Conrad Hilton …

Conrad Hilton, at a gala celebrating his career, was called to the podium and asked, “What were the most important lessons you learned in your long and distinguished career?” His answer …

“ remember to tuck the shower curtain inside the bathtub.”

“Execution

is

strategy.”

—Fred Malek

“

Execution is the job of the business leader .”

—Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

“The score takes care of itself.”

—Bill Walsh

“The art of war does not require complicated maneuvers; the simplest are the best and common sense is fundamental. From which one might wonder how it is generals make blunders; is because they try to be clever.”

—Napoleon

it

“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)

Observed closely: The use of

“I”

or

“we”

during a job interview.

Source: Leonard Berry & Kent Seltman, chapter 6, “Hiring for Values,” Management Lessons From Mayo Clinic

Tom Peters’

Excellence.

Always.

Apache Corporation 2012 Strategic Planning Conference 18 October 2011 (Slides at tompeters.com— soon )

NOTE: To appreciate this presentation [and ensure that it is not a

mess

], you need Microsoft fonts:

“Showcard Gothic,” “Ravie,”

and

“Chiller” “Verdana”

REALLY First Things Before First Things

If the regimental commander lost most of his 2nd lieutenants and 1st lieutenants and captains and majors, it would be a tragedy. lost his sergeants it would be a catastrophe. awareness?

If he The Army and the Navy are fully aware that success on the battlefield is dependent to an extraordinary degree on its Sergeants and Chief Petty Officers. Does industry have the same

“People leave managers not companies.”

—Dave Wheeler

Do you absolutely understand and act upon the fact that the first-line boss is the …

KEY LEADERSHIP ROLE

… in the organization?

XFX = #1

* *Cross-Functional eXcellence

% XF lunches*

*The “Sacred 220 Abs

“Allied commands depend on mutual confidence and this confidence is gained, above all through the development of friendships .”

—General D.D. Eisenhower, Armchair General * *“Perhaps his most outstanding ability [at West Point] was the ease with which

he made friends and earned the trust of fellow cadets who came from widely varied backgrounds

; it was a quality that would pay great dividends during his future coalition command.”

XFX/Typical Social Accelerators 1. EVERYONE’s [more or less] JOB #1: Make friends in other functions! (Purposefully. Consistently. Measurably.) 2. “Do lunch” with people in other functions!! Frequently!! (Minimum 10% to 25% for everyone? Measured.) 3. Ask peers in other functions for references so you can become conversant in their world. (It’s one helluva sign of ... GIVE-A-DAMN-ism.) 4. Religiously invite counterparts in other functions to your team meetings. Ask them to present “cool stuff” from “their world” to your group. (Useful. Mark of respect.) 5. PROACTIVELY SEEK EXAMPLES OF “TINY” ACTS OF “XFX” TO ACKNOWLEDGE—PRIVATELY AND PUBLICALLY. (Bosses: ONCE A DAY … make a short call or visit or send an email of “Thanks” for some sort of XFX gesture by your folks and some other function’s folks.) 6. Present counterparts in other functions awards for service to your group. Tiny awards at least weekly; and an “Annual All Star Supporters [from other groups] Banquet” modeled after superstar salesperson banquets.

The subtext of many, if not all, of these ideas is moving from implicit to explicit focus on XFX—it should noisily intrude into [literally] every discussion!

“The doctor interrupts after …*

*Source: Jerome Groopman, How Doctors Think

18 …

seconds!

[An obsession with] Listening is ... the ultimate mark of

Respect

.

Listening is ... the heart and soul of

Engagement

.

Listening is ... the heart and soul of

Kindness

.

Listening is ... the heart and soul of

Thoughtfulness

.

Listening is ... the basis for true

Collaboration .

Listening is ... the basis for true

Partnership

.

Listening is ... a

Team Sport

.

Listening is ... a

Developable Individual Skill

.* (*Though women are far better at it than men.) Listening is ... the basis for

Community

.

Listening is ... the bedrock of

Joint Ventures that work

.

Listening is ... the bedrock of

Joint Ventures that grow

.

Listening is ... the core of

effective Cross-functional Communication *

(*Which is in turn Attribute #1 of organizational effectiveness.) [cont.]

Message:

Listening is a …

profession!

The 1

st

98% of talking is listening!

Bitch all you want, but meetings are what you [boss] do!

Meeting:

Every meeting that does not stir the imagination and curiosity of attendees and increase bonding and co operation and engagement and sense of worth and motivate rapid action and enhance enthusiasm is a permanently lost opportunity.

