LONG Tom Peters’ Excellence. Always. ExpoGestão/Joinville/19 June 2009 Slides at … tompeters.com Part ONE Confronting the … Empty Bag!
Download ReportTranscript LONG Tom Peters’ Excellence. Always. ExpoGestão/Joinville/19 June 2009 Slides at … tompeters.com Part ONE Confronting the … Empty Bag!
LONG Tom Peters’ Excellence. Always. ExpoGestão/Joinville/19 June 2009 Slides at … tompeters.com Part ONE Confronting the … Empty Bag! “The doctor interrupts after …* *Source: Jerome Groopman, How Doctors Think The four most important words in any organization are … “What do you think?” Source: courtesy Dave Wheeler, posted at tompeters.com “It was much later that I realized Dad’s secret. He gained respect by giving it. He talked and listened to the fourth-grade kids in Spring Valley who shined shoes the same way he talked and listened to a bishop or a He was seriously interested in who you were and what you had to say.” college president. Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Respect “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) Conrad Hilton, at a gala celebrating his career, was asked, “What was the most important lesson you’ve learned in you long and distinguished career?” His immediate answer … “remember to tuck the shower curtain inside the bathtub” “Execution is strategy.” —Fred Malek John Sawhill/Major Strategic “What areas should the Conservancy focus on and more important— Initiative: what activities should we stop doing?” Source: Bill Birchard, Nature’s Keepers: The Remarkable Story of How The Nature Conservancy Became the Largest Environmental Organization in the World Listen! Engage! Respect! Inspire! Sweat the details! Execute! Focus! “To me business isn’t about wearing suits or pleasing stockholders. It’s about being true to yourself, your ideas and focusing on the essentials.” —Richard Branson Part TWO 1977 Palo Alto MBWA 1982 Excellence1982: The Bedrock “Eight Basics” 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. A Bias for Action Close to the Customer Autonomy and Entrepreneurship Productivity Through People Hands On, Value-Driven Stick to the Knitting Simple Form, Lean Staff Simultaneous Loose-Tight Properties” “Breakthrough” 82* People! Customers! Action! Values! *In Search of Excellence 2007 Siberia Why in the World did you go to Siberia? An emotional, vital, innovative, joyful, creative, entrepreneurial endeavor that elicits maximum Enterprise* ** (*at its best): concerted human potential in the wholehearted service of others.** **Employees, Customers, Suppliers, Communities, Owners, Temporary partners 2007 Sydney Organizations exist to serve. Period. Leaders live to serve. Period. … no less than Cathedrals in which the full and awesome power of the Imagination and Spirit and native Entrepreneurial flair of diverse individuals is unleashed in passionate pursuit of … Excellence. “We are a ‘Life Success’ Company.” Dave Liniger, founder, RE/MAX “The role of the Director is to create a space where the actors and become more than they’ve ever been before, more than they’ve dreamed of being.” actresses can —Robert Altman, Oscar acceptance speech “In the last year [3 years, current job], name the three people whose growth you’ve most contributed to. Please explain where they were at the beginning of the year, where they are today, and where they are heading in the next 12 months. Please explain your development strategy in each case. Please tell me your biggest development disappointment—looking back, could you or would you have done anything differently? Please tell me about your greatest development triumph—and disaster—in the last ten years. What are the ‘three big things’ you’ve learned about people along the way.” “The ONE Question”: 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 Spring 2009 Amsterdam Helsinki Tallinn Vilnius San Antonio Bogotá Abu Dhabi Shanghai Seoul New Delhi “Business has to give people enriching, rewarding lives, or it's simply not worth doing.” —Richard Branson “Leaders ‘SERVE’ people. Period.” —inspired by Robert Greenleaf Good News 2009: Leadership* is a sacred trust. *President, classroom teacher, CEO, shop foreman “Too Much Cost, Not Enough Value” … “Too Much Speculation, Not Enough Investment” … “Too Much Complexity, Not Enough Simplicity” … “Too Much