Transcript To appreciate this presentation [and insure that it is not a mess], you need Microsoft fonts: NOTE: “Showcard Gothic,” “Ravie,” “Chiller” and “Verdana”

To appreciate
this presentation [and insure
that it is not a mess], you need
Microsoft fonts:
NOTE:
“Showcard Gothic,”
“Ravie,” “Chiller”
and “Verdana”
Part 2
Tom Peters’
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
New Master/05 September 2008
Slides at …
tompeters.com
Ten Parts
P1.1, P1.2, P1.3, P1.4/Generic
P2/Leadership
P3/Talent
P4/“Value-added Ladder”
P5/“New” Markets
P6/“The Equations”
P7.1/Implementation
P7.2/Action
P8/13 “Guru Gaffes”
P9/Health“care”
P10/“The Lists”
Part 2
Excellence:
The
Leadership
50
bedrock.
1. Leaders …
serve.
Organizations
exist to serve.
Period.
Leaders live to
serve. Period.
The Basic
Mechanism.
2. Leadership Is a
Mutual
Discovery
Process.
…
“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.”
Leaders’ “Mt Everest Test”
“free to do his or her
absolute best” …
“allow its members to
discover their
greatness.”
The Dream
Manager
—Matthew Kelly
E.g.: “An organization can only become the-best-version-of-itself to the
extent that the people who drive that organization are striving to
become better-versions-of-themselves.” “A company’s purpose is to
become the-best-version-of-itself. The question is: What is an
employee’s purpose? Most would say, ‘to help the company achieve its
purpose’—but they would be wrong. That is certainly part of the
employee’s role, but an employee’s primary purpose is to become thebest-version-of-himself or –herself. … When a company forgets that it
exists to serve customers, it quickly goes out of business. Our
employees are our first customers, and our most important customers.”
Quests!
Cause
Space
(worthy of commitment)
(room for/encouragement
for initiative)
Decency
(respect, humane)
Cause
Space
(worthy of commitment)
(room for/encouragement
for initiative-adventures)
Decency
(respect, grace,
integrity, humane)
service
(worthy of our clients’ & extended
family’s continuing custom)
excellence
(period)
Cause
Space
Decency
service
(worthy of commitment)
(room for/encouragement for initiative-adventures)
(respect, grace, integrity, humane)
(worthy of our clients’ & extended
family’s continuing custom)
excellence
servant leadership
(period)
Cause
Space
Decency
service
excellence
servant leadership
“I have always
believed that the
purpose of the
corporation is to be a
blessing to the
employees.” *
—Boyd Clarke
*TP: An “organization” is, in fact and after all
is said and done, a/the “house” in which
most of us “live” most of the time.
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
… 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.
Organizations Exist to Serve. Period.
Leaders Live to Serve. Period.
Passionate servant leaders, determined to create
a legacy of earthshaking transformation in their
domain (a 600SF retail space, a 4-person training department, an urban
school, a rural school, a city, a nation), create/ must necessarily
create organizations which are no less than
Cathedrals in which the full and awesome power
of the Imagination and Spirit and native
Entrepreneurial flair (We are all entrepreneurs—Muhammad
Yunus) of diverse individuals (100% creative Talent—from
checkout to lab, from Apple to Wegmans to Jane’s one-person accountancy in
is unleashed in passionate pursuit of
jointly perceived soaring purpose (= win a Nobel peace
Invercargill NZ)
prize like Yunus, or at least do something worthy of bragging about 25 years from
and personal and community and
client service Excellence.
now to your grandkids)
Such Talent unbound pursue Quests
(rapidly and
relentlessly experimenting and failing and trying
which surprise and surpass and
redefine the expectations of the individual
and the servant leader alike. The collective
“products” of these Quests offer the best
chance of achieving rapid organizational and
individual adaptation to fast-transforming
environments, and provide the nutrition for
continuing (and sometimes dramatic) reimaginings which re-draw the boundaries
of industries and communities and human
achievement and the very conception of
what is possible.
again)
In turn, such organizations, bent upon excellence
and re-imaginings based on maximizing human
creativity and achievement, will automatically
create cadres of imaginative and inspiring and
determined servant leaders who stick around to
take the organization to another level, and then
another—or, equally or more important, leave
to spread the virus of Freedom-CreativityExcellence-Transforming Purpose by pathfinding
new streets, highways and alleyways which
vitalize and revitalize, through creative
destruction, Entrepreneurial Capitalism, which
is the best hope for maximizing collective human
Freedom, Happiness, Prosperity, Wellbeing—and,
one prays, some measure of Peace on earth.
… such organizations, bent upon
excellence and re-imaginings based on
maximizing human creativity and
achievement … vitalize and
revitalize, through creative
destruction, Entrepreneurial
Capitalism, which is the best hope
for maximizing collective human
Freedom, Happiness, Prosperity,
Wellbeing—and, one prays, some
measure of Peace on earth.
Internal
organizational
excellence* ** =
Deepest “Blue
Ocean”
*A “Blue ocean” is by definition
very profitable … and will be
quickly copied. “sustainable
blue” (Internal
organizational excellence) is
far more difficult to copy.
**Internal
organizational
excellence =
“Brand inside”
B(I) > B(O)
“If I could have chosen not to tackle the IBM
culture head-on, I probably wouldn’t have. My
bias coming in was toward strategy, analysis and
measurement. In comparison, changing the
attitude and behaviors of hundreds of thousands
[Yet] I
came to see in my time at
IBM that culture isn’t
just one aspect of the
game—it is the game.”
of people is very, very hard.
—Lou Gerstner, Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance
The
Leadership
Types.
3. Great Leaders on White Horses Are
Great Talent
Developers (Type I
Leadership) are the Bedrock
Important – but
of Organizations that Perform Over
the Long Haul.
Whoops:
Jack didn’t have
a vision!
4. But There Are Times
When the “visionary”
“Type” (Type II
Leadership) Matters!
“A leader is a
dealer in
hope.”
—Napoleon
5. Find the
“Businesspeople”!
(Type III Leadership)
I.P.M.
(Inspired
Profit Mechanic)
6. All Organizations
Need … the Golden
Leadership
Triangle.
The Golden Leadership Triangle:
(1) Talent Fanatic …
(2) Visionary …
(3) Inspired Profit
Mechanic.
7. Leadership Mantra #1:
IT ALL DEPENDS!
Renaissance Men
are … a snare,
a myth,
a delusion!
8. The Leader Is
Rarely/Never the
Best Performer.
The
Leadership
Dance.
9. Leaders …
SHOW UP!
MBWA
“A body can
pretend to care,
but they can’t
pretend to be
there.”
— Texas Bix Bender
“It’s always
showtime.”
—David D’Alessandro, Career Warfare
10. Leaders …
LOVE the
MESS!
“If things seem
under control,
you’re just not
going fast
enough.”
—Mario Andretti
11. Leaders
“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
12. Leaders
Re
-do.
Phil Crosby
is an idiot!
“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
13. BUT … Leaders
Know
When to
Wait.
Tex Schramm:
The
“too hard”
box!
14. Leaders Are …
Optimists.
Hackneyed but none the less
LEADERS SEE
CUPS AS “HALF
FULL.”
true:
“[Ronald
Reagan] radiated an
almost
transcendent
happiness.”
Half-full Cups:
—Lou Cannon
15. Leaders
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
“The one thing you need
to know about sustained
individual success:
Discover what you don’t
like doing and
stop
doing it.”
—Marcus Buckingham, The One Thing You Need to Know
16. Leaders … Send
V-E-R-Y Clear
Signals
About
What’s Important!
“Really Important
Stuff”: Roger’s
Rule of Three!
Robinson/American Express
Puckett/Hughes
Olsen/Digital
Mozilo/Countrywide
Milliken/Milliken
Welch/GE
Danger:
S.I.O.
(Strategic Initiative Overload)
If It Ain’t
Broke …
Break It.
17. Leaders …
FORGET!/
Leaders …
DESTROY!
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
“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
18. BUT … Leaders
Have to Deliver, So They
Worry About “Throwing
the Baby Out with the
Bathwater.”
“Damned If You
Do, Damned If You
Don’t, Just Plain
Damned.”