People!

People!

People!

People!

People!

“You have to treat your employees like customers.”

—Herb Kelleher, upon being asked his “secret to success” Source: Joe Nocera, on the occasion of Herb Kelleher’s retirement after 37 years at Southwest Airlines NYT , “Parting Words of an Airline Pioneer,” (SWA’s pilots union took out a full-page ad in USA Today thanking HK for all he had done) ; across the way in Dallas, American Airlines’ pilots were picketing AA’s Annual Meeting)

"If you want staff to give great service, give great service to staff."

—Ari Weinzweig, Zingerman's

"When I hire someone, that's when work for them.” I go to

—John DiJulius, "What's the Secret to Providing a World-class Cust Experience"

There are no “bit players” in an effective organization.

“Ninety percent of what we call ‘management’ consists of making it difficult for people to get things done.”

– Peter Drucker

Brand = Talent.

From “1, 2 or you’re out” [Jack Welch/GE/1st or 2nd in market share or sell it/close it] to …

“Best Talent

intangibles” [Ed Michaels] in each industry segment to build best proprietary

Source: Ed Michaels, War for 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

“The role of the Director is to create a space where the actors and actresses can

become more than they’ve ever been before, more than they’ve dreamed of being.”

—Robert Altman, Oscar acceptance speech

“I can’t tell you how many times we passed up hotshots for guys we thought were better people, and watched our guys do a lot better than the big names, not just in the classroom, but on the field—and, naturally, after they graduated, too. Again and again, the blue chips faded out, and our little up-and-comers clawed their way to all-conference and All-America teams.”

Bo’s Lasting Lessons —Bo Schembechler (and John Bacon), “Recruit for Character,”

Bottom Line I

“The ONE Question”: “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 … in painstaking detail … 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 five years. What are the ‘three big things’ you’ve learned about helping people grow along the way?”

Promotion Decisions

“life and death decisions”

Source: Peter Drucker, The Practice of Management

Les Wexner:

From sweaters to people!

Andrew Carnegie’s Tombstone Inscription …

Here lies a man Who knew how to enlist In his service Better men than himself.

Source: Peter Drucker, The Practice of Management

“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, War for Talent

Evaluating people = #1 differentiator

Source: Jack Welch/Jeff Immelt on GE’s #1 strategic skill ( !!!!

)

Bottom Line II

The Memories That Matter The people you developed who went on to stellar accomplishments inside or outside the company.

The (no more than) two or three people you developed who went on to create stellar institutions of their own.

The longshots (people with “a certain something”) you bet on who surprised themselves— later say and your peers.

The people of all stripes who 2/5/10/20 years “You made a difference in my life,” “Your belief in me changed everything.” The sort of/character of people you hired in general. ( And the bad apples you chucked out despite some stellar traits.) A handful of projects (a half dozen at most) you doggedly pursued that still make you smile and which fundamentally changed the way things are done inside or outside the company/industry.

The supercharged camaraderie of a handful of Great Teams aiming to “change the world.”

“Unremarkable” for RESULTS: except Superb people developer (her/his folks invariably amazed at what they’ve accomplished!)

Joe J. Jones 1942 – 2010 Net Worth $21,543,672.48

Not.

1/45

READY.

FIRE!

AIM.

H. Ross Perot (vs “ Aim! Aim! Aim!” /EDS vs GM/1985)

/45

“ Reward

excellent failures.

Punish

mediocre successes.”

—Phil Daniels, Sydney exec

“I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot— and missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

—Michael Jordan

Lesson45:

WTTMSW

Whoever Tries The Most Stuff Wins

Better yet:

WTTMSTFW

Whoever Tries The Most Stuff The Fastest Wins

“Experiment fearlessly”

Source: BusinessWeek , “Type A Organization Strategies: How to Hit a Moving Target”—

Tactic #1

“relentless trial and error”

Source: Wall Street Journal, cornerstone of effective approach to “rebalancing” company portfolios in the face of changing and uncertain global economic conditions (11.08.10)

“Fail.

Forward. Fast.”

High Tech CEO, Pennsylvania

Better yet: WTTMS(ASTMSU)TFW

Whoever Tries The Most Stuff (And Screws The Most Stuff Up) The Fastest Wins

“You miss

100%

of the shots you never take.”

—Wayne Gretzky

BLAME NOBODY.

EXPECT NOTHING.

