A Bias for Action Tom Peters10.16.2005 Basic

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A Bias for ActionTom Peters/10.16.2005Basic
1/In Search of Excellence
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We have a strategic plan. Its called doing
things. Herb Kelleher
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Frank Purdue (You damn well better be right.
) Herb Kelleher (We have a strategic plan,
its called doing things.) Roger Milliken
(Action item/Milestone/Due date/Accountability
/Consequences fanaticism) Bob Nardelli
(Bulldog!) (7am!) Andy Pearson (the missing 95
percent/Op reviews/Deep dive) Bill Creech
(Billboards/ fly bys/Squadron-spirit) Sam
(Secret 1) Lee Scott (96-hour re-merchandising)
(TP/CGA Youre problem isnt that theyre
bigger its that theyre better. )
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Sams Secret 1!
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Michael Dell (NMNBS) Fred Smith (NMNBS)
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Earl Weaver Jerry Rice Roger Enrico (Rule of 3)
(Leadership development) Pat Carrigan (5 X 25
125 years) Dennis Littky (LBI) Dick Anderson
(Build it!) vs Dan (Report ittangible/
palpable) (Can Do!) (WWIIworking stiffs)
George Patton (A good plan executed right now
tops a perfect plan executed next
week.) Horatio Nelson! John Boyd! (O.O.D.A.
Loops) (Disorientation! Fly into the
ground.) Dennis Diflorio (Commerce Bank 7-7-7)
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The Nelson Bakers 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/inspir
ing Goal/mission/purpose/quest3.
Conversation ENGAGEMENT OF ALL LEADERS4.
LEEWAY FOR LEADERS Select the Best/Dip
Deep/Initiative demanded/ Accountability
swift/Micromanagement absent5. Led by LOVE
(Lambert), not AUTHORITY (IDENTIFY WITH
SAILORS!)6. INSTINCT/SEIZE THE
MOMENT/IMPETUOSITY (Boyds 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 Harms 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
Britannias God of War
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ManeuveristsBOYD The Fighter Pilot Who
Changed the Art of War (Robert Coram)
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He who has the quickest O.O.D.A. Loops
wins!Observe. Orient. Decide. Act. / Col.
John Boyd
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OODA Loop/Boyd CycleUnraveling the
competition/ Quick Transients/ Quick Tempo (NOT
JUST SPEED!)/ Agility/ So quick it is
disconcerting (adversary over-reacts or
under-reacts)/ Winners used tactics that caused
the enemy to unravel before the fight (NEVER
HEAD TO HEAD)BOYD The Fighter Pilot Who
Changed the Art of War (Robert Coram)
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Blitzkrieg is far more than lightning thrusts
that most people think of when they hear the
term rather it was all about high operational
tempo and the rapid exploitation of opportunity.
/ Arrange the mind of the enemyT.E.
Lawrence/Float like a butterfly, sting like a
beeAli BOYD The Fighter Pilot Who Changed
the Art of War (Robert Coram)
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F86 vs. MiG/Korea/101Bubble canopy (360 degree
view)Full hydraulic controls (The F86 driver
could go from one maneuver to another faster than
the MiG driver)MiG faster in raw
acceleration and turning ability. F86 quicker
in changing maneuversBOYD The Fighter Pilot
Who Changed the Art of War (Robert Coram)
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It is not the strongest of the species that
survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one
most responsive to change. Charles Darwin
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To Be somebody or to Do somethingBOYD The
Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War (Robert
Coram)
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If your boss demands loyalty, give him
integrity. But if he demands integrity, give him
loyalty.BOYD The Fighter Pilot Who Changed
the Art of War (Robert Coram)
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Peter Lewis (We sell speed.) Dick Brown
(intense candor) Meg Whitman (Strategy
meetings two times a week) Mark McCormack
(5,000mil-5min) Richard Haass (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 methe three big things I was trying
to get done. Three. Not two. Not four. Not
five. Not ten. Three.) (SIO) John Masters
(You must drill.) Nobel/Medicine (They ground up
more pig brains!)
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Mark McCormack 5,000 miles for a 5 min. meeting!
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John Masters 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 youre
finding it when youre drawing maps and
studying logs, but you have to drill.
(Canadian Hunter)
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Wilf Corrigan (LSI and then wed send him to
Taipei ) Dennis Donovan (21M) Guy Kawasaki
(25 X 4 100 per year) Nathan Myrvold
(10,000X) Ed Michaels (25M-80M/2 yrs) Oticon
(scoreboard in the lunchroom) GE (1 of
100) 3M HP (old) 1, 2, 3 Bullshit Re-do
Rapidly (Microsoft) Norio Ogha (Fast
prototyping/IDEO/ MSchrage Prototyping 1)
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If Microsoft is good at anything, its avoiding
the trap of worrying about criticism. Microsoft
fails constantly. Theyre eviscerated in public
for lousy products. Yet they persist, through
version after version, until they get something
good enough. Then they leverage the power theyve
gained in other markets to enforce their
standard.Seth Godin, Zooming
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Fail faster. Succeed sooner.David Kelley/IDEO
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Fail. Forward. Fast. High-tech Exec
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Larry Bossidy (CANDOR!) (Promises made kept.