Subtitle in the chapter, “Own Up to the Great Paradox: Success Is
the Product of Deep Grooves/ Deep Grooves Destroy Adaptivity,”
Liberation Management (1992)
19. Leaders …
HONOR THE
USURPERS.
Saviors-in-Waiting
Disgruntled Customers
Upstart Competitors
Rogue Employees
Fringe Suppliers
Source: Wayne Burkan, Wide Angle Vision
20. Leaders Make
[Lots of]
Mistakes – and
MAKE NO BONES
ABOUT IT!
“Fail faster.
Succeed
sooner.”
—David Kelley/IDEO
21. Leaders Make …
BIG MISTAKES!
“Reward
excellent
failures. Punish
mediocre
successes.”
—Phil Daniels
Create.
22. Leaders Know that THERE’S
MORE TO LIFE THAN “LINE
EXTENSIONS.” Leaders Love to …
CREATE NEW
MARKETS.
“Acquisitions are about
buying market share. Our
challenge is to
create markets.
There is a big difference.”
—Peter Job, CEO, Reuters
YESBANK*
*Commerce Bank
23. Leaders … Make
Their Mark /
Do Stuff
That Matters
Leaders …
“I never, ever thought of
myself as a businessman.
I was interested in
creating things
I would be
proud of.” —Richard Branson
24. Leaders Push Their
W-a-y
Up the Valueadded Chain.
Organizations …
And the “M” Stands for … ?
“Systems
Integrator of choice.”/BW
Gerstner’s IBM:
(“Lou, help us turn ‘all this’ into that long-promised ‘revolution.’ ” )
IBM Global Services*
Services Corp.):
$55B
(*Integrated Systems
“Big Brown’s New Bag: UPS
Traffic
Manager for
Corporate
America”
Aims to Be the
—Headline/BW/2004
“Every project we undertake starts with
‘How can
we do what has
never been done
before?’”
the same question:
—Stuart Hornery, Lend Lease
25. Leaders Push Past
Service “Transactions” to
… Scintillating
Experiences.
“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
Experience: “Rebel Lifestyle!”
“What we sell is the
ability for a 43year-old accountant
to dress in black
leather, ride through
small towns and have
people be afraid
of him.”
Harley exec, quoted in Results-Based Leadership
26. Leaders
LOVE the
New Technology!
Power Tools
For Power
Strategies/
ARD 40K
27. Needed? Type IV
Leadership:
Technology
Dreamer-True
Believer
The Golden Leadership
Quadrangle: (1) Talent
Fanatic … (2) Visionary …
(3) Inspired Profit
Mechanic …
(4) Technology DreamerTrue Believer.
Talent.
28. Leaders …
DO TALENT!
‘do’
“Leaders
people.
Period.”
—Anon.
Brand =
Talent.
29. When It Comes
TALENT
to
…
Leaders Always Go
Berserk!
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
30. Leaders Listen.
Leaders
Consult.
The “One line of code”
Theorem: All we-“they”me want is (1) to be
consulted, (2) to be taken
seriously, (3) a tiny show
of appreciation
Passion.
31. Leaders …
“Sell”
PASSION!
“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)
“Create a
‘cause,’ not a
‘business.’ ”
Gary Hamel:
32. Leaders Know:
ENTHUSIASM
BEGETS
ENTHUSIASM!
BZ: “I am a …
Dispenser of
Enthusiasm!”
“Nothing is so
contagious as
enthusiasm.”
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge
33. Leaders Are …
in a Hurry
“We don’t sell insurance
We sell
speed.”
anymore.
Peter Lewis, Progressive
“Metabolic
Management”
34. Leaders
Focus on the
SOFT STUFF!
“Hard” is
“soft.”
“Soft” Is
“hard.”
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.]
The “Job” of
Leading.
35. Leaders Know It’s
ALL SALES ALL
THE TIME.
If you don’t
LOVE
SALES … find
another life. (Don’t pretend
you’re a “leader.”)
36. Leaders
LOVE
“POLITICS.”
If you don’t LOVE
POLITICS … find
another life.
(Don’t pretend
you’re a “leader.”)
All success is a
Matter of
implementation.
All implementation is
a matter of politics.
37. But … Leaders Also
Break a Lot
of China.
Characteristics of the “Also rans”*
“Minimize risk”
“Respect the chain of
command”
“Support the boss”
“Make budget”
*Fortune, “Most Admired Global Corporations”
38. Leaders
Give …
RESPECT!
“It was much later that I realized Dad’s
secret. He gained respect by giving it. He
talked and listened to the fourth-grade kids
in Spring Valley who shined shoes the same
way he talked and listened to a bishop or a
He was
seriously interested in
who you were and
what you had to say.”
college president.
Source: 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
39. Leaders Say
“Thank
You.”
“The deepest human
need to
be appreciated.”
need is the
William James
FLOWER
FLOWER
POWER
POWER
40. Leaders
Are …
Curious.
The Three Most Important Letters …
WHY?
41. Leadership Is
a…
Performance.
“It is necessary for the
President to be the
No. 1
actor.”
nation’s
FDR
42. Leaders … Are
The Brand
“You must
be
the change you
wish to see in the
world.”
Gandhi
“It’s always
showtime.”
—David D’Alessandro, Career Warfare
43. Leaders …
GREAT
STORY!
Have a
“A key – perhaps the key –
to leadership is
the effective
communication
of a story.”
Howard Gardner
Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership
“Leaders don’t just make
products and make decisions.
Leaders make
meaning.”
– John Seely Brown
Leader Job 1
Paint
Portraits of
Excellence!
Introspection.
44.
Leaders …
Enjoy
Leading.
“Tom, you
left out one
thing …”
45. Leaders
LAUGH!
46. Leaders …
KNOW
THEMSELVES.
Individuals (would-be leaders)
cannot engage in a
liberating mutual discovery
process unless they are
comfortable with their
own skin. (“Leaders” who are not
comfortable with themselves become petty
control freaks.)
Questions: What do others think of you? [Are you sure?] What
do you think of you? [Are you sure?] What is your impact on
others? [Are you sure?] What is your impact on others? [Are
you sure?] What is your impact on others? [Are you sure?]
What are the “little things” you (perhaps unconsciously) do that
cause people to shrivel—or blossom? [Are you sure?] What do
you want? [Are you sure?] Are you aware of your changing
moods? [Are you sure?] How fragile is your ego? [Are you sure?]
Do you have a true confidant? [Are you sure?] Do you perform brief
or not-so-brief self-assessments? Do you talk too much? [Are you
sure?] Do you know how to listen? [Are you sure?] Do you
listen? [Are you sure?] What is your style of “hashing things
out”? Are you perceived as (a) arrogant, (b) abrasive (c) attentive,
(d) genuinely interested in people, (e) etc? [Are you sure?] Are
you flexible? Have you changed your mind about anything important
in a while? Are you comfortable-uncomfortable with folks on the
front line? Do you think you’re “in touch with the pulse of
things around here”? [Are You Sure?] Are you too
emotional/intuitive? Are you too unemotional/rational? Do you
spend much time with people who are new to you? [Do you think
questions like this are “so much BS”?]
47. But …
Leaders have
MENTORS.
Upon having the
Leadership Mantle placed
upon one’s head, he/she
never
shall
hear
the unvarnished truth
again!*
(*Therefore, she/he needs one faithful compatriot
to lay it on with no jelly.)
The End
Game.
48. Leaders
are …
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
Grant had an
extreme, almost phobic
dislike of turning back
and retracing his steps.
peculiarity of his character:
If he
set out for somewhere, he would get there somehow, whatever the
difficulties that lay in his way. This idiosyncrasy would turn out to be one
the factors that made him such a formidable general. Grant would always,
always press on—turning back was not an option for him.”
—Michael Korda, Ulysses Grant
Relentless: “One of
my superstitions had always been
when I started to go anywhere or
not to
turn back , or stop,
to do anything,
until the thing intended was
accomplished.” —Grant
“Success seems to be
largely a matter
of hanging on
after others have
let go.”
—William Feather, author
49. Leaders
???:
“Leadership is the
PROCESS of ENGAGING
PEOPLE in CREATING a
LEGACY of
EXCELLENCE.”
