
Source: WSJ
WDCP*: $150 to remove
“problem beaver”; $750-$1,000 for flood-control
piping … so that beavers can stay.
* “Wildlife Damage-control Professional”
Source: WSJ
Answer:
PSF
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
Fleet Manager
Rolling Stock Cost Minimization Officer
vs/or
Chief of Fleet Lifetime Value Maximization
Strategic Supply-chain Executive
Customer Experience Director (via drivers)
“Big Brown’s New Bag: UPS
Aims to Be the Traffic Manager for Corporate
America” —Headline/BW/2004
“Purchasing Officer” Thrust #1: Cost (at All Costs*) Minimization
Professional? Or/to: Full Partner-Leader in Lifetime
Value-added Maximization?
(*Lopez: “Arguably ‘Villain #1’ in GM tragedy”/Anon VSE-Spain)
HCare CIO: “Technology Executive” (workin’ in a hospital)
Or/to: Full-scale, Accountable (life or death)
Member-Partner of XYZ Hospital’s Senior Healing-Services Team (who happens to be a techie)
Answer:
PSF
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
Lead It:
New “C-
Levels”
CXO*
*Chief eXperience Officer
CFO*
*Chief Festivals Officer
CCO*
*Chief Conversations Officer
CSO*
*Chief Seduction Officer
CL O*
*Chief Lovemark Officer
CDM*
*Chief Dream Merchant
CPI**Chief Portal Impresario
CWO*
*Chief WOW Officer
CSTO*
*Chief Storytelling Officer
CRO*
*Chief Revenue Officer
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
Flower Power!
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
Better By Design: A National Strategy
NZ = Design
Excellence
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
“Management has a lot to do with answers. Leadership is a function of questions. And the
first question for a leader always
is: ‘Who do we intend to be?’ Not ‘What are we going to do?’
but ‘Who do we intend to be?’” —Max De Pree, Herman Miller
“In 1933, Thomas J. Watson Sr. gave a speech at the World’s
Fair, ‘World Peace through
World Trade.’ We stood for
something, right?” —Sam Palmisano
Ah, kids: “What is your vision for the future?” “What have you accomplished since your first book?” “Close your eyes and imagine me immediately doing something about what
you’ve just said. What would it be?” “Do you feel you have an obligation to ‘Make the world a
better place’?”
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
Charles Handy on the “Alchemists”:
“Passion was what drove
these people, passion for
their product, passion for their cause. If you care enough, you will
find out what you need to know. Or you will experiment and not
worry if the experiment goes wrong. Passion as
the secret to learning is an odd secret to propose, but I believe
that it works at all levels and at all ages. Sadly,
passion is not a
word often heard in the elephant organizations, nor in schools, where it can seem disruptive.”
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!
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
Organizing Genius / Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman
“Groups become great only when everyone in them, leaders and
members alike, is free to do his or her absolute best.”
“The best thing a leader can do for a
Great Group is to allow its members to discover their
greatness.”
Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“free to do his or her absolute best” …
“allow its members to discover their
greatness.”
“We are a ‘Life
Success’ Company’
Dave Liniger, founder, RE/MAX
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
Core Mechanism:“Game-changing Solutions”
PSF (Professional Service Firm “model”/The Organizing Principle)
+
Brand You(“Distinct” or “Extinct”/The Talent)
+
Wow! Projects (“Different” vs “Better”/The Work)
“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
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist,
that is all.” –Oscar Wilde
“Make your life itself a creative work of art.” —Mike Ray, The Highest Goal
“This is the true joy of Life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one … the being a
force of Nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of
ailments and grievances complaining that the world
will not devote itself to making you happy.” —GB Shaw/
Man and Superman
Will you actually remember it as worthwhile 10
years from now?” —S.H.
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and
precious life?” —Mary
Oliver
A “position” is not an
“accomplishment.”
—TP
“One who does less
than he can is a thief.”
—Gandhi
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
“The First step in a ‘dramatic’
‘organizational change program’ is obvious—
dramatic personal change!” —RG
“You must
be the
change you wish to see in the
world.”Gandhi
“To change minds effectively, leaders make
particular use of two tools: the stories
that they tell and the lives that they lead.” —
Howard Gardner, Changing Minds
MBWA**HS/25+
25
You = Your calendar*
*Calendars NEVER lie!!
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
4/40Tom Peters/Novosibirsk/14 April 2006
De-cent-ral-iz-a-tion!
Ex-e-cu-
tion!
Ac-count-a-bil-ity!
6:15A.M.
De-cent-ral-iz-a-tion!
“‘Decentralization’ is not a piece of paper. It’s not me. It’s either in
your heart, or not.”
—Brian Joffe/BIDvest
“No Need for Economies of Scale: Illinois Tool Revs Up Innovation by Keeping
Its 655 Units Separate and Focused”
Source: Headline, BW, 1031.05 (“commodity” producer; R&D = 1%; Top 100 patent recipient—66th in ’04) ($12B rev in ’04; CEO David Speer: focus, lean, customer intimacy,
entrepreneurial, employee participation)
“HOW THE COAST GUARD GETS IT RIGHT” —Headline, Time, 10.31.2005
*Autonomy*Flexibility*“Perhaps the most important distinction of the Coast Guard is that it trusts itself”
Ex-e-cu-
tion!
“Ninety percent of what we call
‘management’ consists of making
it difficult for people to get
things done.” – Peter Drucker
TP/BW on BigCo Sin #1:
“too much talk, too little do”
“Execution is the job of
the business leader.” —Larry Bossidy & Ram
Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
“Execution is a
systematic process of rigorously
discussing hows and whats, tenaciously following through, and
ensuring accountability.” —Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
“We have a ‘strategic plan.’ It’s
called doing things.” — Herb Kelleher
“This is so simple it sounds stupid, but it is amazing how few oil people really
understand that you only find oil if you drill wells. You may
think you’re finding it when you’re drawing maps and
studying logs, but you have to drill.”
Source: The Hunters, by John Masters, Canadian O & G wildcatter
“While many people big oil finds with big companies, over the years
about 80 percent of the oil found in the United States has been
brought in by wildcatters such as Mr Findley, says Larry Nation,
spokesman for the American Association of Petroleum
Geologists.” —WSJ, “Wildcat Producer Sparks Oil
Boom in Montana,” 0405.2006
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
Ex-e-cu-
tion!
“I saw that leaders placed too much emphasis on what some call ‘high-level strategy,’ on
intellectualizing and philosophizing, and not enough
on implementation. People would agree on a project or initiative—and then nothing
would come of it.” —Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
“The person who is a little less conceptual but is absolutely determined to succeed will usually find the
right people and get them together to achieve objectives. I’m not knocking education or looking for
dumb people. But if you have to choose between someone with a
staggering IQ and an elite education who’s gliding along,
and someone with a lower IQ but who is absolutely determined to succeed, you’ll always do better with the second person.” —Larry
Bossidy/Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
“You only find oil if
you drill wells.”
Source: The Hunters, by John Masters, Canadian O & G wildcatter
Ac-count-a-bil-ity!
“Realism is the heart of execution.”
—Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
“robust dialogue”
—Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
“GE has set a standard of candor.
… There is no puffery. … There isn’t an ounce of
denial in the place.” —
Kevin Sharer, CEO Amgen, on the “GE mystique” (Fortune)
6:15A.M.
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
“Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm.”
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
Insanely Great Language!
“Insanely Great.”
—Steve Jobs
Radically Thrilling Language!
“Radically Thrilling.”
—BMW Z4 (ad)
“Astonish me!” /S.D.
“Build something great!” /H.Y.
“Make it immortal!” /D.O.
Gaspworthy!
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
The greatest dangerfor most of us
is not that our aim istoo high
and we miss it,but that it is
too lowand we reach it.
Michelangelo
Stay Hungry.
Stay Foolish.
Steve Jobs
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
“It’s always
showtime.”
—David D’Alessandro, Career Warfare
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
XCELLENC ALWAYS.
!
All You Need to Know*
*more or less
In The Beginnin
g
X82/Excellence1982: The Bedrock “Eight Basics”
1. A Bias for Action2. Close to the Customer3. Autonomy and Entrepreneurship4. Productivity Through People5. Hands On, Value-Driven6. Stick to the Knitting7. Simple Form, Lean Staff8. Simultaneous Loose-Tight Properties”
ExIn*: 1982-2002/Forbes.com
DJIA: $10,000 yields $85,500 EI: $10,000 yields $140,050
*Excellence Index/Basket of 32 publicly traded stocks
Yikes
China!
China!
China!
China
Ch
THREE BILLION NEW CAPITALISTS
—Clyde Prestowitz
New Economy?!