Counting, Not Enough Trust” … “Too Much Business Conduct, Not Enough Professional Conduct” … “Too Much Salesmanship, Not Enough Stewardship” … “Too Much Focus on Things, Not Enough Focus on Commitment” … “Too Many Twenty-first Century Values, Not Enough EighteenthCentury Values” … “Too Much ‘Success,’ Not Enough Character” —chapter titles from John Bogle, Enough. The Measures of Money, Business, and Life (Bogle is founder of the Vanguard Mutual Fund Group) Part THREE Hard Is Soft Soft Is Hard Hard Is Soft (Plans, #s) Soft Is Hard (people, customers, values, relationships)) none! 139,380 former patients from 225 hospitals: Press Ganey Assoc: none of THE top 15 factors determining Patient Satisfaction referred to patient’s health outcome P.S. directly related to Staff Interaction P.P.S. directly correlated with Employee Satisfaction Source: Putting Patients First, Susan Frampton, Laura Gilpin, Patrick Charmel “Kindness is free.” “There is a misconception that supportive interactions require more staff or more time and are therefore more costly. Although labor costs are a substantial part of any hospital budget, the interactions themselves add nothing to the budget. Kindness is free. Listening to patients or answering their questions costs nothing. It can be argued that negative interactions—alienating patients, being non-responsive to their needs or limiting their sense of control—can be very costly. … Angry, frustrated or frightened patients may be combative, withdrawn and less cooperative—requiring far more time than it would have taken to interact with them initially in a positive way.” —Putting Patients First, Susan Frampton, Laura Gilpin, Patrick Charmel “Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart.” —Henry Clay “Perception is all there is” Comeback [big, quick response] >> Perfection <TGW and … >TGR [Things Gone WRONG-Things Gone RIGHT] BEGINS (and ENDS) It in the … parking lot* *Disney “Experiences are as distinct from services as services are from goods.” —Joe Pine & Jim Gilmore, The Experience Economy: Work Is Theatre & Every Business a Stage 2-cent candy “We are thoughtful in all we do.” Thoughtfulness is key to customer retention. Thoughtfulness is key to employee recruitment and satisfaction. Thoughtfulness is key to brand perception. Thoughtfulness is key to your ability to look in the mirror —and tell your kids about your job. “Thoughtfulness is free.” Thoughtfulness is key to speeding things up— it reduces friction. Thoughtfulness is key to transparency and even cost containment—it abets rather than stifles truth-telling. Acquire vs maintain*: *Recession goal: Higher “market share” current customers Part FOUR The … Innovation 24 Tom Peters/Joinville/19 June 2009 Base Case “I am often asked by would-be entrepreneurs seeking escape from life within huge corporate structures, ‘How do I build a small firm for Buy a very large one and just wait.” myself?’ The answer seems obvious: —Paul Ormerod, Why Most Things Fail: Evolution, Extinction and Economics “Mr. Foster and his McKinsey colleagues collected detailed performance data stretching back 40 years for 1,000 They found that U.S. companies. none of the long-term survivors managed to outperform the market. Worse, the longer companies had been in the database, the worse they did.” —Financial Times You don’t get better by being bigger. You Dick Kovacevich: “Data drawn from the real world attest to a fact that is beyond Everything in existence tends to deteriorate.” our control: —Norberto Odebrecht, Education Through Work #4 Japan #2T USA #2T China #4 Japan #3 USA #2 China #1 Germany Reason!!! Mittelstand Jim Penman/ Jim’s Group Jim’s Mowing Canada Jim’s Mowing UK Jim’s Antennas Jim’s Bookkeeping Jim’s Building Maintenance Jim’s Carpet Cleaning Jim’s Car Cleaning Jim’s Computer Services Jim’s Dog Wash Jim’s Driving School Jim’s Fencing Jim’s Floors Jim’s Painting Jim’s Paving Jim’s Pergolas [gazebos] Jim’s Pool Care Jim’s Pressure Cleaning Jim’s Roofing Jim’s Security Doors Jim’s Trees Jim’s Window Cleaning Jim’s Windscreens Note: Download, free, Jim Penman’s book: What Will They Franchise Next? The Story of Jim’s Group *Lived in same town all adult life *First generation that’s wealthy/ no parental support *“Don’t look like millionaires, don’t dress like millionaires, don’t eat like millionaires, don’t act like millionaires” *“Many of the types of businesses [they] are in could be classified as ‘dullnormal.’ [They] are welding contractors, auctioneers, scrap-metal dealers, lessors of portable toilets, dry cleaners, re-builders of diesel engines, paving contractors …” Source: The Millionaire Next Door, Thomas Stanley & William Danko TACTICS X =XFX* *Excellence = Cross-functional Excellence Never waste a lunch! ???? % XF lunches* *Measure! (Way) Underutilized Lever Space! Space! Space! Space! Geologists + Geophysicists + A little bit of love = Oil >100 feet = 100 miles The quality and quantity and imaginativeness of innovation shall be the same in all functions —e.g., in HR and Iron Innovation Equality Law: purchasing as much as in marketing or product development. “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 “We made mistakes, of course. Most of them were omissions we didn’t think of when we initially wrote the software. We fixed them by doing it over and over, again and again. We do the same today. While our competitors are still sucking their thumbs trying to make the design perfect, we’re already on prototype version #5. By the time our rivals are ready with wires and screws, we are on version #10. It gets back to planning versus acting: We act from day one; others plan how to plan— for months.” —Bloomberg by Bloomberg “The secret of fast progress is inefficiency, fast and furious and numerous failures.” —Kevin Kelly Culture of Prototyping “Effective prototyping may the most valuable core competence an be innovative organization can hope to have.” —Michael Schrage Think about It!? Innovation = Reaction to the Prototype Source: Michael Schrage “Fail . Forward. Fast.” High Tech CEO, Pennsylvania “FAIL, FAIL AGAIN. FAIL BETTER.” —Samuel Beckett “Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre successes.” Phil Daniels, Sydney exec “Natural selection is death. ... Without huge amounts of death, organisms do not change over time. ... Death is the mother of structure. ... It took four billion years of death ... to invent the human mind ...” — The Cobra Event Little = Banker 7X. 7:30A-8:00P. F12A. 7:30AM = 7:15AM. 8:00PM = 8:15PM. “No” = 2* *Yes Bank 2,000,000 Road Rock Don’t like it? Don’t pay. Source: Granite Rock Co. Snack Foods Bag sizes = New markets: Source: PepsiCo High Value Items Big carts = Source: Wal*Mart Life and Death Socks = 10,000 We are the company we keep “You will become like the five people you associate with the most … this can be either a blessing or a curse.” —Billy Cox The “We are what we eat” axiom: At its core, every (!!!) relationship-partnership decision (employee, vendor, customer, etc) is a strategic decision about: “Innovate, ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ ” Measure “Strangeness”/Portfolio Quality Staff Consultants Vendors Out-sourcing Partners (#, Quality) Innovation Alliance Partners Customers Competitors (who we “benchmark” against) Strategic Initiatives Product Portfolio (LineEx v. Leap) IS/IT Projects HQ Location Lunch Mates Language Board “[CEO A.G.] Lafley has shifted P&G’s focus on inventing all its own products to others’ inventions at least half the time. developing One successful example, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, based on a product found in an Osaka market.” —Fortune Axiom: Never use a vendor who is not in the top quartile (decile?) in their industry on R&D spending!* *Inspired by Hummingbird “The Billion-man Research Team: Companies offering work to online communities are reaping the benefits of ‘crowdsourcing.’” —Headline, FT, 0110.07 Rob McEwen/CEO/ Goldcorp Inc./ Red Lake gold Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, Don Tapscott & Anthony Williams Source: All You Need to Know About “Sources of Innovation”: Angry people! [angry with the status quo] “Normal” = “o for 800” “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/Harvard Business Review “Diverse groups of problem solvers—groups of people with diverse tools—consistently outperformed groups of the best and the brightest. If I formed two groups, one random (and therefore diverse) and one consisting of the best individual performers, the first group almost always did better. … Diversity trumped