“LEADERS NEED TO
BE THE ROCK OF
GIBRALTAR ON
ROLLER BLADES.”
50. Leaders Free
the Lunatic
Within!
The greatest danger
for most of us
is not that our aim is
too high
and we miss it,
but that it is
too low
and we reach it.
Michelangelo
Kevin Roberts’ Credo
1. Ready. Fire! Aim.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
If it ain’t broke ... Break it!
Hire crazies.
Ask dumb questions.
Pursue failure.
Lead, follow ... or get out of the way!
Spread confusion.
Ditch your office.
Read odd stuff.
10. Avoid moderation!
“You can’t behave
in a calm, rational
manner. You’ve got
to be out there on
the lunatic fringe.”
— Jack Welch
51. Leaders
Relentlessly Pursue …
Excellence
“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 Is a
Universal
Striving.
If Not
Excellence,
What?
To appreciate
this presentation [and insure
that it is not a mess], you need
Microsoft fonts:
NOTE:
“Showcard Gothic,”
“Ravie,” “Chiller”
and “Verdana”
To appreciate this presentation,
you need Microsoft fonts:
“Showcard Gothic,” “Ravie,” “Chiller”
and “Verdana”
NOTE:
Master
Excellence. Always.
part six (of 7)
leadership!
19 October 2007
THE MASTER PRESENTATION: There are about 3,500 slides in this 7-part “Master
Presentation.” The first six “chapters” are indeed meant add up to a logical, linear
argument. Part I is context. Part II is devoted entirely to innovation—the sine qua non,
as perhaps never before, of survival. In earlier incarnations of the “master,” “innovation”
“stuff” was scattered throughout the presentation—now it is front and center and a
stand-alone. Part III is a variation on the innovation theme—but it is organized to
examine the imperative (for most everyone in the developed world) of an ultra high
value-added strategy. A “value-added ladder” (the “ladder” configuration lifted with
gratitude from Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore’s Experience Economy) lays out a specific logic
for necessarily leaving commodity-like goods and services in the dust. Part IV argues
that in this age of “micro-marketing” there are two macro-markets of astounding size
that are dramatically under-attended by all but a few; namely women and boomersgeezers. Part V underpins the overall argument with the necessary bedrock—Talent, with
brief consideration of Education & Healthcare. Part VI examines Leadership for turbulent
times from several angles.
Despite the “logical argument,” I think you’d be better off if you thought of “all this” as I
do—an ENCYCLOPEDIA OF IDEAS. Various “riffs” are attached throughout which, though
not perfect fits, serve my purpose as “meat” from which I cobble together a finance
presentation in Bahrain … or a health-services lecture in Virginia. For example, the day I
wrote this I spoke to an association made up of independent middle-size companies. I
led off with a new section on the place for and power of middle-sized firms in general,
featuring the German Mittelstand—which is the basis for that country’s surprise ranking
as the world’s #1 exporter. These agile players, residing in the ultimate high-wage
nation, tend to “own” a niche courtesy astoundingly high-value-added products. This
“Mittelstand opener” does not fit in the Master in a tidy fashion, but I want it to be
available for future use and it works pretty well in the overall innovation argument—
hence its landing in Part II. The placement is not bad, but the point is that this “idea” is
now available to me—and you—in my “encyclopedia.”
And there you have it!
19 October 2007
To appreciate this presentation,
you need Microsoft fonts:
“Showcard Gothic,” “Ravie,” “Chiller”
and “Verdana”
NOTE:
Master
Excellence. Always.
part one (of 7)
“all you need to know”
(dwelling on the obvious)
not your father’s world
introduction to excellence.
To appreciate this presentation,
you need Microsoft fonts:
“Showcard Gothic,” “Ravie,” “Chiller”
and “Verdana”
NOTE:
Master*
Excellence
part two (of 7)
innovate.
Or.
Die.
To appreciate this presentation,
you need Microsoft fonts:
“Showcard Gothic,” “Ravie,” “Chiller”
and “Verdana”
NOTE:
Master/
Excellence. Always./
part THREE (of 7)
up, up,
up, up …
the value added ladder
(solutions-experiences-dreams-lovemarks)
To appreciate this presentation,
you need Microsoft fonts:
“Showcard Gothic,” “Ravie,” “Chiller”
and “Verdana”
NOTE:
Master/
Excellence. Always./
part FOUR (of 7)
“new” Markets
(Stupendous Opportunity)
To appreciate this presentation,
you need Microsoft fonts:
“Showcard Gothic,” “Ravie,” “Chiller”
and “Verdana”
NOTE:
Master
Excellence. Always.
part FIVE (of 7)
people!
(Brand you. Talent. Health.
Education.)
To appreciate this presentation,
you need Microsoft fonts:
“Showcard Gothic,” “Ravie,” “Chiller”
and “Verdana”
NOTE:
Master*
Excellence
part Seven (of 7)
excellence.
summaries.
Lists.
Tom Peters’ X25*
EXCELLENCE.
ALWAYS.
MASTER/Part SIX
*In Search of Excellence 1982-2007
NOTE: The gray slides (like this one)
throughout are explanatory notes not
found in my regular presentations.
Part
six
Slides at …
tompeters.com
Welcome to Tom Peters “PowerPoint World”! Beyond the set of slides here,
you will find at tompeters.com the last eight years of presentations, a
basketful of “Special Presentations,” and, above all, Tom’s constantly
updated Master Presentation—from which most of the slides in this
presentation are drawn. There are about 3,500 slides in the 7-part “Master
Presentation.” The first five “chapters” constitute the main argument:
Part I is context. Part II is devoted entirely to innovation—the sine qua
non, as perhaps never before, of survival. In earlier incarnations of the
“master,” “innovation” “stuff” was scattered throughout the presentation—
now it is front and center and a stand-alone. Part III is a variation on the
innovation theme—but it is organized to examine the imperative (for most
everyone in the developed-emerging world) of an ultra high value-added
strategy. A “value-added ladder” (the “ladder” configuration lifted with
gratitude from Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore’s Experience Economy) lays out a
specific logic for necessarily leaving commodity-like goods and services in
the dust. Part IV argues that in this age of “micro-marketing” there are
two macro-markets of astounding size that are dramatically underattended by all but a few; namely women and boomers-geezers. Part V
underpins the overall argument with the necessary bedrock—Talent, with
brief consideration of Education & Healthcare. Part VI examines
Leadership for turbulent times from several angles. Part VII is a
collection of a dozen Lists—such as Tom’s “Irreducible 209,” 209 “things
I’ve learned along the way.”
Enjoy! Download! “Steal”—that’s the whole point!
EXCELLENCE.
BEDROCK.
LEADERSHIP.
L23. 10Ps. 12Ps.
7Es. 1E. GRANTNELSON. MBWA.
L50.
X25: Not a damn
thing has
changed! (e.g.: “leadership 2007
= leadership 2007 BC
EXCELLENCE.
THE LEADERSHIP23.
Leadership23/ML
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Enthusiasm. Energy. Exuberance.
Action. Execution.
Tempo. Metabolism.
Relentless.
Master of Plan B.
Accountability.
Meritocracy.
Leaders “do” people. Mentor. (“Success
creation business.”)
9. Women. Diversity.
10. Integrity. Credibility. Humanity. Grace.
11. Realism.
12. Cause. Adventures. Quests.
Leadership23/ML
13. Legacy.
14. Best story wins.
15. On the edge. (“Wildest chimera of a
moonstruck mind.”)
16. “Reward excellent failures. Punish
mediocre successes.”
17. Different > Better. (“Only ones who do
what we do.”)
18. MBWA. Customer MBWA.
19. Laughs.
20. Repot. Curiosity. Why?
21. You = Calendar. “To Don’t.” Two.
22. Excellence. Always.
23. Nelsonian! (“Other admirals more afraid
of losing than anxious to win.”)
EXCELLENCE.
BEDROCK.
LEADERSHIP.
10Ps.
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
PERSISTENCE.
PRIORITIES.
PEOPLE.
Potent.
Positive.
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
PERSISTENCE.
PRIORITIES.
PEOPLE.
Potent.
Positive.
“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)
“A leader is
a dealer in
hope.”