Sergey + Larry > Harvard
“the metabolically
dominant soldier”
Source: Radical Evolution: The Promise and Peril of Enhancing Our Minds, Our Bodies—and What It Means to Be Human, Joel Garreau
“The corporation as we know it, which is now 120
years old, is not likely to survive
the next 25 years. Legally and financially, yes, but not
structurally and economically.” —Peter Drucker
“This is a dangerous world and it is going to become more
dangerous.”
“We may not be interested in chaos
but chaos is interested in us.”
Source: Robert Cooper, The Breaking of Nations: Order and Chaos in the Twenty-first Century
H5N1
Cause
“Create a ‘cause,’ not a ‘business.’’
—Gary Hamel
“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 , trust.” —Howard Schultz, Starbucks (IBD/09.05)
“Management has a lot to do with answers. Leadership is a function of
questions. And the first question
for a leader always is: ‘Who do we intend to be?’ Not ‘What are we going to do?’ but ‘Who do we intend to
be?’” —Max De Pree, Herman Miller
“I never, ever thought of myself as a businessman.
I was interested in creating things
I would be proud of.” —Richard Branson
Quest
“I don’t know.”
Source: Karl Weick
“Groups become great only when everyone in them, leaders and members alike, is free to do his or her absolute best.”“The best thing a leader can do
for a Great Group is to allow its members to discover their
greatness.”
Source: Organizing Genius/Warren Bennis & Patricia Ward Biederman
Leadership’s Mt Everest
“free to do his or her absolute
best” …
“allow its members to
discover their greatness.”
“The role of the Director is to create a
space where the actor or actress can become more than they’ve ever been before, more than
they’ve dreamed of being.” —Robert Altman, Oscar
acceptance
“We are a ‘Life
Success’ Company”
—Dave Liniger, RE/MAX
“In the end, management doesn’t
change culture. Management invites the workforce itself
to change the culture.”
—Lou Gerstner
Artist
Leader Job 1
Paint Portraits of
Excellence!
Point of
View!
Best Story
“Storytelling
is the core of culture.”
—Branded Nation: The Marketing of Megachurch, College Inc., and Museumworld, James Twitchell
“It is necessary for the President to be
the nation’s No. 1 actor.”
FDR
People
“Leaders
‘do’ people.” —Anon.
Les Wexner: From sweaters to
people!
“Connoisseur of Talent”
Source: Colleague on PARC’s Bob Taylor
Did We Say “Talent Matters”?
“The top software developers are more productive than
average software developers not by a factor of 10X or 100X,
or even 1,000X,
but
10,000X.”
—Nathan Myhrvold, former Chief Scientist, Microsoft
“We believe companies can increase their market cap 50 percent in 3 years. Steve Macadam at Georgia-
Pacific changed 20 of his 40 box plant managers to put more talented, higher paid
managers in charge. He
increased profitability from $25 million to $80
million in 2 years.” —Ed Michaels, War for Talent
Brand =
Talent.
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
DD$21M
A review of Jack and Suzy Welch’s Winning claims there are but two key differentiators that set GE “culture” apart from the herd:
First: Separating financial forecasting and performance measurement. Performance measurement based, as it usually is, on budgeting leads to an epidemic of gaming the system. GE’s performance measurement is divorced from budgeting—and instead reflects how you do relative to your past performance and relative to competitors’ performance; ie it’s about how you actually do in the context of what happened in the real world, not as compared to a gamed-abstract plan developed last year.
Second: Putting HR on a par with finance and marketing.
People
Employees: “Are there enough weird people in the lab
these days?”V. Chmn., pharmaceutical house, to a lab director
Decency
“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
Amen!
“What creates trust, in the end,
is the leader’s manifest respect
for the followers.”
— Jim O’Toole, Leading Change
“I have always believed that the
purpose of the corporation is to be
a blessing to the employees.” —Boyd Clarke
Grace
Rodale’s on “Grace” …
elegance … charm … loveliness … poetry in motion … kindliness ..
benevolence … benefaction … compassion … beauty
“Thank you”
“The two most powerful things in existence: a kind
word and a thoughtful
gesture.” —Ken Langone
“The deepest human
need is the need to be
appreciated.”—William James
Intangibles
“Hard is soft. Soft is hard.”*
*In Search of Excellence
“Organizations are not machines. That has been the central message of
all my books. They are living communities of individuals. To describe them we need to use the language of
communities and the language of individuals. That means a mix of words we
use in politics and in ordinary everyday life. The essential task of leadership (a word
from political theory, unlike the word ‘manager’) is to combine the aspirations
and needs of individuals with the purposes of the larger community to which they all
belong.” —Charles Handy
Message: Leadership is all about love! [Passion, Enthusiasms, Appetite for Life,
Engagement, Commitment, Great Causes & Determination to Make a
Damn Difference, Shared Adventures, Bizarre Failures, Growth, Insatiable Appetite for Change.] [Otherwise, why bother?
Just read Dilbert. TP’s final words: CYNICISM STINKS.]
Self-management
“The First step in a ‘dramatic’
‘organizational change program’ is obvious—
dramatic personal change!” —RG
You = Your
Calendar
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
—Gandhi
“To change minds effectively, leaders make particular use
of two tools: the stories they tell and
the lives they lead.” —Howard Gardner, Changing Minds
“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
MBWA
“You can’t lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a
horse.” —John Peers, President, Logical Machine
Corporation
>25
Curiosity
“Why?”
Ears
“If you don’t listen, you don’t sell
anything.”
—Carolyn Marland/MD/Guardian Group
Conformity
“While everything may
be better, it is also
increasingly the same.”—Paul Goldberger on retail, “The Sameness
of Things,” The New York Times
“To grow, companies need to break out of
a vicious cycle of competitive
benchmarking and imitation.” —W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne,
“Think for Yourself —Stop Copying a Rival,” Financial Times/08.11.03
“The short road to ruin is to emulate the
methods of your adversary.”
— Winston Churchill
Conformity
“The Bottleneck is at the Top of the Bottle”“Where are you likely to find people with the least diversity of
experience, the largest investment in the past, and the greatest reverence for industry dogma?
At the top!”
— Gary Hamel/“Strategy or Revolution”/Harvard Business Review
Dramatic Difference
Point of View!/Point of Dramatic Difference!
PSF!
Donnelly’s Weatherstrip
Service
Weymouth MA
The “Small Guys” Guide: Wallop Wal*Mart16
*Niche-aimed. (Never, ever “all things for all people,” a “mini-Wal*Mart.)
*Never attack the monsters head on! (Instead steal niche business and lukewarm customers.)
*“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, Vendors. (BEAT THE BIGGIES ON EMOTION/CONNECTION!!)
“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
“[Immelt] is now identifying technologies with which GE
will … systematically set out to build
entirely new industries” —Strategy+Business, Fall
2005
Great Companies … SET THE
AGENDA.*
(Period.)
* “disturb the sleep of …
AGENDA SETTERS: “Set the Table”/ Pioneers/ Questors/ Adventurers
US Steel … Ford … Toyota … Sears … GM … ITT … The Gap … Limited …
Wal*Mart … Tesco … P&G … 3M … Intel … IBM … Apple … Nokia …
Cisco … Dell … MCI … Sun … Microsoft … Google … Enron …
Schwab … GE … Laker … Southwest … People Express … Ogilvy … Virgin
… eBay … Amazon … Sony … Amgen … BMW … CNN … Nike
“But what if [former head of strategic planning at Royal Dutch Shell] Arie De Geus is wrong in suggesting, in The
Living Company, that firms should aspire to live forever? Greatness is fleeting and, for corporations, it
will become ever more fleeting. The ultimate aim of a business organization, an artist, an athlete or a stockbroker may be to explode in a dramatic frenzy of value creation during a
short space of time, rather than to live forever.” —Kjell Nordström and Jonas Ridderstråle, Funky Business
Action
“Ninety percent of what we call
‘management’ consists of making
it difficult for people to get
things done.” – Peter Drucker
“Execution is the job of
the business leader.” —Larry Bossidy & Ram
Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
“Execution is a
systematic process of rigorously
discussing hows and whats, tenaciously following through, and
ensuring accountability.” —Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
“The person who is a little less conceptual but is absolutely determined to succeed will usually find the
right people and get them together to achieve objectives. I’m not knocking education or looking for
dumb people. But if you have to choose between someone with a
staggering IQ and an elite education who’s gliding along,
and someone with a lower IQ but who is absolutely determined to succeed, you’ll always do better with the second person.” —Larry
Bossidy/Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
“Realism is the heart of execution.”
—Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
“GE has set a standard of candor.
… There is no puffery. … There isn’t an ounce of
denial in the place.” —
Kevin Sharer, CEO Amgen, on the “GE mystique” (Fortune)
“We have a ‘strategic’ plan. It’s
called doing things.”
— Herb Kelleher
“This is so simple it sounds stupid, but it is amazing how few oil people really
understand that you only find oil if you drill wells. You may
think you’re finding it when you’re drawing maps and
studying logs, but you have to drill.”
