EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS. Tom Peters/14 April 2006/Novosibirsk

1
EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS.Tom Peters/14 April
2006/Novosibirsk
2
Organizations are not machines. That has been
the central message of all my books. They are
living communities of individuals. To describe
them we need to use the language of communities
and the language of individuals. That means a mix
of words we use in politics and in ordinary
everyday life. The essential task of leadership
(a word from political theory, unlike the word
manager) is to combine the aspirations and
needs of individuals with the purposes of the
larger community to which they all belong.
Charles Handy
3
P.P.E.E.R.E.
4
People.Product.Execution.Enthusiasm.Relentless
.Excellence.
5
EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS.Tom Peters/14 April
2006/Novosibirsk
6
Slides at tompeters.com
7
EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS.
8
Excellence1982 The Bedrock Eight Basics 1. A
Bias for Action 2. Close to the Customer 3.
Autonomy and Entrepreneurship 4. Productivity
Through People 5. Hands On, Value-Driven 6. Stick
to the Knitting 7. Simple Form, Lean Staff 8.
Simultaneous Loose-Tight Properties
9
What is In Search of Excellence all
aboutPeople. Emotion. Engagement. Exuberance.
Action-Execution. Empowerment. Independence.
Initiative. Imagination. Great Stories.
Incredible Adventures. Trust. Caring. Fun. Joy.
Customer-centrism. Profit. Growth. Brand You.
Dramatic Differences.Experiences. That Make
You Gasp. Excellence. Always.
10
ExIn 1982-2002/Forbes.comDJIA 10,000 yields
85,500 EI 10,000 yields 140,050
Excellence Index/Basket of 32 publicly traded
stocks
11
!
12
First-level Scientific SuccessBeyond
BrainsTom Peters/14April2006
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First-level Scientific SuccessThe smartest guy
in the room winsOr
14
First-level Scientific SuccessFanaticismPersist
ence-Dogged TenacityPatience (long
haul/decades)-Impatience (in a hurry/do it
yesterday)PassionEnergyRelentlessness
(Grant-ian) EnthusiasmDriven (nuts!) (Brutal?)
CompetitivenessEntrepreneurialPragmatic
(R.F!A.)Scrounge (gets the logistics-infrastruc
ture bit)Master of Politics (internal-external)T
actical GeniusPursuit of (Oceanic)
Excellence!High EQ/Skillful in Attracting
Keeping Talent/MagneticProlific (ground up more
pig brains)EgocentricSense of
History-DestinyFuturistic-In the
MomentMono-dimensional (Work-life balance?
Ha!)Exceptionally IntelligentExceptionally
Clever (methodological shortcuts/methodological
genius)Luck
15
First-level Scientific Success/Short
FormScientific Success (Nobel-level) Genius
Execution Master of Soft Skills Enthusiasm
Magnetism Destiny (sense of) Energy
16
Biz Bonanza Success DDMMSTERL
DramaticDifference Business Acumen/Money
Good Marketing Instinct/Ice-to-Eskimos Sales
Instincts Stellar Talent Aim for Excellence
Resilience/Tenacity/ Adaptability Luck (The
Necessary Nine What Every Small Biz Requires
to Excel.) (Big, too.)
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!
18
4/40Tom Peters/Novosibirsk/14 April 2006
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De-cent-ral-iz-a-tion!
20
Ex-e-cu-tion!
21
Ac-count-a-bil-ity!
22
615A.M.
23
!
24
All You Need to Knowmore or lessTom
Peters/14 April 2006/Novosibirsk
25
Amazing Tales
26
THREE BILLION NEW CAPITALISTS Clyde Prestowitz
27
Cause
28
Create a cause, not a business. Gary
Hamel
29
I never, ever thought of myself as a
businessman. I was interested in creating things
I would be proud of. Richard Branson
30
Quest
31
Groups become great only when everyone in them,
leaders and members alike, is free to do his or
her absolute best.The best thing a leader can
do for a Great Group is to allow its members to
discover their greatness.Source Organizing
Genius/Warren Bennis Patricia Ward Biederman
32
Leaderships Mt Everestfree to do his or her
absolute best allow its members to
discover their greatness.