—Napoleon
(+TP’s writing room pics)
Leader Job One
Paint
Portraits of
Excellence!
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’?”
“No leader sets out to be a
leader per se, but rather
to express him- or
herself freely and fully.
That is, leaders have no
interest in proving
themselves, but an abiding
interest in expressing
themselves.” —Warren Bennis,
On Becoming a Leader
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
PERSISTENCE.
PRIORITIES.
PEOPLE.
Potent.
Positive.
“Nothing is so
contagious as
enthusiasm.”
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge
BZ: “I am a …
Dispenser of
Enthusiasm!”
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
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,
is not a
word often heard in the elephant organizations, nor in
schools, where it can seem disruptive.”
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
PERSISTENCE.
PRIORITIES.
PEOPLE.
Potent.
Positive.
“In the end, management
doesn’t change culture.
Management
invites
the workforce itself to
change the culture.”
—Lou Gerstner
“The role of the Director is to create a
space where the actors and
become more
than they’ve ever been
before, more than
they’ve dreamed of
being.”
actresses can
—Robert Altman, Oscar acceptance speech
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
PERSISTENCE.
PRIORITIES.
PEOPLE.
Potent.
Positive.
5,000
miles for a 5
min. meeting!
Mark McCormack:
“It’s always
showtime.”
—David D’Alessandro, Career Warfare
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
PERSISTENCE.
PRIORITIES.
PEOPLE.
Potent.
Positive.
“You must
be
the change you
wish to see in the
world.”
Gandhi
“Being aware of
yourself and how you
affect everyone around
you is what
distinguishes a superior
leader.” —Edie Seashore
(Strategy + Business #45)
Questions: What do others think of you? [Are you sure?] What
do you think of you? [Are you sure?] What is your impact on
others? [Are you sure?] What is your impact on others? [Are
you sure?] What is your impact on others? [Are you sure?]
What are the “little things” you (perhaps unconsciously) do that
cause people to shrivel—or blossom? [Are you sure?] What do
you want? [Are you sure?] Are you aware of your changing
moods? [Are you sure?] How fragile is your ego? [Are you sure?]
Do you have a true confidant? [Are you sure?] Do you perform brief
or not-so-brief self-assessments? Do you talk too much? [Are you
sure?] Do you know how to listen? [Are you sure?] Do you
listen? [Are you sure?] What is your style of “hashing things
out”? Are you perceived as (a) arrogant, (b) abrasive (c) attentive,
(d) genuinely interested in people, (e) etc? [Are you sure?] Are
you flexible? Have you changed your mind about anything important
in a while? Are you comfortable-uncomfortable with folks on the
front line? Do you think you’re “in touch with the pulse of
things around here”? [Are You Sure?] Are you too
emotional/intuitive? Are you too unemotional/rational? Do you
spend much time with people who are new to you? [Do you think
questions like this are “so much BS”?]
Enthusiasm
Energy
Exuberance
Voracious Curiosity
Irritability/Dis-satisfaction
Relentlessness
Self-reliance
“Closer” (Execution)
excellence
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
PERSISTENCE.
PRIORITIES.
PEOPLE.
Potent.
Positive.
Relentless: “One of
my superstitions had always been
when I started to go anywhere or
not to
turn back , or stop,
to do anything,
until the thing intended was
accomplished.” —Grant
“Success seems to be
largely a matter
of hanging on
after others have
let go.”
—William Feather, author
“incredible
power of
endurance”
—political
colleague, on Nicolas Sarkozy, repeatedly written off by the public and
the celestial powers of French politics (FT, 0515.07)
“The most
successful people
are those who
are good at plan B.”
—James Yorke, mathematician, on chaos theory
in The New Scientist
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
PERSISTENCE.
PRIORITIES.
PEOPLE.
potent.
Positive.
Danger:
S.I.O.
(Strategic Initiative Overload)
“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
“Really Important
Stuff”: Roger’s
Rule of Three!
JackWorld/
1@T: (1) Neutron
Jack. (Banish bureaucracy.) (2) “1, 2
or out” Jack. (Lead or leave.) (3)
“Workout” Jack. (Empowerment,
GE style.) (4) 6-Sigma Jack. (5)
Internet Jack. (Throughout)
TALENT JACK!
“Dennis, you need a …
‘To-don’t ’
List !”
“The one thing you need
to know about sustained
individual success:
Discover what you don’t
like doing and
stop
doing it.”
—Marcus Buckingham, The One Thing You Need to Know
Message clarity = CALENDAR +
MBWA + Language + Perceived
INTENSITY/ENTHUSIASM/
ENERGY + Concrete-Visible
support + Prototypes +
Tolerance for Failure/“Good
losses” + Promotions + Tempo +
Resilience + Celebration +
Perceived RELENTLESSNESS +
Training
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
PERSISTENCE.
PRIORITIES.
PEOPLE.
Potent.
Positive.
‘do’
“Leaders
people.
Period.”
—Anon.
“Leaders
‘SERVE’
people.
Period.”
—Anon.
Cause
Space
(worthy of commitment)
(room for/encouragement
for initiative)
Decency
(respect, humane)
Officers
eat last!
Leadership’s
th
11
“P”:
Promotion
2 per Year/
20 per Decade =
Excellence +
Legacy
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
PERSISTENCE.
PRIORITIES.
PEOPLE.
Potent.
Positive.
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!
Stay Hungry.
Stay Foolish.
Steve Jobs
"The reasonable man adapts
himself to the world. The
unreasonable one persists in
trying to adapt the world to
himself. Therefore, all
progress depends upon the
unreasonable man.” —GB Shaw,
Man and Superman: The Revolutionists' Handbook.
“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
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
“One who does
less than he can
is a thief.”
—Gandhi
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
PERSISTENCE.
PRIORITIES.
PEOPLE.
Potent.
Positive.
The greatest danger
for most of us
is not that our aim is
too high
and we miss it,
but that it is
too low
and we reach it.
Michelangelo
“[other]
admirals more
frightened of
losing than
anxious to win”
On NELSON:
“Parcells thought that Taylor’s size and speed were
closer to the beginning than the end of the explanation.
[The difference was] Taylor’s peculiar energy and mind:
relentless, manic, with grandiose ambitions and private
Parcells believed
that even in the NFL a lot of players were
more concerned with seeming to want to
win than with actual winning, and that
many of them did not know the difference.
What they wanted, deep down, was to
keep their jobs, make their money, and go
home. Lawrence Taylor wanted to win. He expected
standards of performance.
more of himself on the field than any coach would dare
to ask of any player.” —Michael Lewis,
The Blind Side
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Potent.
Positive.
The “7Es”
Exuberance!
Energy!
Empathy!
Engagement!
Empowerment!
Execution!
Excellence!
The “1E”
“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)
Geron-imo!
"Life is not a journey to the
grave with the intention of
arriving safely in one pretty
and well preserved piece, but
to skid across the line
broadside, thoroughly used
up, worn out, leaking oil,
shouting ‘GERONIMO!’ ”
—Bill McKenna, professional motorcycle racer
(Cycle magazine 02.1982)
EXCELLE
ALWAYS
EXCELLENCE.
BEDROCK.
LEADERSHIP.
“12 Ps.”
Tom Peters/04.18.2007
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
st
“21 -century
Leadership” =
Bunkum
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
“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)
“If you want to build
a ship, don’t gather
people together to collect
wood ,and don’t assign
them tasks and work,
but instead teach them
to long for the sea.”
—Antoine de Saint-Exupery (The Little Prince)
“A leader is
a dealer in
hope.”
—Napoleon
(+TP’s writing room pics)
USN&WR: What traits do successful activists share?
“They
have hope, and
they imbue others
with hope.”
Studs Terkel, age 91:
“Management has a lot to do with
answers. Leadership is a function of
questions. And the first question for a
‘Who do
we intend to
be?’ Not ‘What are we going to
leader always is:
do?’ but ‘Who do we intend to be?’”
—Max De Pree, Herman Miller
Ah, kids: “What is your vision for
the future?” “What have you
accomplished since your first book?”
“Close your eyes and imagine me
immediately doing something about
what you’ve just said. What would it
be?” “Do you feel you have an
obligation to ‘Make the world a
better place’?”
Leader Job One
Paint
Portraits of
Excellence!