Source: The Hunters, by John Masters, Canadian O & G wildcatter
“You only find oil if
you drill wells.”
Source: The Hunters, by John Masters, Canadian O & G wildcatter
“Never forget implementation
boys. In our work it’s what I call the ‘missing 98
percent’ of the client puzzle.” —Al
McDonald
Try ItTry ItTry It
“Fail faster. Succeed sooner.”
—David Kelley/IDEO
Sam’s Secret
#1!
4/40
De-cent-ral-iz-a-tion!
Ex-e-cu-
tion!
Ac-count-a-bil-ity!
6:15A.M.
Focus
“Dennis, you need a ‘To-don’t ’
List !”
“I used to have a rule for myself that at any point in time I
wanted to have in mind — as it so happens, also in writing, on a little card I carried around with me — the three big things I was
trying to get done.
Three. Not two.
Not four. Not five. Not ten. Three.”
— Richard Haass, The Power to Persuade
“We will not, I repeat not,
pretend to be ‘all things to all people.’” —CEO, Investec (03.06)
K.I.S.S.
“One bank is currently claiming to ‘leverage its
global footprint to provide effective financial solutions
for its customers by providing a gateway to
diverse markets.’ I assume that it is just saying that it is there to help its customers wherever they are.” —Charles
Handy
450/8
Danger: S.I.O.
(Strategic Initiative Overload)
“I wanted GE to operate with the speed, informality,
and open communication of a corner store. Corner
stores often have strategy right. With their limited resources, they have to
rely on laser-like focus on doing one thing very well.”
—Jack Welch/Fortune/04.05
Change
“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like
irrelevance even less.” —General Eric Shinseki, Chief of Staff. U. S. Army
“We eat change for breakfast!
—Harry Quadracci, QuadGraphics
“I’m not comfortable
unless I’m uncomfortable.
”—Jay Chiat
“The most successful people are those who are good at
‘plan B.’” —James Yorke,
mathematician, on chaos theory in The New Scientist
Change
We become who we hang
out with!
Measure “Strangeness”/Portfolio Quality
StaffConsultants
VendorsOut-sourcing Partners (#, Quality)
Innovation Alliance PartnersCustomers
Competitors (who we “benchmark” against)
Strategic Initiatives Product Portfolio (LineEx v. Leap)
IS/IT ProjectsHQ LocationLunch Mates
LanguageBoard
“Don’t benchmark, futuremark!
” Impetus: “The future is already here; it’s just
not evenly distributed” —William Gibson
“[Immelt] is now identifying technologies with which GE
will … systematically set out to build
entirely new industries” —Strategy+Business, Fall
2005
Forget
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
BigChange
No Wiggle Room!
“Incrementalism
is innovation’s worst enemy.”
Nicholas Negroponte
“Beware of the tyranny of making Small
Changes to Small Things.
Rather, make Big Changes to
Big Things.” —Roger
Enrico, former Chairman, PepsiCo
Five MYTHS About Changing Behavior
*Crisis is a powerful impetus for change*Change is motivated by fear*The facts will set us free
*Small, gradual changes are always easier to make and sustain*We can’t change because our brains become “hardwired” early in life
Source: Fast Company/05.2005
“Wealth in this new regime flows directly from innovation, not optimization. That is,
wealth is not gained by perfecting the known,
but by imperfectly seizing the unknown.” —
Kevin Kelly, New Rules for the New Economy
“Reward excellent failures.
Punish mediocre
successes.”Phil Daniels, Sydney exec
BigBiggerBiggest??????
“I don’t believe in
economies of scale. You don’t get better by being bigger. You get worse.” —
Dick Kovacevich/Wells Fargo/Forbes/08.04 (ROA: Wells, 1.7%; Citi, 1.5%; BofA, 1.3%;
J.P. Morgan Chase, 0.9%)
“I am often asked by would-be entrepreneurs seeking escape from life within huge corporate structures, ‘How do I build a small firm for myself?’ The
answer seems obvious: Buy a very large one and just wait.”
—Paul Ormerod, Why Most Things Fail: Evolution, Extinction and Economics
“Forbes100” from 1917 to 1987: 39 members of the Class of ’17 were
alive in ’87; 18 in ’87 F100; 18 F100 “survivors” underperformed the
market by 20%; just 2 (2%), GE &
Kodak, outperformed the market 1917 to 1987.
S&P 500 from 1957 to 1997: 74 members of the Class of ’57 were alive in ’97; 12 (2.4%) of 500 outperformed the market from
1957 to 1997.
Source: Dick Foster & Sarah Kaplan, Creative Destruction: Why Companies That Are Built to Last Underperform the Market
Exit, Stage Right …
CEO “departure” rate, 1995-2004:
+300%Source: Booz Allen Hamilton (per USA Today/06.13.05)
New Economy?!
Genentech09, Amgen09
> Merck09 (70K-3/394B-5)
Relentless
“This [adolescent] incident [of getting from point A to point B] is notable not only because it underlines Grant’s fearless
horsemanship and his determination, but also it is the first known
example of a very important peculiarity of his character:
Grant had an extreme, almost phobic dislike of
turning back and retracing his steps. If he set out for somewhere, he would get
there somehow, whatever the difficulties that lay in his way. This idiosyncrasy would turn out to be one the factors that made him
such a formidable general. Grant would always, always press on—
turning back was not an option for him.” —Michael Korda, Ulysses Grant
“It is no use saying ‘We are doing our best.’ You have got to succeed in doing
what is necessary.” —WSC
Agressive
Nelson’s secret: “[Other] admirals more frightened of losing than
anxious to win”
Speed
“We don’t sell
insurance anymore.
We sell speed.”
Peter Lewis, Progressive
Tempo
He who has the quickest
O.O.D.A. Loops* wins!
*Observe. Orient. Decide. Act. / Col. John Boyd
Richard & Kevin
Sir Richard’s Rules:
Follow your passions.Keep it simple.
Get the best people to help you.
Re-create yourself.Play.
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!
Passion & Enthusiasm
I am a dispenser of enthusiasm.
” —Ben Zander
“Nothing is so contagious
as enthusiasm.”
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge
“A man without a smiling face
must not open a shop.” —Chinese Proverb*
*Courtesy Tom Morris, The Art of Achievement
Hustle
“Most important,
he upped the energy level at Motorola.” —Fortune on Ed Zander/08.05
Sunny
Half-full Cups: “Ronald Reagan radiated
an almost transcendent
happiness.” —Lou Cannon
“A leader is a dealer in hope.” —Napoleon
Aim High
The greatest dangerfor most of us
is not that our aim istoo high
and we miss it,but that it is
too lowand we reach it.
Michelangelo
Get “better” vs
Get “different”
“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
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
Steve Jobs
Dream
“the wildest chimera of a moonstruck mind” —The Federalist on Jefferson’s
Louisiana Purchase
“Tell me, what is it you plan to
do with your one wild and
precious life?” —Mary Oliver
Create
“A focus on cost-cutting and efficiency has helped many organizations weather the
downturn, but this approach will
ultimately render them obsolete. Only the constant
pursuit of innovation can ensure long-term success.”
—Daniel Muzyka, Dean, Sauder School of Business, Univ of British Columbia (FT/09.17.04)
“Acquisitions are about buying market share.
Our challenge is to create markets. There is a big difference.” —Peter
Job, CEO, Reuters
Revenue
Top Line, Anyone?
Point (Advertising Age), to Phil Kotler: “Who should the CMO [Chief Marketing Officer] report to?”
Kotler: “Maybe a Chief Revenue Officer—the cost side has been squeezed, now companies have to focus
on top-line growth—or maybe a Chief Customer Officer. (TP: Or maybe both!)
CRO*
*Chief Revenue Officer
Women BuyWomen Lead
“Women are the
majority market”
—Fara Warner/The Power of the Purse
1. Men and women are different.2. Very different.3. VERY, VERY DIFFERENT.4. Women & Men have a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y nothing in common.5. Women buy lotsa stuff.
6. WOMEN BUY A-L-L THE STUFF.7. Women’s Market = Opportunity No. 1.8. Men are (STILL) in charge.9. MEN ARE … TOTALLY, HOPELESSLY CLUELESS ABOUT WOMEN.10. Women’s Market = Opportunity No. 1.
10. Women’s Market =
Opportunity No. 1.
“AS LEADERS, WOMEN
RULE: New Studies find that
female managers outshine their male counterparts in almost every measure”
Title, Special Report/BusinessWeek
“To be a leader in consumer
products, it’s critical to have
leaders who represent the population we
serve.” —Steve Reinemund/PepsiCo
Boomers Buy
Geezers Buy
2000-2010 Stats
18-44: -1%
55+: +21%(55-64: +47%)
44-65: “New Customer Majority” *
*45% larger than 18-43; 60% larger by 2010Source: Ageless Marketing, David Wolfe & Robert Snyder
SellSellSelll
. “Everyone lives by selling
something.”