ability.” —Scott Page, The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies Diversity Innovation Index: How many of your Top 5 Strategic Initiatives/Key Projects score 8 or higher [out of 10] on a “Weird”/ “Profound”/ “Wow”/“Game- changer” Scale? Up, Up, Up, Up the Value-added Ladder. “M” = $0 IB : $55B* M *Also HP-EDS “THE GIANT STALKING BIG OIL: How Schlumberger Is Rewriting the Rules of the Energy Game.”: “IPM [Integrated Project Management] strays from [Schlumberger’s] traditional role as a service provider and moves deeper into areas once dominated by the majors.” Source: BusinessWeek cover story, January 2008 “Big Brown’s New Bag: UPS Aims to Be the Traffic Manager for Corporate America” —Headline/BW “UPS wants to take over the sweet spot in the endless loop of goods, information and capital that all the packages [it moves] represent.” —ecompany.com (E.g., UPS Logistics manages the logistics of 4.5M Ford vehicles, from 21 mfg. sites to 6,000 NA dealers) The Value-added Ladder Services Goods Raw Materials (USA, EU) (China, Germany, Japan) The Value-added Ladder/TRANSFORMATION Customer Success/ Gamechanging Solutions Services Goods Raw Materials Huge: Customer Satisfaction versus … Customer Success Up, Up, Up, Up the Value-added Ladder. “Design is treated like a religion at BMW.” —Fortune All Equal Except … “At Sony we assume that all products of our competitors have basically the same technology, price, performance and features. Design is the only thing that differentiates one product from another in the marketplace.” —Norio Ohga “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 fundamental soul of a man-made the creation.” —Steve Jobs DESIGN is the PRINCIPAL DIFFERENTIATOR between Axiom: “LOVE” and “HATE”! Message: Men cannot design for women’s needs. “Forget China, India and the Internet: Economic Growth Is Driven by Women.” Source: Headline, Economist “Since 1970, women have held two out of every three new jobs created.” —FT, 10.03.2006 “Women are the majority market” —Fara Warner/The Power of the Purse “Goldman Sachs in Tokyo has developed an index of 115 companies poised to benefit from women’s increased purchasing power; over the past decade the value of shares in Goldman’s basket has risen by 96%, against Tokyo the stockmarket’s rise of 13%.” —Economist, April 15 most significant variable in every “The sales situation is the gender of the buyer, and more importantly, how the salesperson communicates to the buyer’s gender.” —Jeffery Tobias Halter, Selling to Men, Selling to Women The Perfect Answer Jill and Jack buy slacks in black… “Women don’t buy They join them.” brands. EVEolution 2.6 vs. “AS LEADERS, WOMEN RULE: New Studies find that female managers outshine their male counterparts in almost every measure” TITLE/ Special Report/ BusinessWeek 10 UNASSAILABLE REASONS WOMEN RULE Women make [all] the financial decisions. Women control [all] the wealth. Women [substantially] outlive men. Women start most of the new businesses. Women’s work force participation rates have soared worldwide. Women are closing in on “same pay for same job.” Women are penetrating senior ranks rapidly [even if the pace is slow for the corner office per se]. Women’s leadership strengths are exceptionally well aligned with new organizational effectiveness imperatives. Women are better salespersons than men. Women buy [almost] everything—commercial as well as consumer goods. So what exactly is the point of men? 94% of loans to … women* *Microlending; “Banker to the poor”; Grameen Bank; Muhammad Yunus; 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner “CEMEX realized that women are the key drivers of savings in [Mexican] families. … They are entrepreneurial in nature, and they actively participate in the tanda system [neighborhood groups who pool money and save any that’s left over]. Regardless of whether they are homemakers or outside-the-home workers, they are responsible for any savings in the family. Patrimonio Hoy [Private Property Today, a CEMEX program to aid the poor in building homes] discovered that 70% of the women who saved were saving money in the tanda system to construct homes for their families. The men in the society consider their job done if they bring in their paycheck at the end of the day.” —C.K. Prahalad, from