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
“Nothing is so
contagious as
enthusiasm.”
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge
“Enthusiasm,
the ultimate
virus.”
Q: “If it were your $100K
[life’s savings] and my $100K,
what sort of Waiters
would we be looking
for?”
A: “Enthusiasts!!!!!!!!!!”
BZ: “I am a …
Dispenser of
Enthusiasm!”
“Whenever anything is
being accomplished, I
have learned, it is being
done by a monomaniac
with a mission.”
—Peter Drucker
“Never apologize
for showing
feeling. When you
so, you apologize
for the truth.”
—Disraeli
“The eloquent man is he
who is no beautiful
speaker, but who is
inwardly and
desperately drunk with a
certain belief.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
“the wildest
chimera of a
moonstruck
mind”
—The Federalist on TJ’s Louisiana Purchase
“A man
without a
smiling face
must not open
a shop.”
—Chinese Proverb
EX-UBERANCE!
Exuberance: The Passion for Life, by Kay Redfield Jamison+
“I believe exuberance is incomparably more important
than we acknowledge. If, as has been claimed,
enthusiasm finds the opportunities and energy makes
the most of them, a mood of mind that yokes the two of
them is formidable indeed.”
“The Greeks bequeathed to us one of the most
beautiful words in our language—the word
‘enthusiasm’—en theos—a god within. The grandeur of
human actions is measured by the inspiration from
which they spring. Happy is he who bears a god within,
and who obeys it.”—Louis Pasteur
“Exuberance is, at its quick, contagious. As it spreads
pell-mell through a group, exuberance excites, it
delights, and it dispels tension. It alerts the group to
change and possibility.”
Exuberance: The Passion for Life, by Kay Redfield Jamison+
“A leader is someone who creates infectious
enthusiasm.”—Ted Turner
“‘Glorious’ was a term [John] Muir would invoke time
and again … despite his conscious attempts to eradicate
it from his writing. ‘Glorious’ and ‘joy’ and
‘exhilaration’: no matter how often he scratched out
these words once he had written them, they sprang
up time and again …”
“To meet Roosevelt, said Churchill, ‘with all his buoyant
sparkle, his iridescence,’ was like ‘opening a bottle of
champagne.’ Churchill, who knew both champagne
and human nature, recognized ebullient leadership
when he saw it.”
Exuberance: The Passion for Life, by Kay Redfield Jamison+
“At a time of weakness and mounting despair in the
democratic world, Roosevelt stood out by his
astonishing appetite for life and by his apparently
complete freedom from fear of the future; as a man who
welcomed the future eagerly as such, and conveyed the
feeling that whatever the times might bring, all would
be grist to his mill, nothing would be too formidable or
crushing to be subdued. He had unheard of energy and
gusto … and was a spontaneous, optimistic, pleasureloving ruler with unparalleled capacity for creating
confidence.”—Isaiah Berlin on FDR
Exuberance: The Passion for Life, by Kay Redfield Jamison+
“Churchill had a very powerful mind, but a romantic
and unquantitative one. If he thought about a course
of action long enough, if he achieved it alone in his
own inner consciousness and desired it passionately,
he convinced himself it must be possible. Then, with
incomparable invention, eloquence and high spirits,
he set out to convince everyone else that it was
not only possible, but the only course of action
open to man.”—C.P. Snow
“We are all worms. But I do believe that I am a
glow-worm.”—Churchill on Churchill
“The multitudes were swept forward till their pace was
the same as his.”—Churchill on T.E. Lawrence
“He brought back a real joy to music.”—Wynton
Marsalis on Louis Armstrong
Insanely
great”
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
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,
is not a
word often heard in the elephant organizations, nor in
schools, where it can seem disruptive.”
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
“The role of the Director is to create a
space where the actors and
become more
than they’ve ever been
before, more than
they’ve dreamed of
being.”
actresses can
—Robert Altman, Oscar acceptance speech
Leaders-Teachers Do Not “Transform People”!
Instead leaders-mentors-teachers (1) provide a context
which is marked by (2) access to a luxuriant portfolio
of meaningful opportunities (projects) which (3) allow
people to fully (and safely, mostly—caveat: “they” don’t
engage unless they’re “mad about something”) express their
innate curiosity and (4) engage in a vigorous
discovery voyage (alone and in small teams, assisted by an
extensive self-constructed network) by which those people
(5) go to-create places they (and their mentors-teachersleaders) had never dreamed existed —and then the
leaders-mentors-teachers (6) applaud like hell, stage
“photo-ops,” and ring the church bells 100 times to
commemorate the bravery of their “followers’ ”
explorations!
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/Mt Excellence
“free to do his or her
absolute best” …
“allow its members to
discover their
greatness.”
“In the end, management
doesn’t change culture.
Management
invites
the workforce itself to
change the culture.”
—Lou Gerstner
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
Hard Is Soft
Soft Is Hard
Hard (#s) Is Soft
Soft (people) Is Hard
“Hard” (# /“Strategy”/budgets/plans
marketing) Is Soft
s
“soft” (people/Customers/
relationships/culture/execution)
Hard
Is
Henry: strategic
Planning = Ha Ha
Larry/Ram: the
important bit =
doing it
What makes
God laugh?
People
making
plans!
“If I could have chosen not to tackle the IBM
culture head-on, I probably wouldn’t have. My
bias coming in was toward strategy, analysis and
measurement. In comparison, changing the
attitude and behaviors of hundreds of thousands
[Yet] I
came to see in my time at
IBM that culture isn’t
just one aspect of the
game—it is the game.”
of people is very, very hard.
—Lou Gerstner, Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
Jim’s
Group
Basement
Systems
Inc./
Seymour CT
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Potent.
Positive.
MBWA*
*5,000 miles for a 5-minute face-to
-face meeting (courtesy superagent Mark McCormick)
MBWA, Grameen Style!
“Conventional banks ask their clients to come
to their office. It’s a terrifying place for the poor
and illiterate. … The entire Grameen Bank
system runs on the principle that people
should not come to the bank, the bank
should go to the people. … If any staff
member is seen in the office, it should be taken
as a violation of the rules of the Grameen Bank.
… It is essential that [those setting up a new
village Branch] have no office and no place to
stay. The reason is to make us as different as
possible from government officials.”
Source: Muhammad Yunus, Banker to the Poor
“It’s always
showtime.”
—David D’Alessandro, Career Warfare
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
“You must
be
the change you
wish to see in the
world.”
Gandhi
“To change minds effectively,
leaders make particular use
stories
that they tell and the lives
of two tools: the
that they lead.”
—Howard Gardner,
Changing Minds
“The First step in a
‘dramatic’
‘organizational change
program’ is obvious—
dramatic personal
change!” —RG
Questions: What do others think of you? [Are you sure?] What
do you think of you? [Are you sure?] What is your impact on
others? [Are you sure?] What is your impact on others? [Are
you sure?] What is your impact on others? [Are you sure?]
What are the “little things” you (perhaps unconsciously) do that
cause people to shrivel—or blossom? [Are you sure?] What do
you want? [Are you sure?] Are you aware of your changing
moods? [Are you sure?] How fragile is your ego? [Are you sure?]
Do you have a true confidant? [Are you sure?] Do you perform brief
or not-so-brief self-assessments? Do you talk too much? [Are you
sure?] Do you know how to listen? [Are you sure?] Do you
listen? [Are you sure?] What is your style of “hashing things
out”? Are you perceived as (a) arrogant, (b) abrasive (c) attentive,
(d) genuinely interested in people, (e) etc? [Are you sure?] Are
you flexible? Have you changed your mind about anything important
in a while? Are you comfortable-uncomfortable with folks on the
front line? Do you think you’re “in touch with the pulse of
things around here”? [Are You Sure?] Are you too
emotional/intuitive? Are you too unemotional/rational? Do you
spend much time with people who are new to you? [Do you think
questions like this are “so much BS”?]
Enthusiasm
Energy
Exuberance
Voracious Curiosity
Irritability/Dis-satisfaction
Relentlessness
Self-reliance
“Closer” (Execution)
excellence
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
“Courtesies of a small and
trivial character are the
ones which strike
deepest in the grateful
and appreciating heart.”