– Robert Louis Stevenson
Value-added
And the “M” Stands for … ?
Gerstner’s IBM: “Systems Integrator of
choice.”
IBM Global Services: $55B
And …
MasterCard Advisors
Value-added
“ ‘Disintermediation’ is overrated. Those who fear disintermediation should in fact be afraid of
irrelevance—disintermediation is just another way
of saying that … you’ve become
irrelevant to your customers.”
—John Battelle/Point/Advertising Age/07.05
Answer: Professional Service Firm/PSF!
Department Head
to …
Managing
Partner, IS [HR, R&D, etc.] Inc.
Answer:
PSF
Best is not good
enough!
“Game-changing Solutions”: Core Mechanism
PSF (Professional Service Firm “model”)
+
Wow Projects (“Different” vs “Better”)
+
Brand You(“Distinct” or “Extinct”)
PSF!
Donnelly’s Weatherstrip
Service
Weymouth MA
Value-added
$798
$415/SqFt$798/SqFt
Experience
Experience: “Rebel Lifestyle!”
“What we sell is the ability for a 43-year-old accountant to dress in
black leather, ride through small towns and have people be
afraid of him.” —Harley exec, quoted in Results-Based
Leadership
Q: “Why did you buy Jordan’s Furniture?”
A: “Jordan’s is spectacular. It’s all
showmanship.Source: Warren Buffet interview/Boston Sunday Globe
One company’s answer:
CXO**Chief eXperience Officer
“We don’t have a good language to talk about this kind of thing. In
most people’s vocabularies, design means veneer. … But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning
of design. Design is the fundamental soul of a man-made creation.”
Steve Jobs
Love
Kevin Roberts:
Lovemarks!
Top 10 “Tattoo Brands”*
Harley .… 18.9%Disney .... 14.8
Coke …. 7.7Google .... 6.6Pepsi .... 6.1Rolex …. 5.6Nike …. 4.6
Adidas …. 3.1Absolut …. 2.6
Nintendo …. 1.5
*BRANDsense: Build Powerful Brands through Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight, and Sound, Martin Lindstrom
No Limits
“You can’t behave in a calm, rational manner. You’ve got to be out there on the lunatic fringe.”
— Jack Welch
!
Leadership23
Tom Peters/Novosibirsk/14April2006
Leadership23
1. Enthusiasm. Energy. Exuberance.2. Action. Execution.3. Tempo. Metabolism.4. Relentless.5. Master of Plan B.6. Accountability.7. Meritocracy.8. Leaders “do” people. Mentor. (“Success creation business.”)9. Women. Diversity.10. Integrity. Credibility. Humanity. Grace.11. Realism.12. Cause. Adventures. Quests.
Leadership23
13. Legacy.14. Best story wins.15. On the edge. (“Wildest fantasy of a dreamy 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.”)
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!
Sir Richard’s Rules:
Follow your passions.Keep it simple.
Get the best people to help you.
Re-create yourself.Play.
Source: Fortune on Branson
!
Leadership23L**Long Version
Leadership23
1. Enthusiasm. Energy. Exuberance.2. Action. Execution.3. Tempo. Metabolism.4. Relentless.5. Master of Plan B.6. Accountability.7. Meritocracy.8. Leaders “do” people. Mentor. (“Success creation business.”)9. Women. Diversity.10. Integrity. Credibility. Humanity. Grace.11. Realism.12. Cause. Adventures. Quests.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.”)
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!
Sir Richard’s Rules:
Follow your passions.Keep it simple.
Get the best people to help you.
Re-create yourself.Play.
Source: Fortune on Branson
“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 , trust.” —Howard Schultz, Starbucks (IBD/09.05)
“Management has a lot to do with answers. Leadership is a function of questions. And the
first question for a leader always
is: ‘Who do we intend to be?’ Not ‘What are we going to do?’
but ‘Who do we intend to be?’” —Max De Pree, Herman Miller
Ah, kids: “What is your vision for the future?” “What have you accomplished since your first book?” “Close your eyes and imagine me immediately doing something about what
you’ve just said. What would it be?” “Do you feel you have an obligation to ‘Make the world a
better place’?”
Les Wexner: From sweaters to …
people!
“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
“Ninety percent of what we call
‘management’ consists of making it difficult for people to get things done.” – Peter
Drucker
Organizing Genius / Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman
“Groups become great only when everyone in them, leaders and
members alike, is free to do his or her absolute best.”
“The best thing a leader can do for a
Great Group is to allow its members to discover their
greatness.”
“The role of the Director is to create a
space where the actor or actress can become more than they’ve ever been before, more than
they’ve dreamed of being.” —Robert Altman, Oscar
acceptance
“We are a ‘life
Success Company”’
Dave Liniger, RE/MAX
You = Your calendar*
*Calendars NEVER lie!!
“Reward excellent failures.
Punish mediocre
successes.”Phil Daniels, Sydney exec
“We have a ‘strategic’ plan. It’s
called ‘doing things.’ ” — Herb Kelleher
“You only find oil if you drill wells.” —John Masters
“Realism is the heart of execution.”
—Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
“Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm.”
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge
“A man without a smiling face must
not open a shop.” —Chinese Proverb*
*Courtesy Tom Morris, The Art of Achievement
“Never apologize for showing
feeling. When you so, you apologize
for the truth.” —Disraeli
Stay Hungry.
Stay Foolish.
Steve Jobs
!
People Power!
People Power: “Brand You”
Days
People Power: The
Talent50
People Power: “Brand You”
Days
“One of the defining characteristics [of the change] is
that it will be less driven by countries or corporations and
more driven by real people. It will unleash unprecedented creativity,
advancement of knowledge, and economic development. But at the same time, it will tend to undermine safety net systems and
penalize the unskilled.” —Clyde Prestowitz, Three Billion
New Capitalists
“If there is nothing very special about
your work, no matter how hard
you apply yourself you won’t get noticed, and that
increasingly means you won’t get paid much either.” —Michael Goldhaber, Wired
“You are the storyteller of your own life, and you can create your own legend or
not.” —Isabel Allende
“Imagine you are sitting next to a stranger at dinner
and you have to describe
your job in one sentence that they can understand. If you fail this
test, you are either a nuclear physicist or your job
shouldn’t exist.”
—Lucy Kellaway/personal relevance test/FT/0206.06
Personal “Brand Equity” Evaluation
– I am known for [2 to 3 things]; next year at this time I’ll also be known for [1 more thing].
– My current Project is challenging me …– New things I’ve learned in the last 90 days include
…– My public “recognition program”
consists of …– Additions to my Rolodex in the last 90 days
include …
– My resume is discernibly different from last year’s at this time …
R.D.A.
Rate: 15%?, 25%?
Therefore: Formal “Investment
Strategy”/R.I.P.**Renewal Investment Plan
“Knowledge becomes obsolete incredibly fast.
The continuing professional education of
adults is the No. 1 industry in the next 30
years … mostly on line.” —Peter Drucker
26.3
Distinct … or
… Extinct
New Work SurvivalKit.2006
1. Mastery! (Best/Absurdly Good at Something!)2. “Manage” to Legacy (All Work = “Memorable”/“Braggable” WOW Projects!)3. A “USP”/Unique Selling Proposition (R.POV8: Remarkable Point of View … captured in 8 or less words) 4. Rolodex Obsession (From vertical/hierarchy/“suck up” loyalty to horizontal/“colleague”/“mate” loyalty)5. Entrepreneurial Instinct (A sleepless … Eye for Opportunity! E.g.: Small Opp for Independent Action beats faceless part of Monster Project)6. CEO/Leader/Businessperson/Closer (CEO, Me Inc. Period! 24/7!)7. Master of Improv (Play a dozen parts simultaneously, from Chief Strategist to Chief Toilet Scrubber)8. Sense of Humor (A willingness to Screw Up & Move On)9. Comfortable with Your Skin (Bring “interesting you” to work!)10. Intense Appetite for Technology (E.g.: How Cool-Active is your Web site? Do you Blog?)11. Embrace “Marketing” (Your own CSO/Chief Storytelling Officer)12. Passion for Renewal (Your own CLO/Chief Learning Officer) 13. Execution Excellence! (Show up on time! Leave last!)
Joe J. Jones Joe J. Jones 1942 – 2006 1942 – 2006
HE WOULDA DONE SOME HE WOULDA DONE SOME
REALLY COOL STUFF REALLY COOL STUFF
BUT …BUT …
HIS BOSS WOULDN’T LET HIM! HIS BOSS WOULDN’T LET HIM!
T. J. Peters T. J. Peters 1942 – 2---1942 – 2---
HE WAS A PLAYER!HE WAS A PLAYER!