DO SOMETHING.

Source: Locker room sign posted by NFL football coach Bill Parcells

TGRs

Conveyance: Kingfisher Air Location: Approach to New Delhi

“May I clean your glasses, sir?”

and

…

>TG R

[Things Gone WRONG -Things Gone RIGHT ]

LBTs

Little =

Big carts = Source: Walmart

Bag sizes = New markets: Source: PepsiCo

MBWA

“Tom, let me tell you the definition of a good lending officer. After church on Sunday, on the way home with his family, he takes a little detour to drive by the factory he just lent money to. Doesn’t go in or any such thing, just drives by and takes a look.”

MBWA Managing By Wandering Around/ HP

General David Petraeus’ “White lines along the road”: “Secure and serve the population.

Live among the people.

Promote reconciliation.

Move mounted, work dismounted; situational awareness can only be achieved by operating face-to-face, not separated by ballistic glass.

Walk

.

*” —David Petraeus, Men’s Journal (06.08) * “I love that last one for its simplicity.” —David Petraeus

“If there is any one ‘secret’ to effectiveness, it is concentration. Effective executives do first things first … time.”

—Peter Drucker

and they do one thing at a

Introspection Is Not Egomania

“To develop others, start with yourself.”

—Marshall Goldsmith

“How can a high-level leader like _____ be so out of touch with the truth about himself? It’s more common than you would imagine. In fact, the higher up the ladder a leader climbs, the less accurate his self-assessment is likely to be .

The problem is an acute lack of feedback [especially on people issues].”

—Daniel Goleman (et al.), The New Leaders

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself"

- Leo Tolstoy

K = R = P

“Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart.”

—Henry Clay, American Statesman (1777-1852)

K = R = P

Kindness = Repeat business = Profit.

"Appreciative words are the most powerful force for good on earth.”

—George W. Crane, physician, columnist

“The two most powerful things in existence: a kind word and a thoughtful gesture.”

—Ken Langone, co-founder, Home Depot

“I regard apologizing as the most magical, healing, restorative gesture human beings can make. It is the centerpiece of my work with executives who want to get better.”

—Marshall Goldsmith Even More Successful. , What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become

With a new and forthcoming policy on apologies … Toro, the lawn mower folks, reduced the average cost of settling a claim from $115,000 in 1991 to $35,000 in 2008 … 15 years and the company hasn’t been to trial in the last !

Relationships (of all varieties) :

THERE ONCE WAS A TIME WHEN A

THREE-MINUTE PHONE CALL

WOULD HAVE AVOIDED SETTING OFF THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL THAT RESULTED IN A COMPLETE RUPTURE.

*

*divorce, loss of a BILLION $$$ aircraft sale, etc., etc.

THE PROBLEM IS RARELY/NEVER THE PROBLEM. THE

RESPONSE

TO THE PROBLEM INVARIABLY ENDS UP BEING THE REAL PROBLEM.* * PERCEPTION IS ALL THERE IS!

Up, Up, Up, Up

the Value-added Ladder.

$55B*

*IBM Global Services/ “Systems integrator of choice”

IB M I to B M

“ 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)

A Constant Battle

“I am often asked by would-be entrepreneurs seeking escape from life within huge corporate structures,

build a small firm for myself?’ ‘How do I

The answer

seems obvious … Source: Paul Ormerod, Why Most Things Fail: Evolution, Extinction and Economics

“ 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

“Mr. Foster and his McKinsey colleagues collected detailed performance data stretching back

40

years for

1,000

U.S. companies.

They found that

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

“Data drawn from the real world attest to a fact that is beyond our control:

Everything in existence tends to deteriorate

.”

—Norberto Odebrecht, Education Through Work

Skinning Cats

There is more than one way to skin a cat!* *Every project REQUIRES (if you’re smart) an outside look by one/some Seriously Weird Cat/s —in pursuit of whacked-out options.

14,000 20,000

14,000/

30 e

Bay 20,000/Amazon /Craigslist

“We all agree your theory is crazy. The question, which divides us, is whether it is crazy enough.”

—Niels Bohr, to Wolfgang Pauli

“ Insanely Great”

Steve Jobs

“Radically thrilling”

BMW

“Let us create such a building that future generations will take us for lunatics.”

—the church hierarchs at Seville

“We are crazy. We should do something when people say it is ‘crazy.’ If people say something is ‘good’, it means someone else is already doing it.”

—Hajime Mitarai, Canon

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!