—Henry Clay
Jim Jeffords
oversight!
The …
“I wasn’t bowled over by [David Boies]
intelligence … What impressed me was
that when he asked a question, he waited
He not only
listened, he made me feel
like I was the only person
in the room.”
for an answer.
—Lawyer Kevin _____, on his first,
inadvertent meeting with David Boies, from Marshall Goldsmith,
“The One Skill That Separates,” Fast Company
Personal
What I Learned
HWBjr: Excellence, Accountability, Initiative,
K.I.S.S., Leader Love
Dick: Empowerment, Entrepreneurship,
Challenge, Execution (Project > Paper),
Accountability, MBWA, K.I.S.S., Fanatic
Customer-centrism (Customer>Command,
Marines>Regiment),
Leader Love, Output, “Do”>“Be”
Nameless: “Tangible” vs “Palpable”
(Bureaucracy, Control, Tight Leashes,
Command-centric, Demoralization, Paper >
Project, Product = Paper, K.I.C.S.)
What I Learned
Ben: Decency, Soft Power, Fanatic Customercentrism (“Do”>“Be”)
Walter: Fanatic Mission-centrism, Soft Power,
Relationship-management, Execution,
Accountability, Early to Bed …
Bob: Pos>Neg/Recognition, K.I.S.S., The Way of
the Demo (Execution), Hero-building, Missioncentrism, “Do”>“Be”
Bill: De-centralization, Recognition, Supportstaff Centrism, Measurement (K.I.S.S.), Soft
Power (Paint ’n Pride), Rapid Culture Change
Personal
DECENTRALIZATION.
EXECUTION.
ACCOUTABILITY.
6:15A.M.
DECENTRALIZATION.
EXECUTION.
ACCOUTABILITY.
6:15A.M.
End Personal
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
Pissed Off* **
*As in “I’m pissed off and I’m not gonna take it any more …”
**Innovation Stems from Irritation
(Re-imagining Results from Rage)
Pissed
Off* **
*As in “I’m pissed off and I’m not gonna take it any more …”
**Innovation Stems from Irritation
(Re-imagining Results from Rage)
“Dreaming,” necessary,
or not?
TP, personal: “dream” =
concrete, practical
imaginings about the
opposite of things that
piss me off (TP “advantages”: low
boiling point, long memory, dogged determination)
“I’ve
been thinking …”
Michael Porter:
“I’m mad as
hell, and I’m not
going to take it
anymore”
TP:
Innovation:
mad. Start Doing
something
about it. Now.
Get
F(Anger/Passion)
>>>> f(Pushback
from Threatened
Fat-cats &
Bureau-crats)
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
“You can’t be a serious
innovator unless and until
you are ready, willing and
able to seriously play.
‘Serious play’ is not an
oxymoron; it is the essence
of innovation.”
—Michael Schrage, Serious Play
SERIOUS
PLAY
Try it. Try it. Try it
ry it. Try it. Screw
up. Try it. Try it. Try
t. Try it. Try it. Try
t. Try it. Screw it up
t. Try it. Try it. try
READY.
FIRE!
“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
“Fail .
Forward.
Fast.”
High Tech CEO, Pennsylvania
“Fail faster.
Succeed Sooner.”
David Kelley/IDEO
“You miss
100% of the
shots you
never take.”
—Wayne Gretzky
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
“This [adolescent] incident [of getting from point A to point B] is notable
not only because it underlines Grant’s fearless horsemanship and his
determination, but also it is the first known example of a very important
Grant had an
extreme, almost phobic
dislike of turning back
and retracing his steps.
peculiarity of his character:
If he
set out for somewhere, he would get there somehow, whatever the
difficulties that lay in his way. This idiosyncrasy would turn out to be one
the factors that made him such a formidable general. Grant would always,
always press on—turning back was not an option for him.”
—Michael Korda, Ulysses Grant
Relentless: “One of
my superstitions had always been
when I started to go anywhere or
not to
turn back , or stop,
to do anything,
until the thing intended was
accomplished.” —Grant
“incredible
power of
endurance”
—political
colleague, on Nicolas Sarkozy, repeatedly written off by the public and
the celestial powers of French politics (FT, 0515.07)
“We eat
change for
breakfast!
—Harry Quadracci, QuadGraphics
Success =
Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902),
Lucretia Mott, Martha Wright,
Mary Ann McClintock, Jane Hunt
(07.13.1848/Seneca falls, ny)
+
72 years, 1 month, 5 days
(08.18.1920/nashville, tn)
“Success seems to be
largely a matter
of hanging on
after others have
let go.”
—William Feather, author
“The most
successful people
are those who
are good at plan B.”
—James Yorke, mathematician, on chaos theory
in The New Scientist
Relent
25
2,500
63
48
5,000,000
2,500,000
15
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
Leaders Understand:
Brand =
Talent.
‘do’
“Leaders
people.
Period.”
—Anon.
“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
PARC’s Bob Taylor:
“Connoisseur
of Talent”
“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
—Ed Michaels, War for Talent
2
years.”
Hire
up!
Source: Doris Kearns Goodwin, Team of Rivals
“AS
LEADERS,
WOMEN
RULE:
New Studies find that
female managers outshine their male
counterparts in almost every measure”
Title, Special Report/BusinessWeek
< CAPEX
> People!
“How to piss
away $500,000
in one easy
lesson!!”
TP:
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; i.e., 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.
Putting HR on
a par with finance
and marketing.
Second:
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
“Leaders
‘SERVE’
people.
Period.”
—Anon.
Servant Leadership/Robert Greenleaf
1. Do those served grow as
persons?
2. Do they, while being served,
become healthier wiser, freer,
more autonomous, more likely
themselves to become servants?
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
He was
seriously interested
in who you were
and what you had
to say.”
or a college president.
—Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Respect
“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
Cause
Space
(worthy of commitment)
(room for/encouragement
for initiative)
Decency
(respect, humane)
“The [Union senior] officers rode past the
Confederates smugly without any sign
of recognition except by one. ‘When
General Grant reached the line of
ragged, filthy, bloody, despairing
prisoners strung out on each side of
the bridge, he lifted his hat and held it
over his head until he passed the last
man of that living funeral cortege. He
was the only officer in that whole train
who recognized us as being on the
face of the earth.’*”
*quote within a quote from diary of a Confederate soldier
“Sorry, I’ve got to go—the
HR people get on me if I
don’t go do my ‘shake handschat up’ duty”
—president, large
division of large company in the _______
industry
“I have always
believed that the
purpose of the
corporation is to be
a blessing to the
employees.”
—Boyd Clarke
Officers
eat last!
Leadership’s
th
13
“P”:
Promotion
William Donald
Schaefer
Mayor of Baltimore
He Cared.
Leadership’s
th
13
“P”:
Promotion
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
“Everyone studies the brigadier
general promotion list like tarot
cards—who makes it, who
doesn’t. It communicates what
qualities are valued and not
valued.” —Colonel, unidentified, from “Challenging the
Generals,” Sunday Times Magazine, 0826.07
Signaling change.
Signaling “culture change.”
Or status quo.
Tool # 1.
Promotion.
2 per Year/
20 per Decade =
Excellence +
Legacy
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
We become
who we hang
out with
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
“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
The “Hang Out Axiom”: At
its core, every (!!!)
relationship-partnership
decision (employee,
vendor, customer, etc)
is a strategic decision
about:
“Innovate,
‘Yes’ or ‘No’ ”
Why Do I love Freaks?
(1) Because when Anything Interesting happens … it was
a freak who did it. (Period.)
(2) Freaks are fun. (Freaks are also a pain.) (Freaks are
never boring.)
(3) We need freaks. Especially in freaky times. (Hint:
These are freaky times, for you & me & the CIA & the
Army & Avon.)
(4) A critical mass of freaks-in-our-midst
automatically make us-who-are-not-so-freaky at least
somewhat more freaky. (Which is a Good Thing in freaky
times—see immediately above.)
(5) Freaks are the only (ONLY) ones who succeed—as in,
make it into the history books.
(6) Freaks keep us from falling into ruts. (If we listen to
them.) (We seldom listen to them.) (Which is why most
organizations are in ruts. Make that chasms.)