“It’s always
showtime.”
—David D’Alessandro, Career Warfare
Getting to WOW Through Mastery of …
The Sales25.
Getting Things Done: The
Power &
Implementation34.
Presentation Excellence: The
PresX56
The Interviewing Excellence: The IntX31
!
People Power: The
Talent50
1. People First!
“The Creative Age
is a wide-open
game.” —Richard Florida,
The Rise of the Creative Class
Whoops: Jack didn’t have a
vision!*
*GE = “Talent Machine” (Ed Michaels)
“When land was the scarce resource, nations
battled
over it. The same is happening now for talented people.”
Stan Davis & Christopher Meyer, futureWEALTH
2. Soft Is Hard.
Message: Leading “Talent” is all about
Love: Passion, Enthusiasms, Appetite for Life, Engagement, Commitment, Great Causes & Determination to Make a Damn Difference, Shared Adventures,
Bizarre Failures, Growth, Insatiable Appetite for Change.
3. FUNDAMENTAL PREMISE: We Are in an Age
of Talent/Creativity/ Intellectual-capital Added.
“Human creativity
is the ultimate economic
resource.” —Richard Florida,
The Rise of the Creative Class
Agriculture Age (farmers)
Industrial Age (factory workers)
Information Age (knowledge workers)
Conceptual Age (creators and empathizers)
Source: Dan Pink, A Whole New Mind
4. Talent “Excellence” in Every Part of
Every Organization.
Wegman’s:
#1/100
“Best Companies to
Work for”/2005
5. P.O.T./ Pursuit Of Talent =
OBSESSION.
“The leaders of Great
Groups love talent and know where to
find it.
They revel in the talent of others.”
—Warren Bennis & Patricia Ward Biederman, Organizing Genius
Les Wexner: From sweaters to … people!
6. Talent Masters Understand
Talent’s Intangibles.
Q: “If it were your $50K [life’s savings] and my $50K, what sort of Waiters would we look for?”A:
“Enthusiasts!”
Visibly energetic /Passionate/Enthusiastic … about everything.Engaging/Inspires others. (Inspires the interviewer!)
Loves messes & pressure. Impatient/ Action fanatic.
A finisher.Exhibits: Fat “WOW Project” Portfolio. (Loves to talk about her work.)
Smart.Curious/ Eclectic interests/ A little (or more) weird.Well-developed sense of humor/ Fun to be around.
******
No. 1 re bosses: Exceptional talent selection & development record. (Former co-workers: “Did you visibly grow while working with X?” /“How has the department/team grown
on a ‘world-class’ scale during X’s tenure?”)
7. HR Is “Cool.”
Chicago:HRMAC
“support function” / “cost center” /
“bureaucratic drag”
or …
Are you …
“Rock Stars of the Age of Talent”?
“HR doesn’t tend to hire a lot of
independent thinkers or people who stand
up as moral compasses.” —Garold Markle,
Shell Offshore HR Exec (FC/08.05)
8. HR Sits at The Head
Table.
DD$21M
A review of Jack and Suzy Welch’s Winning claims there are but two key differentiators that set GE “culture” apart from the herd:
First: Separating financial forecasting and performance measurement. Performance measurement based, as it usually is, on budgeting leads to an epidemic of gaming the system. GE’s performance measurement is divorced from budgeting—and instead reflects how you do relative to your past performance and relative to competitors’ performance; ie it’s about how you actually do in the context of what happened in the real world, not as compared to a gamed-abstract plan developed last year.
Second: Putting HR on a par with finance and marketing.
9. Re-name “HR.”
Talent Departm
ent
People Department
Center for Talent Excellence
Seriously Cool People Who Recruit & Develop
Seriously Cool People
Etc.
10. There Is an “HR Strategy”/
“HR Vision”
“Omnicom very simply is about talent.
It’s about the acquisition of talent,
providing the atmosphere so talent
is attracted to it.” —John Wren
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
What’s your company’s … EVP/IBP?*
*Employee Value Proposition, per Ed Michaels et al., The War for Talent;
IBP/Internal Brand Promise per TP
EVP/IBP = Remarkable challenges, rapid professional
growth, wholesale respect, deep satisfaction, fun,
stunning opportunities, exceptional rewards, amazing peer group, full membership in
Club Adventure, maximized future employability
11. Acquire for Talent!
Omnicom's acquisitions: “not for
size per se”; “buying talent;” “deepen a
relationship with a client.”
Source: Advertising Age
12. There Is a FORMAL
Recruitment Strategy.
“Busy Executives Fail To Give Recruiting
Attention It Deserves”
—Headline, WSJ, 1121.05
Cirque du
Soleil!
Cirque du Soleil: Talent (12 full-time scouts,
database of 20,000). R&D (40%
of profits; 2X avg corp). Controls (shows are profit centers;
partners like Disney offset costs; $100M on $500M). Scarcity builds buzz/brand (1 new show per year. “People tell me
we’re leaving money on the table by not duplicating our shows. They’re right.” —Daniel Lamarre, president).
Source: “The Phantasmagoria Factory”/Business 2.0/1-2.2004
13. There Is a FORMAL Leadership Development
Strategy.
DD: 0 to 60mph in a flash (months)
Five MYTHS About Changing Behavior
*Crisis is a powerful impetus for change*Change is motivated by fear*The facts will set us free
*Small, gradual changes are always easier to make and sustain*We can’t change because our brains become “hardwired” early in life
Source: Fast Company/05.2005
14. There is a “World Class”
Leadership Development
CENTER.
Crotonville!
15. There Is a FORMAL
STRATEGIC HR Review Process.
“In most companies, the Talent Review Process is a farce. At GE, Jack Welch and his two top HR people visit
each division for a day. They review the top 20 to 50 people by name. They talk about Talent Pool
strengthening issues. The Talent Review Process is a
contact sport at GE; it has the intensity and the
importance of the budget process at most
companies.” —Ed Michaels
16. “People”/ Talent” Reviews Are the FIRST
Reviews.
17. HR Strategy = BUSINESS Strategy.
Wegman’s: #1/100 Best Companies to Work for
84%: Grocery stores “are all alike”46%: additional spend if customers have an “emotional connection” to
a grocery store rather than “are satisfied” (Gallup)
“Going to Wegman’s is not just shopping, it’s an event.” —Christopher Hoyt, grocery consultant
“You cannot separate their strategy as a retailer from their
strategy as an employer.” —Darrell Rigby, Bain & Co.
Cirque du
Soleil!
18. Make it a “Cause Worth
Signing Up For.”
“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 , trust.” —Howard Schultz, Starbucks (IBD/09.05)
19. Unleash “Their” Full Potential!
“Firms will not ‘manage the careers’
of their employees. They will provide opportunities to enable the employee to
develop identity and adaptability and thus be in charge of his or her
own career.” —Tim Hall et al., “The New Protean
Career Contract”
RE/MAX: A “Life Success
Company”Source: Everybody Wins, Phil Harkins & Keith Hollihan
“No matter what the situation, [the great manager’s]
first response is always to think about the individual concerned and how things can be arranged to help
that individual experience success.” —Marcus Buckingham,
The One Thing You Need to Know
20. Set Sky High
Standards.
Did We Say “Talent Matters”?
“The top software developers are more productive than average software
developers not by a factor of 10X or 100X,
or even 1,000X, but
10,000X.”
—Nathan Myhrvold, former Chief Scientist, Microsoft
21. Enlist Everyone in Challenge Century21.
Distinct …
or … Extinct
New Work SurvivalKit.2006
1. Mastery! (Best/Absurdly Good at Something!)2. “Manage” to Legacy (All Work = “Memorable”/“Braggable” WOW Projects!)3. A “USP”/Unique Selling Proposition (R.POV8: Remarkable Point of View … captured in 8 or less words) 4. Rolodex Obsession (From vertical/hierarchy/“suck up” loyalty to horizontal/“colleague”/“mate” loyalty)5. Entrepreneurial Instinct (A sleepless … Eye for Opportunity! E.g.: Small Opp for Independent Action beats faceless part of Monster Project)6. CEO/Leader/Businessperson/Closer (CEO, Me Inc. Period! 24/7!)7. Master of Improv (Play a dozen parts simultaneously, from Chief Strategist to Chief Toilet Scrubber)8. Sense of Humor (A willingness to Screw Up & Move On)9. Comfortable with Your Skin (Bring “interesting you” to work!)10. Intense Appetite for Technology (E.g.: How Cool-Active is your Web site? Do you Blog?)11. Embrace “Marketing” (Your own CSO/Chief Storytelling Officer)12. Passion for Renewal (Your own CLO/Chief Learning Officer) 13. Execution Excellence! (Show up on time! Leave last!)