33
The role of the Director is to create a space
where the actor or actress can become more than
theyve ever been before, more than theyve
dreamed of being. Robert Altman, Oscar
acceptance
34
We are a Life Success CompanyDave Liniger,
RE/MAX
35
Artist
36
Leader Job 1Paint Portraits of Excellence!
37
Best Story
38
Storytelling is the core of culture.
Branded Nation The Marketing of Megachurch,
College Inc., and Museumworld, James Twitchell
39
Point of View!
40
People
41
Leaders do people. Anon.
42
We believe companies can increase their market
cap 50 percent in 3 years. Steve Macadam at
Georgia-Pacific changed 20 of his 40 box plant
managers to put more talented, higher paid
managers in charge. He increased profitability
from 25 million to 80 million in 2 years. Ed
Michaels, War for Talent
43
Brand Talent.
44
Our MissionTo develop and manage talentto
apply that talent,throughout the world, for the
benefit of clientsto do so in partnership to
do so with profit.WPP
45
A review of Jack and Suzy Welchs 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. GEs performance measurement
is divorced from budgetingand instead reflects
how you do relative to your past performance and
relative to competitors performance i.e., its
about how you actually do in the context of what
happened in the real world, not as compared to a
gamed-abstract plan developed last year.
Second Putting HR on a par with finance
and marketing.
46
People
47
Employees Are there enough weird people in the
lab these days?V. Chmn., pharmaceutical house,
to a lab director
48
Decency
49
Amen!What creates trust, in the end, is the
leaders manifest respect for the followers.
Jim OToole, Leading Change
50
Care
51
The deepest human need is the need to be
appreciated.William James
52
The two most powerful things in existence a
kind word and a thoughtful gesture. Ken Langone
53
Intangibles
54
Hard is soft. Soft is hard.In Search of
Excellence
55
Organizations are not machines. That has been
the central message of all my books. They are
living communities of individuals. To describe
them we need to use the language of communities
and the language of individuals. That means a mix
of words we use in politics and in ordinary
everyday life. The essential task of leadership
(a word from political theory, unlike the word
manager) is to combine the aspirations and
needs of individuals with the purposes of the
larger community to which they all belong.
Charles Handy
56
Self-management
57
The First step in a dramatic organizational
change program is obviousdramatic personal
change! RG
58
You Your Calendar
59
You must be the change you wish to see in the
world.Gandhi
60
To change minds effectively, leaders make
particular use of two tools the stories they
tell and the lives they lead. Howard Gardner,
Changing Minds
61
MBWA
62
gt25
63
You cant lead a cavalry charge if you think you
look funny on a horse. John Peers, President,
Logical Machine Corporation
64
Curiosity
65
Why?
66
Ears
67
If you dont listen, you dont sell anything.
Carolyn Marland/MD/Guardian Group
68
Conformity
69
While everything may be better, it is also
increasingly the same.Paul Goldberger on
retail, The Sameness of Things, The New York
Times
70
To grow, companies need to break out of a
vicious cycle of competitive benchmarking and
imitation. W. Chan Kim Renée Mauborgne,
Think for Yourself Stop Copying a Rival,
Financial Times/08.11.03
71
Conformity
72
The Bottleneck is at the Top of the
BottleWhere are you likely to find people
with the least diversity of experience, the
largest investment in the past, and the greatest
reverence for industry dogma? At the top!
Gary Hamel/Strategy or Revolution/Harvard
Business Review
73
Dramatic Difference
74
Point of View!/Point of Dramatic Difference!
75
Immelt is now identifying technologies with
which GE will systematically set out to build
entirely new industries. StrategyBusiness,
Fall 2005
76
Action
77
Ninety percent of what we call management
consists of making it difficult for people to get
things done. Peter Drucker
78
Execution is the job of the business leader.
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
80
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/Execution The Discipline of Getting
Things Done
81
GE has set a standard of candor. There isnt
an ounce of denial in the place. Kevin Sharer,
CEO Amgen, on the GE mystique (Fortune)
82
Never forget implementation boys. In our work
its what I call the missing 98 percent of the
client puzzle. Al McDonald
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Try ItTry ItTry It
84
Sams Secret 1!