“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
Keep
Austin
Weird
“Companies like
Motorola need cash
to innovate, not just
to set buybacks in
motion.”
—BW, 0409.07
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
The greatest danger
for most of us
is not that our aim is
too high
and we miss it,
but that it is
too low
and we reach it.
Michelangelo
Kevin Roberts’ Credo
1. Ready. Fire! Aim.
2. If it ain’t broke ... Break it!
3. Hire crazies.
4. Ask dumb questions.
5. Pursue failure.
6. Lead, follow ... or get out of the way!
7. Spread confusion.
8. Ditch your office.
9. Read odd stuff.
10.
Avoid moderation!
The Re-imagineer’s Credo … or, Pity the Poor Brown*
Technicolor Times
demand …
Technicolor Leaders and Boards who recruit …
Technicolor People who are then sent on …
Technicolor Quests to execute …
Technicolor (WOW!) Projects in partnership with …
Technicolor Customers and …
Technicolor Suppliers all in pursuit of …
Technicolor Goals and Aspirations fit for …
Technicolor Times.
*WSC
"The reasonable man adapts
himself to the world. The
unreasonable one persists in
trying to adapt the world to
himself. Therefore, all
progress depends upon the
unreasonable man.” —GB Shaw,
Man and Superman: The Revolutionists' Handbook.
“Never doubt that a small
group of committed
people can change the
world. Indeed it is
the only thing that
ever has.” —Margaret Mead
eliot + 7
“Do one thing
every day
that scares
you.”
—Eleanor Roosevelt
“If I had any epitaph that I
would rather have more than
any other, it would be to say
disturbed
the sleep of my
generation.”
that I had …
—Adlai Stevenson
“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
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
“[other]
admirals more
frightened of
losing than
anxious to win”
On NELSON:
??? Redux: Quiet, humble …
“He was a bully, a
braggart, and a rebel
with a big chip on his
shoulder. They would
never have made it
without him.” —Time, 0507.07, on Capt
John Smith and the 400th anniversary of Jamestown
Quiet, Humble …
Unrelenting ambition
Avid pursuit of wealth
Charismatic
Source: David Stewart, The Summer of 1787
“Our whole
story is
growing
revenue.”
—Vernon Hill (Top-line driven; standard
is bottom-line driven by cost cutting)
The Commerce Bank Model
“cost cutting
is a death
spiral.”
Source: Fans! Not customers. How Commerce Bank
Created a Super-growth Business in a No-growth Industry,
Vernon Hill & Bob Andelman
P=R–C
PURPOSE.
PASSION.
Potential.
Presence.
Personal.
pissed off.
Playful.
PERSISTENCE.
PEOPLE.
Peculiar.
Potent.
Positive.
The “1E”
“Excellence can be obtained if you:
... care more than others think is wise;
... risk more than others think is safe;
... dream more than others think
is practical;
... expect more than others think
is possible.”
Source: Anon. (Posted @ tompeters.com by
K.Sriram, November 27, 2006 1:17 AM)
Hire Great People
(Resilient, Passionate)
Try a Lot of Stuff
(S.A.V./R.F.A.)
aCCEPT NO LESS THAN
EXCELLENCE/PURSUE Wow!
enjoy It While It Lasts
"Life is not a journey to the
grave with the intention of
arriving safely in one pretty
and well preserved piece, but
to skid across the line
broadside, thoroughly used
up, worn out, leaking oil,
shouting ‘GERONIMO!’ ”
—Bill McKenna, professional motorcycle racer
(Cycle magazine 02.1982)
Geron-imo!
“You do not merely want to
be the best of the best. You
want to be
considered the
only ones who do
what you do.”
—Jerry Garcia
EXCELLENCE.
BEDROCK.
LEADERSHIP.
NELSON.
GRANT.
NELSON
“[other]
admirals more
frightened of
losing than
anxious to win”
On NELSON:
The Nelson Baker’s Dozen
1. Simple-clear scheme (“Plan”) (Not wildly imaginative) (Patton: “A good plan
executed with vigor right now tops a ‘perfect’ plan executed next week.”)
2. SOARING/BOLD/CLEAR/UNEQUIVOCAL/WORTHY/NOBLE/INSPIRING
“GOAL”/“MISSION”/“PURPOSE”/“QUEST”
3. “Conversation”: Engagement of All Leaders
4. Leeway for Leaders: Select the Best/Dip Deep/Initiative demanded/Accountability
swift/Micromanagement absent
5. LED BY “LOVE” (Lambert), NOT “AUTHORITY” (Identify with sailors!)
6. Instinct/Seize the Moment/“Impetuosity” (Boyd’s “OODA Loops”: React more
quickly than opponent, destroy his “world view”)
7. VIGOR! (Zander: leader as “Dispenser of Enthusiasm”)
8. Peerless Basic Skills/Mastery of Craft (Seamanship)
9. Workaholic! (“Duty” first, second, and third)
10. LEAD BY CONFIDENT & DETERMINED & CONTINUOUS & VISIBLE EXAMPLE (In
Harm’s Way) (Gandhi: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”/
Giuliani: Show up!)
11. Genius (“Transform the world to conform to their ideas,” “Triumph over rules”)
(Gandhi, Lee-Singapore) , not Greatness (“Make the most of their world”)
12. Luck! (Right time, right place; survivor) (“Lucky Eagle” vs “Bold Eagle”)
13. Others’ principal shortcoming: “ADMIRALS MORE FRIGHTENED OF LOSING
THAN ANXIOUS TO WIN”
Source: Andrew Lambert, Nelson: Britannia’s God of War
Nelson’s Way: A Baker’s Dozen/Short
1. Simple scheme.
2. Noble purpose!
3. Engage others.
4. Find great talent, let it soar!
5. Lead by Love!
6. Trust your gut, not the focus group: Seize the Moment!
7. Vigor!
8. Master your craft.
9. Work harder than the next person.
10. Show the way, walk the talk, exude confidence! Start a Passion
Epidemic!
11. Change the rules: Create your own game!
12. Shake of the pain, get back up off the ground, the timing may
well be right tomorrow! (E.g., Get lucky!)
13. By hook or by crook, quash your fear of failure, savor your
quirkiness and participate fully in the fray!
Source: Andrew Lambert, Nelson: Britannia’s God of War
“He above all encouraged
(and prepared) his
subordinates to seize the
initiative whenever
necessary, particularly in
the fog of war —and the
men who served under him
knew what he expected.” —Jay
Tolson, on “The Nelson Touch,” The Battle That
Changed The World
… tireless self-promoter, sought hero status, sought patronage
[suck up] … guts, courage, master of his craft … passion for
pleasures of the flesh, driven by duty, obsessed (no “work-life
balance”) … autocratic, dictatorial … team player, practitioner of
participative management 200 years before it was popularized,
loved hanging out with the lads … man’s man, lady’s man …
diligent manager (e.g., logistics), powerfully inspirational, spiritual,
passionate … ambitious, aggressive, confident, impulsive, rarely
cautious or circumspect, risk-taker … emotional, spiritual,
expressed feelings openly, classless, fair, self-sacrificing,
encouraging, optimistic … unconventional, did not get along well
with superiors … xenophobic, immodest, impatient, intolerant,
imprudent in public and in private … led from the front, zeal for
action, despair over bureaucrats (“I hate the pen and ink men”), …
lucky … —Stephanie Jones & Jonathan Gosling, Nelson’s Way: Leadership
Lessons from the Great Commander
Fisherisms
Do right and damn the odds.
Stagnation is the curse of life.
The best is the cheapest.
Emotion can sway the world.
Mad things come off.
Haste in all things.
Any fool can obey orders.
History is a record of exploded ideas.
Life is phrases.
Source: Jan Morris, Fisher’s Face, Or, Getting to Know the Admiral
“extraordinary
arrogance,
superciliousness,
humor, kindness,
effrontery”
—Jan Morris on Lord
Admiral Jack Fisher, Fisher’s Face, Or, Getting to Know
the Admiral
GRANT
“almost inhuman
disinterestedness in
… strategy” —Josiah Bunting
on
U.S. Grant (from Ulysses S. Grant)
GRANT
Simplicity and clarity (written orders, view of movement)
Action-action-action (always forward; job only done when 100% done;
when the job is done, start the next job)
Tactics >>>> Strategy (FM: “Operations is policy”;
HK: “We have a strategy; it’s called ‘doing things.’”)