22. Pursue the Best!
“best person in
the world” —
Arthur Blank
From “1, 2 or you’re out” [JW] to …
“Best Talent in each industry segment to
build best proprietary intangibles” [EM]
Source: Ed Michaels, War for Talent
23. Up or Out.
“We believe companies can increase their market cap 50
percent in 3 years. Steve Macadam at Georgia-Pacific
changed 20 of his 40 box plant managers to put more
talented, higher paid managers in charge. He increased
profitability from $25 million to $80 million in 2
years.” —Ed Michaels, War for Talent
24. Ensure that the Review
Process Has INTEGRITY.
25 = 100*
* “But what do I do that’s more important than developing people? I don’t do the damn work. They do.”—GS
25. Pay Up!
“Top performing companies are two to four times more likely
than the rest to pay what it takes to
prevent losing top performers.” —Ed Michaels,
War for Talent
Costco
*$17/hour (42% above Sam’s); very good health
plan; low t/o, low shrinkage*Low margins (“When I started, Sears, Roebuck was th Costco of the country, but they allowed
someone to come in under them”—Jim Sinegal)
Source: “How Costco Became the Anti-Wal*Mart/NYT/07.17.05
26. Training I: Train! Train!
Train!
26.3
3 Weeks in May
“Training” & Prep: 187“Work”: 41
(“Other”: 17)
1%
vs.
367%
Divas do it. Violinists do it. Sprinters do it. Golfers do it.
Pilots do it. Soldiers do it. Surgeons do it. Cops do it.
Astronauts do it. Why don’t businesspeople do it?
“Knowledge becomes obsolete incredibly fast.
The continuing professional education of adults is the No. 1
industry in the next 30 years … mostly on line.”
Peter Drucker, Business 2.0
27. Training II: 100% “Business
People.”
28. Training III: 100%
LEADERS.
“I start with the premise that the
function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” —Ralph Nader
29. Training IV: Boss as Trainer-
in-Chief.
“Workout” = 24 DPY in the Classroom
30. Training V: The REAL
Bedrock of the “Talent Thing.”
“My wife and I went to a [kindergarten] parent-teacher conference and were informed that our budding refrigerator
artist, Christopher, would be receiving a grade of Unsatisfactory in art. We were shocked. How could any child
—let alone our child—receive a poor grade in art at such a
young age? His teacher informed us that he had refused to color within the lines, which was a state requirement for demonstrating ‘grade-
level motor skills.’ ” —Jordan
Ayan, AHA!
Ye gads: “Thomas Stanley has not only found no correlation between success in school and an ability to accumulate wealth, he’s actually
found a negative correlation. ‘It seems
that school-related evaluations are poor predictors of economic success,’ Stanley concluded. What did predict success was a
willingness to take risks. Yet the success-failure standards of most schools penalized risk takers. Most educational systems reward
those who play it safe. As a result, those who do well in school find it hard to take risks later on.”
Richard Farson & Ralph Keyes, Whoever Makes the Most Mistakes Wins
15 “Leading” Biz Schools
Design/Core: 0Design/Elective: 1
Creativity/Core: 0Creativity/Elective: 4
Innovation/Core: 0Innovation/Elective: 6
Source: DMI/Summer 2002/Research by Thomas Lockwood
31. Wide-open Communication: NO BARRIERS.
“The organizations we created have become tyrants. They have
taken control, holding us fettered, creating barriers that
hinder rather than help our businesses. The lines that we
drew on our neat organizational diagrams
have turned into walls that no one can scale or
penetrate or even peer over.” —Frank Lekanne Deprez & René Tissen, Zero Space: Moving
Beyond Organizational Limits
32. Respect!
“What creates trust, in the end,
is the leader’s manifest respect
for the followers.” — Jim O’Toole,
Leading Change
“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
“Empowerment” =
TrustSource: Barry Gibbons
33. Embrace the Whole Individual.
34. Build Places of “Grace.”
Rodale’s on “Grace” …
elegance … charm … loveliness … poetry
in motion … kindliness ...
benevolence … benefaction … compassion …
beauty
35. MBWA*: Visible
Leadership!*Managing By Wandering Around
“The first and greatest imperative of command is to be present in person. Those who impose
risk must be seen to share it.” —John Keegan,
The Mask of Command
36. Thank You!
“The deepest human
need is the need to be
appreciated.” —William James
37. Promote for “people skills.” (THE REST IS
DETAILS.)
“When assessing candidates, the first thing I looked for was energy
and enthusiasm for execution. Does she talk about the thrill of getting things done, the
obstacles overcome, the role her people played —or does she keep wandering back to strategy or philosophy?” —Larry Bossidy, Honeywell/AlliedSignal, in
Execution
38. Honor Youth.
“Why focus on these late teens and twenty-
somethings? Because they are the first young who are both in a
position to change the world, and are actually doing so. … For the first
time in history, children are more comfortable, knowledgeable and literate than their parents about an innovation central to society. … The
Internet has triggered the first industrial revolution in history to be led by the young.”
The Economist
39. Provide Early Leadership
Assignments.
The
WOW!
Project
40. Create a FORMAL System of Mentoring.
W. L. GoreQuad/Graphics
41. Diversity!
“To be a leader in consumer
products, it’s critical to have
leaders who represent the population we
serve.” —Steve Reinemund/PepsiCo
“We want our associate population to mirror our customer population at
every level, from the executive suite all the
way to the retail floor.” —Larry Johnston, CEO, Albertsons
42. WOMEN RULE.
“AS LEADERS, WOMEN RULE: New
Studies find that female managers outshine their
male counterparts in almost every measure”
Title, Special Report/BusinessWeek
“On average, women and men possess a number of different innate skills. And current trends suggest that many sectors of the twenty-
first-century economic community are going to need the
natural talents of women.”Helen Fisher, The First Sex: The Natural Talents of Women
and How They Are Changing the World
Women’s Strengths Match New Economy Imperatives: Link [rather than rank] workers;
favor interactive-collaborative leadership style [empowerment beats top-down decision making]; sustain fruitful collaborations;
comfortable with sharing information; see redistribution of power as victory, not
surrender; favor multi-dimensional feedback; value technical & interpersonal skills,
individual & group contributions equally; readily accept ambiguity; honor intuition as well as pure “rationality”; inherently flexible;
appreciate cultural diversity. —Judy B. Rosener, America’s Competitive Secret
“TAKE THIS QUICK QUIZ: Who manages more things at once? Who puts more effort into their
appearance? Who usually takes care of the details? Who finds it easier to meet new people? Who asks more questions in a conversation? Who
is a better listener? Who has more interest in communication skills? Who is more inclined to get
involved? Who encourages harmony and agreement? Who has better intuition? Who works with a longer ‘to do’ list? Who enjoys a recap to the day’s events? Who is better at
keeping in touch with others?”
Source: Selling Is a Woman’s Game: 15 Powerful Reasons Why Women Can Outsell Men, Nicki Joy & Susan Kane-Benson
Hazel Blears, England’s first female police minister (per The Times, 7 March): “Blears believes the new
[neighborhood policing, “broken windows”] approach requires skills other than the police’s traditional ‘control
and command’ style, and she clearly thinks women officers are right for the task. ‘Many of the women in
the service are very good at getting other people to join the police in fighting crime. The police need new skills around influence. When
we talk about neighborhood policing and antisocial behavior you have to be able to draw
in other people to help you resolve these problems.’ Blears leaves an impression in everything she says that her belief is that women officers may be
much better at this than their male colleagues, but, of course, she is much too politic to say so.”
U.S. G.B. E.U. Ja.
M.Mgt. 41% 29% 18% 6%
T.Mgt. 4% 3% 2% <1%
Peak Partic. Age 45 22 27 19
% Coll. Stud. 52% 50% 48% 26%
Source: Judy Rosener, America’s Competitive Secret
????????
8/500
The Core Argument
1. We are in a War for Talent.2. The war will intensify.3. Women are under-represented in our leadership ranks.4. Women and men are different.5. Women’s strengths match the New Economy’s leadership needs—to a striking degree.6. Women are also the principal purchasers of goods and services—retail and commercial.7. Ergo, women are a large part of “the answer” to the War for Talent issue/opportunity.
43. Hire (& Protect!) Weird!
The Cracked Ones Let in the Light
“Our business needs a massive transfusion of
talent, and talent, I believe, is most likely to be found
among non-conformists,
dissenters and rebels.” —David Ogilvy
“Are there enough weird
people in the lab these days?” —V.
Chmn., pharmaceutical house, to a lab director
Saviors-in-Waiting
Disgruntled CustomersOff-the-Scope Competitors
Rogue EmployeesFringe Suppliers
Wayne Burkan, Wide Angle Vision: Beat the Competition by Focusing on Fringe Competitors, Lost Customers, and Rogue Employees
Why Do I love Freaks?