85
Fail faster. Succeed sooner.David Kelley/IDEO
86
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.
Source The Hunters, by John Masters, Canadian
O G wildcatter
87
While many people big oil finds with big
companies, over the years about 80 percent of the
oil found in the United States has been brought
in by wildcatters such as Mr Findley, says Larry
Nation, spokesman for the American Association of
Petroleum Geologists. WSJ, Wildcat Producer
Sparks Oil Boom in Montana, 04.05.2006
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You only find oil if you drill wells.
Source The Hunters, by John Masters, Canadian
O G wildcatter
89
Focus
90
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
91
Dennis, you need a To-dont List !
92
We will not, I repeat not, pretend to be all
things to all people. CEO, Investec (03.06)
93
K.I.S.S.
94
450/8
95
One bank is currently claiming to leverage its
global footprint to provide effective financial
solutions for its customers by providing a
gateway to diverse markets. I assume that it is
just saying that it is there to help its
customers wherever they are. Charles Handy
96
I wanted GE to operate with the speed,
informality, and open communication of a corner
store. Corner stores often have strategy right.
With their limited resources, they have to rely
on laser-like focus on doing one thing very
well. Jack Welch/Fortune/04.05
97
Change
98
If you dont like change, youre going to
like irrelevance even less. General Eric
Shinseki, Chief of Staff. U. S. Army
99
Change
100
We become who we spend time with!
101
Measure Strangeness/Portfolio
QualityStaffConsultantsVendorsOut-sourcing
Partners (, Quality)Innovation Alliance
PartnersCustomersCompetitors (who we
benchmark against) Strategic Initiatives
Product Portfolio (LineEx v. Leap)IS/IT
ProjectsHQ LocationLunch MatesLanguageBoard
102
Dont benchmark, futuremark! Impetus The
future is already here its just not evenly
distributed William Gibson
103
Immelt is now identifying technologies with
which GE will systematically set out to build
entirely new industries. StrategyBusiness,
Fall 2005
104
Forget
105
Forget gt LearnThe problem is never how to
get new, innovative thoughts into your mind, but
how to get the old ones out. Dee Hock
106
BigChange
107
No Wiggle Room! Incrementalism is
innovations worst enemy. Nicholas
Negroponte
108
Beware of the tyranny of making Small Changes
to Small Things. Rather, make Big Changes to Big
Things. Roger Enrico, former Chairman,
PepsiCo
109
Five MYTHS About Changing BehaviorCrisis
is a powerful impetus for changeChange is
motivated by fearThe facts will set us
freeSmall, gradual changes are always easier
to make and sustainWe cant change because our
brains become hardwired early in lifeSource
Fast Company/05.2005
110
Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre
successes.Phil Daniels, Sydney exec
111
BigBiggerBiggest??????
112
I dont believe in economies of scale. You dont
get better by being bigger. You get worse.
Dick Kovacevich/Wells Fargo/Forbes/08.04 (ROA
Wells, 1.7 Citi, 1.5 BofA, 1.3 J.P. Morgan
Chase, 0.9)
113
Agressive
114
Nelsons secret Other admirals more
frightened of losing than anxious to win
115
Speed-Tempo
116
We dont sell insurance anymore. We sell
speed. Peter Lewis, Progressive
117
Passion Enthusiasm
118
Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
119
A man without a smiling face must not open a
shop. Chinese ProverbCourtesy Tom Morris,
The Art of Achievement
120
I am a dispenser of enthusiasm. Ben Zander
121
Hustle
122
Most important, he upped the energy level at
Motorola. Fortune on Ed Zander/08.05
123
Sunny
124
Half-full Cups Ronald Reagan radiated an almost
transcendent happiness. Lou Cannon
125
Aim High
126
The greatest dangerfor most of usis not that
our aim istoo highand we miss it,but that it
istoo lowand we reach it.Michelangelo
127
Get better vs Get different
128
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
129
Create
130
A focus on cost-cutting and efficiency has
helped many organizations weather the downturn,
but this approach will ultimately render them
obsolete. Only the constant pursuit of innovation
can ensure long-term success. Daniel Muzyka,
Dean, Sauder School of Business, Univ of British
Columbia (FT/09.17.04)
131
SellSellSelll
132
. Everyone lives by selling something.