The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, on Lorenzo Zambrano and CEMEX, the Mexican company that’s the world’s #3 cement maker “One thing is certain: Women’s rise to power, which is linked to the increase in wealth per capita, is happening in all domains and at all levels of society. Women are no longer content to provide efficient labor or to be consumers with rising budgets and more autonomy to spend. … This is just the beginning. The phenomenon will only grow as girls prove to be more successful than For a number of observers, we have already entered the age of ‘womenomics,’ the economy as thought out and practiced by a woman.” —Aude Zieseniss de Thuin, Financial boys in the school system. Times, 10.03.2006 “ ‘Womenomics,’ the economy as thought out and practiced by a woman.” —Aude Zieseniss de Thuin, Financial Times, 10.03.2006 The … Innovation 24 Tom Peters/JOINVILLE/19 June 2009 Innovation 24 **XFX/Cross-functional excellence (physical, lunch, project structure, transparency, “emergent leadership,” “facebook,” etc) **Prototype mania (“action bias,” “serious play,” “most tries wins,” “execution is strategy”) **Portfolio management (Score every project) **Celebrate failures (“most mistakes wins,” “Fail. Forward. Fast.”, mining pissed off customers) **Decentralization (“attitude,” budgetary control/30% to 80%, accountability, “spontaneous discovery process”) **Centralization (once in a blue moon—“culture change”/HP-Fiorina; “Centers of Excellence”-GSK) **Targeted-small acquisitions (need a strong retention process) **Alternate structures (“Skunkworks,” 1% “play money,” “parallel universe,” internal “venture funds,” partnership with lead vendors-customers, “adhocracy” in general) Innovation 24 **Weed the portfolio (Wave “bye-bye” to old friends, mastering “organizational forgetting”) **Acknowledge-revel in the mess (logic behind “try it” culture, champion inefficiency) **Fight for simplicity, war on complexity (Drucker: “90% of what we call ‘management, consists …”) **“We are what we eat”/ “hang out factor” (lead customers, vendors, board, consultants, diversity per se, mentor “freaks,” “crowdsourcing”—carefully managed!) **R&D equal all functions (e.g. systems innovation = new product innovation) **100% innovators (“What do you think?”, “culture” of respect, HR’s lead role) **Practice “nudgery” (bigger cart, +50% purchases) **“Gandhi’s rule” (“You must be the change you wish to see in the world,” “timid begets timid”) Innovation 24 **Diverse “team at the top”! **“Enthusiasm ‘machine’” (“I am a dispenser of enthusiasm,” extreme language-“insanely great”) **Passion for “cool” (“design mindfulness”) **MBWA (Managing By Wandering Around—in touch with the “coal face”) **Women (“the market,” not a “market segment;” micro-lending/Yunus-Cemex) **“Boring” as well as/more than “sexy” (Jim’s Group, Basement Systems Inc) **Big stinks/SMEs rule (Mittelstand, Foster’s stats: 0 for 1,000) **Infrastructure (e.g., research universities, venture capital, national initiatives such as Korea and design, primary education) Part FIVE Forty-four “Secrets” and “clever Strategies” For dealing with the Recession of 2008-XXXX Tom Peters/VILNIUS/0326.09 I am constantly asked for 'secrets' “strategies/ for surviving the recession.” I try to appear wise and informed— and parade original, sophisticated thoughts. But if you want to know what’s really going through my head, see the list that follows. 44 “Secrets” and “Clever Strategies” For Dealing with the Recession of 2008-XXXX You come earlier. You leave later. You work harder. You may well work for less; and, if so, you adapt to the untoward circumstances with a smile—even if it kills you inside. You volunteer to do more. You dig deep and always bring a good attitude to work. You fake it if your good attitude flags. You literally practice your "game face" in the mirror in the morning, and in the loo mid-morning. You give new meaning to the idea and intensive practice of “visible management.” 