(1) Because when Anything Interesting happens … it was a freak who did it. (Period.) (2) Freaks are fun. (Freaks are also a pain.) (Freaks are never boring.) (3) We need freaks. Especially in freaky times. (Hint: These are freaky times, for you & me & the CIA & the Army & Avon.) (4) A critical mass of freaks-in-our-midst automatically make us-who-are-not-so-freaky at least somewhat more freaky. (Which is a Good Thing in freaky times—see immediately above.) (5) Freaks are the only (ONLY) ones who succeed—as in, make it into the history books. (6) Freaks keep us from falling into ruts. (If we listen to them.) (We seldom listen to them.) (Which is why most of us—and our organizations—are in ruts. Make that chasms.)
44. We Are All Unique.
Beware Standardized Evals: One size NEVER fits all. One size fits
one. Period.
53 Players = 53 Projects = 53 different
success measures.
45. Capitalize on Strengths.
“The key difference between checkers and
chess is that in checkers the pieces all move the same way, whereas in
chess all the pieces move differently. … Discover
what is unique about each person and capitalize on
it.” —Marcus Buckingham,
The One Thing You Need to Know
“The mediocre manager believes that most things are learnable and
therefore that the essence of management is to identify ach
person’s weaker areas and eradicate them. The great manager believes the opposite. He believes that the
most influential qualities of a person are innate and therefore that the
essence of management is to deploy these innate qualities as effectively
as possible and so drive performance.” —Marcus Buckingham, The One
Thing You Need to Know
46. Bosses “Win People
Over.”
PJ: “Coaching is winning
players over.”
47. GOAL: Voyages of
Mutual Discovery.
“I don’t know.”
Quests!
Organizing Genius / Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman
“Groups become great only when everyone in them, leaders and
members alike, is free to do his or her absolute best.”
“The best thing a leader can do for a
Great Group is to allow its members to discover their
greatness.”
Leadership’s Mt Everest!
“free to do his or her absolute best”
…
“allow its members to
discover their greatness.”
48. Foster Independence.
“You must realize that how you invest your human capital matters as much as how you invest your
financial capital. Its rate of return determines your
future options. Take a job for what it teaches you, not for what it pays. Instead of a potential employer
asking, ‘Where do you see yourself in 5 years?’ you’ll ask,
‘If I invest my mental assets with you for 5 years, how much will
they appreciate? How much will my portfolio of career options
grow?’ ”Source: Stan Davis & Christopher Meyer, futureWEALTH
49. Enthusiasm!
“It’s simple, really, Tom. Hire for s,
and, above all, promote for s.”
—Starbucks follower/WS analyst
50. Talent = Brand.
The Top 5 “Revelations”
Better talent wins.
Talent management is my job as leader.
Talented leaders are looking for the moon and stars.
Over-deliver on people’s dreams – they are volunteers.
Pump talent in at all levels, from all conceivable sources, all the time.
Source: Ed Michaels et al., The War for Talent
The Talent50
1. People first!2. Soft is Hard. 3. FUNDAMENTAL PREMISE: We are in an Age of Talent/ Creativity/ Intellectual-capital Added.4. Talent “excellence” in every part of the organization.5. P.O.T./Pursuit Of Talent = Obsession.
6. HR sits at The Head Table.7. HR is “cool.”
Brand =
Talent.
“I have always believed that the
purpose of the corporation is to be a
blessing to the employees.” —Boyd Clarke
Message: Leading “Talent” is all about
Love: Passion, Enthusiasms, Appetite for
Life, Engagement, Commitment, Great Causes & Determination to Make a Damn Difference, Shared
Adventures, Bizarre Failures, Growth, Insatiable Appetite
for Change.
!
Re-imagine Leadership.2006:
The Passion Imperative.
Lead It … Loud!
Ouch!
“The Bottleneck is at
the Top of the Bottle”
“Where are you likely to find people with the least diversity of experience, the largest investment in the past, and the greatest
reverence for industry dogma?
At the top!”
— Gary Hamel/“Strategy or Revolution”/Harvard Business Review
Create a Cause!
G.H.: “Create a ‘cause,’ not a ‘business.’
”
“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 , trust.” —Howard Schultz, Starbucks (IBD/09.05)
Think
Legacy!
“Management has a lot to do with answers. Leadership is a function of questions. And the
first question for a leader always
is: ‘Who do we intend to be?’ Not ‘What are we going to do?’
but ‘Who do we intend to be?’” —Max De Pree, Herman Miller
“In 1933, Thomas J. Watson Sr. gave a speech at the World’s
Fair, ‘World Peace through
World Trade.’ We stood for
something, right?” —Sam Palmisano
CEO Assignment2002 (Bermuda):
“Please leap forward to 2007, 2012, or 2022, and write a business history of
Bermuda. What will have been said about your company
during your tenure?”
Ah, kids: “What is your vision for the future?” “What have you accomplished since your first book?” “Close your eyes and imagine me immediately doing something about what
you’ve just said. What would it be?” “Do you feel you have an obligation to ‘Make the world a
better place’?”
Find ’em!
“The” Secret: Jack didn’t have a
“vision”!
Les Wexner: From sweaters to …
people!
Respect ’em!
Amen!
“What creates trust, in the end, is the leader’s manifest
respect for the followers.”
— Jim O’Toole, Leading Change
“Don’t belittle!
” —OD Consultant
“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
“We behaved as if we were guests in their
house. We treated them not as a defeated people, but as allies. Our success became their success.”
—“How One Soldier Brought Democracy to Iraq: The Mayor of Ar Rutbah” (MAJ James Gavrilis/USA Special Forces)
Make It a Grand
Adventure!
“Ninety percent of what we call
‘management’ consists of making it difficult for people to get things done.” – Peter
Drucker
Quests!
“I don’t know.”
Organizing Genius / Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman
“Groups become great only when everyone in them, leaders and
members alike, is free to do his or her absolute best.”
“The best thing a leader can do for a
Great Group is to allow its members to discover their
greatness.”
Leadership’s Mt Everest
“free to do his or her absolute best” …
“allow its members to discover their
greatness.”
“The role of the Director is to create a
space where the actor or actress can become more than they’ve ever been before, more than
they’ve dreamed of being.” —Robert Altman, Oscar
acceptance
“We are a ‘life
Success Company”’
founder, RE/MAX
“ If your actions inspire others to
dream more, learn more, do more and
become more, you are a leader." —John Quincy Adams
“Never doubt that a small group of
committed people can change the
world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” —Margaret Mead
“In the end, management doesn’t
change culture. Management invites the workforce itself
to change the culture.”
—Lou Gerstner
“In the end, management doesn’t
change culture. Management invites the workforce itself
to change the culture.”
—Lou Gerstner
Trumpet an Exhilarating
Story!
“Leaders don’t just make products and make
decisions. Leaders make
meaning.” – John Seely Brown
Best Story Wins!
“A key – perhaps the key – to leadership is
the effective communication
of a story.”—Howard Gardner/Leading Minds:
An Anatomy of Leadership
Language Power!
“… the language we speak determines
how we react to the world around us …” —
Diane Ackerman/ An Alchemy of Mind
Wow!
Live Your
Story!
MBWA**HS/25+
25
“I’m always stopping by our
stores— at least 25
a week. I’m also in other places: Home Depot,
Whole Foods, Crate & Barrel. … I try to be
a sponge to pick up as much as I can. …” —Howard Schultz
Source: Fortune, “Secrets of Greatness,” 0320.2006
“To change minds effectively, leaders make
particular use of two tools: the stories
that they tell and the lives that they lead.” —
Howard Gardner, Changing Minds
“It is necessary for the President to be the
nation’s …
No. 1 actor.”FDR
“You must
be the
change you wish to see in the
world.”Gandhi
“The first and greatest imperative of command
is to be present in person. Those who
impose risk must be seen to share it.”
—John Keegan, The Mask of Command
You = Your calendar*
*Calendars NEVER lie!!
“Works 100% of the time!” (Heads for the
front-line folks, asks them for input—and is comfortable with
them*)
*Didn’t hurt that he spoke Spanish
Source: CEO, security services company, Spain
Try It!
Sam’s Secret #1!
“Fail faster. Succeed sooner.”
David Kelley/IDEO
“Reward excellent failures.
Punish mediocre
successes.”Phil Daniels, Sydney exec
Insist on
Speed!
“We don’t sell
insurance anymore.
We sell speed.”
Peter Lewis, Progressive
“Strategy meetings held once or twice a year” to
“Strategy meetings needed several times
a week”
Source: New York Times on Meg Whitman/eBay
“If things seem under control, you’re just not
going fast enough.” —Mario Andretti
Demand Action!
“We have a ‘strategic’ plan. It’s
called ‘doing
things.’” — Herb
Kelleher
“The most successful people
are those who are good at
plan B.” —James Yorke, mathematician,
on chaos theory in The New Scientist
The Kotler Doctrine:
1965-1980: R.A.F.(Ready.Aim.Fire.)