Robert Louis Stevenson
133
Value-added
134
And the M Stands for ?Gerstners IBM
Systems Integrator of choice. IBM Global
Services 55B
135
No Limits
136
You cant behave in a calm, rational manner.
Youve got to be out there on the lunatic
fringe. Jack Welch
137
!
138
Leadership23Tom Peters/Novosibirsk/14April2006
139

Leadership231. Enthusiasm. Energy.
Exuberance.2. Action. Execution.3. Tempo.
Metabolism.4. Relentless.5. Master of Plan
B.6. Accountability.7. Meritocracy.8. Leaders
do people. Mentor. (Success creation
business.)9. Women. Diversity.10. Integrity.
Credibility. Humanity. Grace.11. Realism.12.
Cause. Adventures. Quests.13. Legacy.14. Best
story wins.15. On the edge. (Wildest chimera of
a moonstruck mind.) 16. Reward excellent
failures. Punish mediocre successes.17.
Different gt Better. (Only ones who do what we
do.)18. MBWA. Customer MBWA.19. Laughs.20.
Repot. Curiosity. Why?21. You Calendar. To
Dont. Two.22. Excellence. Always. 23.
Nelsonian! (Other admirals more afraid of
losing than anxious to win.)
140
Sir Richards RulesFollow your passions.Keep
it simple.Get the best people to help
you.Re-create yourself.Play.Source Fortune
on Branson
141
!
142
People Power!Tom Peters/Novosibirsk/14April200
6
143
People Power Brand You Days
144
One of the defining characteristics of the
change is that it will be less driven by
countries or corporations and more driven by real
people. It will unleash unprecedented
creativity, advancement of knowledge, and
economic development. But at the same time, it
will tend to undermine safety net systems and
penalize the unskilled. Clyde Prestowitz, Three
Billion New Capitalists
145
If there is nothing very special about your
work, no matter how hard you apply yourself you
wont get noticed, and that increasingly means
you wont get paid much either. Michael
Goldhaber, Wired
146
You are the storyteller of your own life, and
you can create your own legend or not. Isabel
Allende
147
Distinct or Extinct
148
New Work
SurvivalKit.2006 1. Mastery! (Best/Absurdly Good
at Something!)2. Manage to Legacy (All Work
Memorable/Braggable WOW Projects!) 3. A
USP/Unique Selling Proposition (R.POV8
Remarkable Point of View captured in 8 or
less words) 4. Rolodex Obsession (From
vertical/hierarchy/suck up loyalty to
horizontal/colleague/mate loyalty)5.
Entrepreneurial Instinct (A sleepless Eye for
Opportunity! E.g. Small Opp for Independent
Action beats faceless part of Monster Project)6.
CEO/Leader/Businessperson/Closer (CEO, Me Inc.
Period! 24/7!)7. Master of Improv (Play a dozen
parts simultaneously, from Chief Strategist
to Chief Toilet Scrubber)8. Sense of Humor (A
willingness to Screw Up Move On) 9. Comfortable
with Your Skin (Bring interesting you to
work!)10. Intense Appetite for Technology (E.g.
How Cool-Active is your Web site? Do you
Blog?)11. Embrace Marketing (Your own
CSO/Chief Storytelling Officer)12. Passion for
Renewal (Your own CLO/Chief Learning Officer)
13. Execution Excellence! (Show up on time!
Leave last!)
149
Its always showtime. David DAlessandro,
Career Warfare
150
Knowledge becomes obsolete incredibly fast. The
continuing professional education of adults is
the No. 1 industry in the next 30 years mostly
on line. Peter Drucker
151
!
152
People Power The Talent50
153
1. People First!
154
The Creative Age is a wide-open game.
Richard Florida, The Rise of the Creative Class
155
Whoops Jack didnt have a vision!GE
Talent Machine (Ed Michaels)
156
2. Soft Is Hard.
157
Message Leading Talent is all about Love
Passion, Enthusiasms, Appetite for Life,
Engagement, Commitment, Great Causes
Determination to Make a Damn Difference, Shared
Adventures, Bizarre Failures, Growth, Insatiable
Appetite for Change.