44 “Secrets” and “Clever Strategies” For Dealing with the Recession of 2008-XXXX You take better than usual care of yourself and encourage others to do the same—physical well-being determines mental well-being and response to stress. You shrug off shit that flows downhill in your direction—buy a shovel or a “pre-worn” raincoat on eBay. You try to forget about “the good old days”— nostalgia is self-destructive. You buck yourself up with the thought that “this too shall pass”—but then remind yourself that it might not pass any time soon, and so you re-dedicate yourself to making the absolute best of what you have now. 44 “Secrets” and “Clever Strategies” For Dealing with the Recession of 2008-XXXX You work the phones and then work the phones some more—and stay in touch with positively everyone. You frequently invent breaks from routine, including “weird” ones—“changeups” prevent wallowing and bring a fresh perspective. You eschew all forms of personal excess. You simplify. You sweat the details as never before. You sweat the details as never before. You sweat the details as never before. You raise to the sky and maintain at all costs the Standards of Excellence by which you unfailingly evaluate your own performance. You are maniacal when it comes to responding to even the slightest screw-up. 44 “Secrets” and “Clever Strategies” For Dealing with the Recession of 2008-XXXX You find ways to be around young people and to keep young people around—they are less likely to be members of the “sky is falling” school. You learn new tricks of your trade. You remind yourself that this is not just something to be “gotten through”—it is the Final Exam of character. You network like a demon. You network inside the company—get to know more of the folks who “do the real work.” You network outside the company—get to know more of the folks who “do the real work” in vendor-customer outfits. 44 “Secrets” and “Clever Strategies” For Dealing with the Recession of 2008-XXXX You thank others by the truckload if good things happen—and take the heat yourself if bad things happen. You behave kindly, but you don't sugarcoat or hide the truth--humans are startlingly resilient and rumors are the real killers. You treat small successes as if they were Super bowl victories—and celebrate and commend accordingly. You shrug off the losses (ignoring what's going on in your tummy), and get back on the horse and immediately try again. You avoid negative people to the extent you can—pollution kills. You eventually read the gloom-sprayers the riot act. 44 “Secrets” and “Clever Strategies” For Dealing with the Recession of 2008-XXXX You give new meaning to the word "thoughtful.“ You don’t put limits on the flowers budget— “bright and colorful” works marvels. You redouble, re-triple your efforts to "walk in your customer's shoes." (Especially if the shoes smell.) You mind your manners—and accept others’ lack of manners in the face of their strains. You are kind to all mankind. You keep your shoes shined. You leave the blame game at the office door. You call out the congenital politicians in no uncertain terms. You become a paragon of personal accountability. And then you pray. Part SIX The Heart of Business Strategy: 48 Things That Matter We usually think of business strategy as some sort of aspirational market positioning statement. Doubtless that’s part of it. But I believe that the number one “strategic strength” is excellence in execution and systemic relationships (i.e., with everyone we come in contact with). Hence I offer the following 48 pieces of advice in creating a winning “strategy” that is inherently sustainable. “Thank you.” Minimum several times a day. Measure it. “Thank you” to everyone even peripherally involved in some activity—especially those “deep in the hierarchy.” Smile. Work on it. Apologize. Even if “they” are “mostly” to blame. Jump all over those who play the “blame game.” Hire enthusiasm. Low enthusiasm. No hire. Any job. Hire optimists. Everywhere. (“Positive outlook on life,” not mindless optimism.) Hiring: Would you like to go to lunch with him-her. 100% of jobs. Hire for good manners. Do not reject “trouble makers”—that is those who are uncomfortable with the status quo. Expose all would-be hires to something unexpected-weird. Observe their reaction. Overwhelm response to even the smallest screw-ups. Become a student of all you will meet with. Big time. Hang out with interesting new people. Measure it. Lunch with folks in other functions. Measure it. Listen. Hear. Become a serious student of listening-hearing. Work on everyone’s