Consequences.) LB (Ex as Core Competence 1
All key systems designed around
Execution) LB (religion of action items)
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Larry Bossidy Ram Charan/Execution The
Discipline of Getting Things Done
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I saw that leaders placed too much emphasis on
what some call high-level strategy, on
intellectualizing and philosophizing, and not
enough on implementation. People would agree on a
project or initiative, and then nothing would
come of it. Larry Bossidy Ram
Charan/Execution The Discipline of Getting
Things Done
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Execution is a systematic process of rigorously
discussing hows and whats, tenaciously following
through, and ensuring accountability. Larry
Bossidy Ram Charan/ Execution The Discipline
of Getting Things Done
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Execution is the job of the business leader.
Larry Bossidy Ram Charan/ Execution The
Discipline of Getting Things Done
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(Leaders do people. Period. TP)
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The Leaders Seven Essential
BehaviorsKnow your people and your
businessInsist on realismSet clear goals and
prioritiesFollow throughReward the
doersExpand peoples capabilitiesKnow
yourself Source Larry Bossidy Ram Charan/
Execution The Discipline of Getting Things Done
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Realism is the heart of execution. Larry
Bossidy Ram Charan/ Execution The Discipline
of Getting Things Done
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robust dialogue Larry Bossidy Ram Charan/
Execution The Discipline of Getting Things Done
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The person who is a little less conceptual but
is absolutely determined to succeed will usually
find the right people and get them together to
achieve objectives. Im not knocking education or
looking for dumb people. But if you have to
choose between someone with a staggering IQ and
an elite education whos gliding along, and
someone with a lower IQ but who is absolutely
determined to succeed, youll always do better
with the second person. Larry Bossidy (Larry
Bossidy Ram Charan/ Execution The Discipline
of Getting Things Done)
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Duct Tape Rules!Andrew Higgins, who built
landing craft in WWII, refused to hire graduates
of engineering schools. He believed that they
only teach you what you cant do in engineering
school. He started off with 20 employees, and by
the middle of the war had 30,000 working for him.
He turned out 20,000 landing craft. D.D.
Eisenhower told me, Andrew Higgins won the war
for us. He did it without engineers. Stephen
Ambrose/Fast Company
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Ye gads Thomas Stanley has not only found no
correlation between success in school and an
ability to accumulate wealth, hes actually found
a negative correlation. It seems that
school-related evaluations are poor predictors of
economic success, Stanley concluded. What did
predict success was a willingness to take risks.
Yet the success-failure standards of most schools
penalized risk takers. Most educational systems
reward those who play it safe. As a result, those
who do well in school find it hard to take risks
later on.Richard Farson Ralph Keyes, Whoever
Makes the Most Mistakes Wins
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RHWjr-TP (1 Bias for Action) (1 MBWA!)
(ISOE-Daniel Managing Our Way to Economic
Decline/HBR) (XX) TP (1st GSB dissertation on
Implementation) (BA vs AB) TP (My lucky breaks
Dan, Xerox) TP (35 years Decentralization.
Accountability.) TP (MTDMaster of Talent
Development W/MwGTDw/oC Woman/Man Who
Gets Things Done without Certificate
MMMMaster of Metabolic Management DEDoctor
of Enthusiasm)
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Importance of Success Factors by
VariousGurus/ Estimates
(Unreliable) by Tom Peters
Strategy Systems Passion Execution
Porter 50 20 15
15Drucker 35 30
15 20Bennis 25 20
30 25Peters 15
25 25 35
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TP on BigCo sin 1 too much talk, too little do
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Importance of Success Factors by
VariousGurus/ Estimates
(Unreliable) by Tom Peters
Strategy Systems People Passion
Porter 50 20 20
10 Drucker 30 35
20 15 Bennis
25 20 30 25
Peters 15 20
35 30
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600,000/engineering degrees/2004/China350,000/en
gineering degrees/2004/India70,000/engineering
degrees/2004/U.S.A.Source Rising Above the
Gathering Storm/National Academies of
Science/Presidential report/October 2005
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MBWA
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The first and greatest imperative of command is
to be present in person. Those who impose risk
must be seen to share it. John Keegan, The
Mask of Command
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A man approached JP Morgan, held up an envelope,
and said, Sir, in my hand I hold a guaranteed
formula for success, which I will gladly sell you
for 25,000.Sir, JP Morgan replied, I do
not know what is in the envelope, however if you
show me, and I like it, I give you my word as a
gentleman that I will pay you what you ask.The
man agreed to the terms, and handed over the
envelope.JP Morgan opened it, and extracted a
single sheet of paper. He gave it one look, a
mere glance, then handed the piece of paper back
to the gent.And paid him the agreed-upon
25,000
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1. Every morning, write a list of
the things that need to be done that
day.2. Do them. Source Hugh
MacLeod/tompeters.com/NPR
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Do them!
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In classical times when Cicero had finished
speaking, the people said, How well he spoke,
but when Demosthenes had finished speaking, they
said, Let us march. Adlai Stevenson
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Let us march!
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TP/Chile I dont know if it is possible. I
do know its necessary.