Movement (perpetual movement, other guy perpetually off balance
and reactive; O.O.D.A. loops--Boyd)
Offense (not so good at defensive battlements)
Decency!
CBWA (on the move, no aides)
“Lean staff” (“simple form, lean staff”)
Unflappable (Fearless)
Visual (mapmaker)
Logistician
Relentless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Autonomy to Commanders
Self-contained
Do it with what he has
Antsy
Mastery (horsemanship)
“Western” attitude mimicked boss twice removed (Lincoln)
U. S. Grant
*No interest in grand strategy.
*Do the thing until it is done.
*Do not over complicate.
*Do the next thing.
*Pleasure in perseverance per se.
*Not ask for help or advice.
*Not complain of difficulties or ask for
more time or resources
McClellan: delay; plead for more forces
Grant: “When do I start? What I want
is to advance.”
Source: Josiah Bunting, Ulysses S. Grant
Relentless: “One of
my superstitions had always been
when I started to go anywhere or
not to
turn back , or stop,
to do anything,
until the thing intended was
accomplished.” —Grant
“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
“The genius of Grant’s command style
lay in its simplicity. Grant never
burdened his division commanders
with excessive detail. … no elaborate
staff conferences, no written orders
prescribing deployment. … Grant
recognized the battlefield was in flux.
By not specifying movements in
detail, he left his subordinate
commanders free to exploit whatever
opportunities developed.”
—Jean Edward Smith/GRANT
“recognized the value of
momentum … throw
[opponent] off balance …
blitzkrieg … traveling light
… headquarters in the
saddle” —Jean Edward Smith/GRANT
"The art of war is simple
enough. Find out where
your enemy is. Get at him
as soon as you can. Strike
at him as hard as you can
and as often as you can,
and keep moving on." —Grant,
courtesy Richard Cauley at tompeters.com
(original source unknown)
“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; it is
because they try to be
clever.” —Napoleon on Simplicity, from Napoleon
on Project Management by Jerry Manas
“The only way to
whip an army is
to go out and
fight it.” —Grant
Source: John Mosier, Grant
CWVA to MBWA: “In these
days of telegraph and
steam I can command
while traveling and
visiting about.” —U.S. Grant
Managing by wandering
around” —HP circa 1980
Source: Ulysses S. Grant, by Geoffrey Perret
“The [Union senior] officers rode past the
Confederates smugly without any sign
of recognition except by one. ‘When
General Grant reached the line of
ragged, filthy, bloody, despairing
prisoners strung out on each side of
the bridge, he lifted his hat and held it
over his head until he passed the last
man of that living funeral cortege. He
was the only officer in that whole train
who recognized us as being on the
face of the earth.’*”
*quote within a quote from diary of a Confederate soldier
TP’s take: Intuition takes precedence (listen attentively but act on
intuition) … Move today > perfect plan tomorrow [subsequent Patton
line] … Great advantage: When moving, you know what you’re up to
and you’re moving [the one sitting still is, thence, always reactive]
[Boyd: quickest O.O.D.A. loops/Observe. Orient. Decide. Act.
Disorient enemy] … Action! ... Keep moving! … Engage! … Offense!
[weakness-strength: can’t even imagine enemy counter-attacking;
little conception of defense] … Momentum! …. Keep ’em off balance
… … Adjust … Adapt … … Opportunism! … Constantly revise in
accordance with conditions and opportunities in the field [life =
excellence at “Plan B”] … Doggedness … Relentless!! [trait shaped
in early childhood] … Never retreat … Simplicity! … Wide latitude for
division commanders … minimum written orders, conferences, etc
… keep his own council … HQ is Grant & his horse … no retinue! …
commune with soldiers/exude quiet confidence/Approachable …
decent … Self-accountability! … Evade orders (or ignore) … Share
harm & hardship … total victory/ demand “unconditional
surrender”—G’s first claim to fame [Nelson: other Admirals avoid
loss, friend and foe as in Grant’s case vs Nelson’s seek victory] …
[Life 101: politics between the Generals:
E.g., Grant & Halleck]
The Mbwa story..
The magic number 25.
Calendars never lie.
Excellence.
Always.
Tom Peters/0709.07
all you need to
know* …
*Damn near true
Though his empire is enormous, and
his executive team strong, Starbucks
founder Howard Schultz still …
visits at
least 25 S’bucks
shops … per week!
religiously …
“Regardless of our size,” he told me,
“we still sell it one-cup-at-a-time, one
customer-at-a-time, one server-ata-time. I need to see it and touch it
and feel it.”
MBWA*
*5,000 miles for a 5-minute face-to
-face meeting (courtesy superagent Mark McCormick)
When Bob Waterman and I wrote In Search of
Excellence in 1982, business was “by the
numbers”—and the Americans were struggling (to
put it mildly) with hands on, tactile stuff, like
Japanese quality. Then, at Hewlett Packard, we were
introduced to the famed “HP Way,” the centerpiece
of which was in-touch management. HP had a term
(Managing By
Wandering Around.) Bob and I
for this … MBWA.
fell in immediate love. Not only was the idea per se
important and cool, but it symbolized everything we
were coming to cherish—enterprises where bossesleaders were in immediate touch with and
emotionally attached to workers, customers,
the product. The idea is as important or more
important in fast-paced 2007 as it was in 1982.
“20-minute
rule”
—Craig Johnson/30 yrs
Craig Johnson, a famed Venture
Capitalist for three decades …
refuses to invest in
companies that are more
than a 20-minute drive
from his office. To guide them
through the serpentine path ahead, he
insists that he must be in constant
touch as banker, advisor, friend.
*
*Hank Paulson, China visits, Fortune 1127.06
China is clearly our most important
economic partner. Our dialog with
China was not what it might have been
when Hank Paulson took over as
Secretary of the Treasury. Immediate
improvement occurred for numerous
reasons, not least of which were
Paulson’s SEVENTY TRIPS to
China while at Goldman Sachs.
“I call 60 CEOs
to
wish them happy
New Year. …”
[in
the first week of the year]
—Hank Paulson, former CEO, Goldman Sachs
Source: Fortune, “Secrets of Greatness,” 0320.05
MBWA, Grameen Style!
“Conventional banks ask their clients to come
to their office. It’s a terrifying place for the poor
and illiterate. … The entire Grameen Bank
system runs on the principle that people
should not come to the bank, the bank
should go to the people. … If any staff
member is seen in the office, it should be taken
as a violation of the rules of the Grameen Bank.
… It is essential that [those setting up a new
village Branch] have no office and no place to
stay. The reason is to make us as different as
possible from government officials.”
Source: Muhammad Yunus, Banker to the Poor
“You must
be
the change you
wish to see in the
world.”
Gandhi
“It’s always
showtime.”
—David D’Alessandro, Career Warfare
You = Your
calendar*
*Calendars
never lie
All we have is our time. The
way we spend our time is
our priorities, is our
“strategy.” Your calendar
knows what you really
care about. Do you?
“… a blinding
flash of the
obvious”
—Manny Garcia
“All this” [this little riff] is indeed, as seminar participant and
leading Burger King franchisee Many Garcia once said to me,
“obvious.”* But observation over four decades** suggests that
amidst the hubbub and travails of a typical day’s work, the socalled obvious is often-usually left unattended. For perfectly good
reasons, another week passes without a visit to our equivalent of
the Starbucks shops or HP R&D labs, without the equivalent to
Hank Paulsen’s “How ya doin’?” call to a key customer. My [Tom
Peters] Job One in life? Remind busy folks of the obvious!
*Manny Garcia/1983: “Tom, I hope you won’t be insulted when I say
this was the best seminar I’ve ever been to—and it was
a blinding flash of the obvious.”
**I had two commanding officers during my two Vietnam tours in
U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion NINE. One was a Shultz
look-alike—instinctively in the field. The other was an in the office
“leader.” The one produced. The other didn’t. At age 24 I learned
an incredible life lesson, though I couldn’t describe it well until
tripping over HP’s MBWA/Managing By Wandering Around.
End
Part 2