1980-1995: R.F.A.(Ready.Fire!Aim.)
1995-????: F.F.F.(Fire!Fire!Fire!)
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
Relentless!*
*Churchill, Grant, Patton, Welch, Bossidy, Nardelli (GE execs), UPS, FedEx, Microsoft/Gates-Ballmer, Eisner, Weill, eBay, Nixon-
Kissinger, Gerstner, Rice, Jordan, Armstrong
“This [adolescent] incident [of getting from point A to point B] is notable not only because it underlines Grant’s fearless
horsemanship and his determination, but also it is the first known
example of a very important peculiarity of his character:
Grant had an extreme, almost phobic dislike of turning back
and retracing his steps. If he set out for
somewhere, he would get there somehow, whatever the difficulties that lay in his way. This idiosyncrasy would turn out to be one the
factors that made him such a formidable general. Grant would
always, always press on—turning back was not an option for him.” —Michael Korda, Ulysses Grant
1 of 2,400
6:15A.M.
Cut the Crap!
“Realism is the heart of execution.”
—Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
“robust dialogue”
—Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
“GE has set a standard of candor.
… There is no puffery. … There isn’t an ounce of
denial in the place.” —
Kevin Sharer, CEO Amgen, on the “GE mystique” (Fortune)
Eat Change!
“We eat change for breakfast!
—Harry Quadracci, QuadGraphics
Put Women
in Charge!
“AS LEADERS, WOMEN
RULE: New Studies find that
female managers outshine their male counterparts in almost every measure”
Title, Special Report/BusinessWeek
Women’s Strengths Match New Economy Imperatives: Link [rather than rank]
workers; favor interactive-collaborative leadership style [empowerment beats top-down decision
making]; sustain fruitful collaborations; comfortable with sharing information; see redistribution of power
as victory, not surrender; favor multi-dimensional feedback; value technical & interpersonal skills, individual & group contributions equally; readily
accept ambiguity; honor intuition as well as pure “rationality”; inherently flexible; appreciate
cultural diversity. —Judy B. Rosener, America’s Competitive Secret: Women Managers
Dispense Enthusiasm!
BZ: “I am a … Dispenser of Enthusiasm!”
“Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm.”
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge
“Most important,
he upped the energy level at Motorola.” —Fortune on Ed Zander/08.05
“A man without a smiling face must
not open a shop.” —Chinese Proverb*
*Courtesy Tom Morris, The Art of Achievement
James Woolsey, former CIA director: “If you’re enthusiastic
about the things you’re working on, people will
come ask you to do interesting things.”
“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
Excellence. Always.
And the Winner is …
1. Audacity of Vision2. Innovation/R&D/Design3. Talent Acquisition & Development4. Resultant “Experience”5. Strategic Alliances6. Operations7. Financial Management8. Overall/Sustaining Excellence9. “Wow!”10. Lovemark!
Cirque du Soleil!
ExIn*: 1982-2002/Forbes.com
DJIA: $10,000 yields $85,500 EI: $10,000 yields $140,050
*Excellence Index/Basket of 32 publicly traded stocks
Excellence =
1*Tom Watson sr/1 minute
Leader Job No.1
Paint Portraits of
Excellence!
Engaged.
What is In Search of
Excellence all about?
What is In Search of Excellence all about:
People. Emotion.
Engagement. Empowerment.
Caring.
“Tell me, what is it you plan
to do with your one wild and precious
life?” —Mary Oliver
RadiatePassion!
Charles Handy on the “Alchemists”:
“Passion was what drove
these people, passion for
their product, passion for their cause. If you care enough, you will
find out what you need to know. Or you will experiment and not
worry if the experiment goes wrong. Passion as
the secret to learning is an odd secret to propose, but I believe
that it works at all levels and at all ages. Sadly,
passion is not a
word often heard in the elephant organizations, nor in schools, where it can seem disruptive.”
“Never apologize for showing
feeling. When you so, you apologize
for the truth.” —Disraeli
Stay Hungry.
Stay Foolish.
Steve Jobs
“The eloquent man is he who is no
beautiful speaker, but who is inwardly
and desperately drunk with a certain
belief.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
Keep It Simple!
Sir Richard’s Rules:
Follow your passions.Keep it simple.
Get the best people to help you.
Re-create yourself.Play.
Source: Fortune on Branson
JW’s “4Es”
EnergyEnthusiasm
Edge*Execution
*Speed, RFA, Competitive
Avoid … Moderation!
Kevin Roberts’ Credo
1. Ready. Fire! Aim.2. If it ain’t broke ... Break it!3. Hire crazies.4. Ask dumb questions.5. Pursue failure.6. Lead, follow ... or get out of the way!7. Spread confusion.8. Ditch your office.9. Read odd stuff.
10. Avoid moderation!
The greatest dangerfor most of us
is not that our aim istoo high
and we miss it,but that it is
too lowand we reach it.
Michelangelo
Free the Lunatic Within!
“You can’t behave in a calm, rational manner. You’ve got to be out there on
the lunatic fringe.” — Jack Welch
TP/Chile: “I don’t know
if it’s ‘possible.’ I do know it’s ‘necessary.’”
No Less Than Excellence.
Ever.
Gaspworthy!
Remember Lord
Nelson!
Nelson’s secret:
“[Other] admirals more frightened of losing than
anxious to win”
“the wildest chimera of a moonstruck
mind” —The Federalist on TJ’s Louisiana
Purchase
!
The Irreducible20
9
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, he’d had
enough. “What, if anything,” he asked, “do you believe ‘for
sure’?” 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. Hare 1, Tortoise 0. (Hare-y times.)2. Tempo. (O.O.D.A.)3. MBWA.4. 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. Men. Women. Different. Contend. Connect.16. Women. Buy. All. (RU listening?)17. Quality. (“Mind-blowing.” Beyond 6-Sigma.)18. Re-invent. Re-pot. (Required.)19. Jaywalk.20. Big change. Small # of people. (Always.)21. Experiment. Now.22. Failure. Normal. 23. 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. You must care.30. Mentor. (Highest ROI.)31. Best “roster” wins.32. Wow. (Okay in biz.)33. We all have customers. (Biz. Personal.)34. All contacts = Experiences.35. Cirque du Soleil. (Peerless.)36. Leaders create space for growth.37. Quests. (Only.)38. 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. Wegman’s.” (No excuses. “Mere” groceries.)43. Less than your best. Cheating.
44. Brand You. (No alt.)45. Self-sufficiency. (Biggest LT turn-on.)46. In the moment.47. The moment wins.48. Tomorrow = Never. 49. Action 1, Plan 0.1.50. “Execution” can be a “system.”51. Realism.52. Own up. Move on.53. Accountability.54. Work hard > Work smart. (Mostly.)55. Feedback. Necessary. Fast. (R.F.A. in “RFA times.”)56. Customers. Listen. Lead. (Paradox.)57. “On stage.” Always. (GW, FDR, RG = Supreme actors.)
58. Master statistical analysis.59. Excellence = Set the table.60. Legacy. (Will it have mattered?)61. “Great.” (Why not?)62. Radicals rule. (Think … Olympics.)63. !!! = Good.64. Red 1, Brown 0. (Red times.)65. Talk. Listen. (“Big 2.” Master.)66. 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. Exercise.74. Paint. (Leader. Portraits of Excellence.)75. Best story wins.76. “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. You = Calendar. (Calendar. Never. Lies.)87. Laugh.88. Handshake. (Quantity. Quality.)89. 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. Bloody- mindedness. 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.”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.
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.” (2016. Happening. Somewhere.)139. “PMA.” It works.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. (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. Own up. Quick. ( Denial. Cancer.)164. Celebrate. Often.165. 78 people = 78 approaches. (Each. Unique.)166. 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. NO LESS THAN EXCELLENCE. EVER.209. EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS.
!
Tom’s
60TIBs**TIB = This I Believe
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
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 2006: Technology Change (Info-sciences, Biosciences) Is in Its Infancy! (WE AIN’T
SEE NOTHIN’ YET!)
9. Everything Is Up For Grabs! Volatility Is Thy Name! (Forever & Ever. Amen.) RE-INVENT …
OR DIE!
10. Big Stinks. (Mostly.) (VERY
Mostly.)
11. “Permanence” Is a Snare & a Delusion.
(Forget “Built to Last.” It’s Yesterday’s
Idea.) (Try “Built for Impact.”)
12. “Kaizen” (Continuous
Improvement) Is VDS/ Very … Dangerous
… Stuff.
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. Screwups are … the … Mark of Excellence. (“Do It
Right the First Time” Is a Very Stupi 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 XXX 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: (Crappy) Cross-
functional Communication.
40. Stop Doing Dumb Stuff. (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. DeGaulle.
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.)
The End.
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.