listening skills. Practice. Become a student of information extractioninterviewing. Become a student of presentation giving. Formal. Short and spontaneous. Incredible care in 1st line supervisor selection. World’s best training for 1st line supervisors. Construct small leadership opportunities for junior people within days of starting on the job. Insane care in all promotion decisions. Promote “people people” for all managerial jobs. Finance-logistics-R&D as much as, say, sales. Hire-promote for demonstrated curiosity. Check their past commitment to continuous learning. Small “d” diversity. Rich mixes for any and all teams. Hire women. Roughly 50% women on exec team. Exec team “looks like” customer population, actual and desired. Focus on creating products for and selling to women. Focus on creating products for and selling to boomers-geezers. Work on first and last impressions. Walls display tomorrow’s aspirations, not yesterday’s accomplishments. Simplify systems. Constantly. Insist that almost all material be covered by a 1-page summary. Absolutely no longer. Practice decency. Add “We are thoughtful in all we do” to corporate values list. Number 1 force for customer loyalty, employee satisfaction. Make some form of employee growth (for all) a formal part of values set. Above customer satisfaction. Steal from RE/MAX: “We are a life success company.” Flowers. Celebrate “small wins.” Often. Perhaps a “small win of the day.” Manage your calendar religiously: Does it accurately reflect your espoused priorities? Use a “calendar friend” who’s not very friendly to help you with this. Review your calendar: Work assiduously and mercilessly on your “To don’ts.”—stuff that distracts. Bosses, especially near the top: Formally cultivate one advisor whose role is to tell you the truth. Commit to Excellence. Talk up Excellence. Put “Excellence in all we do” in the values set. Measure everyone on demonstrated commitment to Excellence. Part SEVEN The 19 Es of Excellence If Not Excellence, What? If Not Excellence Now, When? The “19 Es” of Excellence Enthusiasm. (Be an irresistible force of nature!) Energy. (Be fire! Light fires!) Exuberance. (Vibrate—cause earthquakes!) Execution. (Do it! Now! Get it done! Barriers are baloney! Excuses are for wimps! Accountability is gospel! Adhere to the Bill Parcells doctrine: “Blame nobody! Expect nothing! Do something!”) Empowerment. (Respect and appreciation! Always ask, “What do you think?” Then: Listen! Liberate! Celebrate! 100% innovators or bust!) Edginess. (Perpetually dancing at the frontier, and a little or a lot beyond.) Enraged. (Determined to challenge & change the status quo!) Engaged. (Addicted to MBWA/Managing By Wandering Around. In touch. Always.) Electronic. (Partners with the world 60/60/24/7 via electronic community building and entanglement of every sort. Crowdsourcing/doing power!) Encompassing. (Relentlessly pursue diverse opinions—the more diversity the merrier! Diversity per se “works”!) Emotion. (The alpha. The omega. The essence of leadership. The essence of sales. Empathy. The essence of marketing. The essence. Period. Acknowledge it.) (Connect, connect, connect with others’ reality and aspirations! “Walk in the other person’s shoes”—until the soles have holes!) Experience. (Life is theater! Make every activity-contact memorable! Standard: “Insanely Great”/Steve Jobs; “Radically Thrilling”/BMW.) Eliminate. (Keep it simple!) Errorprone. (Ready! Fire! Aim! Try a lot of stuff and make a lot of booboos and then try some more stuff and make some more booboos—all of it at the speed of light!) Evenhanded. Expectations. Eudaimonia. Excellence. (Straight as an arrow! Fair to a fault! Honest as Abe!) (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.” Amen!) (Pursue the highest of human moral purpose—the core of Aristotle’s philosophy. Be of service. Always.) (The only standard! Never an exception! Start now! No excuses! If not Excellence, what? If not Excellence now, when?) “Excellence can be obtained if you: ... care more than others think is wise; ... risk more than others think is safe; ... dream more than others think is practical; ... expect more than others think is possible.” Source: Anon. (Posted @ tompeters.com by K.Sriram, November 27, 2006 1:17 AM) Excellence. Always.