158
3. FUNDAMENTAL PREMISE We
Are in an Age of Talent/Creativity/
Intellectual-capital Added.
159
Human creativity is the ultimate economic
resource. Richard Florida, The Rise of the
Creative Class
160
4. Talent Excellence in
Every Part of Every Organization.
161
Wegmans 1/100 Best Companies to Work
for/2005
162
5. P.O.T./ Pursuit Of
Talent OBSESSION.
163
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
164
Les Wexner From sweaters to people!
165
6. Talent Masters Understand Talents Intangibles.
166
Q If it were your 50K lifes
savings and my 50K, what sort of Waiters
would we look for?A Enthusiasts!
167
7. HR Is Exciting.
168
ChicagoHRMAC
169
Are you Rock Stars of the Age of Talent?
170
HR doesnt tend to hire a lot of independent
thinkers or people who stand up as moral
compasses. Garold Markle, Shell Offshore HR
Exec (FC/08.05)
171
8. HR Sits at The Head
Table.
172
A review of Jack and Suzy Welchs 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. GEs performance measurement
is divorced from budgetingand instead reflects
how you do relative to your past performance and
relative to competitors performance ie its
about how you actually do in the context of what
happened in the real world, not as compared to a
gamed-abstract plan developed last year.
Second Putting HR on a par with finance and
marketing.
173
9. Re-name HR.
174
Talent Department
175
10. There Is an HR
Strategy/ HR Vision
176
Omnicom very simply is about talent. Its about
the acquisition of talent, providing the
atmosphere so talent is attracted to it. John
Wren
177
Whats your companys EVP/IBP?Employee
Value Proposition, per Ed Michaels et al., The
War for Talent IBP/Internal Brand Promise per TP
178
EVP/IBP Remarkable challenges, rapid
professional growth, wholesale respect, deep
satisfaction, fun, stunning opportunities,
exceptional rewards, amazing peer group, full
membership in Club Adventure, maximized future
employability
179
Our MissionTo develop and manage talentto
apply that talent,throughout the world, for the
benefit of clientsto do so in partnership to
do so with profit.WPP
180
11. Acquire for Talent!
181
Omnicom's acquisitions not for size per se
buying talent deepen a relationship with a
client.Source Advertising Age
182
12. There Is a FORMAL
Recruitment Strategy.
183
Busy Executives Fail To Give Recruiting
Attention It Deserves Headline, WSJ,
11.21.05
184
13. There Is a FORMAL
Leadership Development Strategy.
185
DD 0 to 60mph in a flash (months)
186
14. There is a World
Class Leadership Development CENTER.
187
Crotonville!
188
15. There Is a FORMAL
STRATEGIC HR Review Process.
189
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
190
16. People/ Talent
Reviews Are the FIRST Reviews.
191
17. HR Strategy
BUSINESS Strategy.
192
Wegmans 1/100 Best Companies to Work for84
Grocery stores are all alike46 additional
spend if customers have an emotional connection
to a grocery store rather than are satisfied
(Gallup)Going to Wegmans is not just shopping,
its an event. Christopher Hoyt, grocery
consultantYou cannot separate their strategy
as a retailer from their strategy as an
employer. Darrell Rigby, Bain Co.
193
18. Make it a Cause
Worth Signing Up For.
194
People want to be part of something larger than
themselves. They want to be part of something
theyre really proud of, that theyll fight for,
sacrifice for , trust. Howard Schultz,
Starbucks (IBD/09.05)
195
19. Unleash Their Full
Potential!
196
No matter what the situation, the great
managers 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
197
RE/MAX A Life Success CompanySource
Everybody Wins, Phil Harkins Keith Hollihan
198
20. Set Sky High Standards.
199
Did We Say Talent Matters?The top software
developers are more productive than average
software developers not by a factor of 10X or
100X, or even 1,000X, but 10,000X. Nathan
Myhrvold, former Chief Scientist, Microsoft
200
21. Enlist Everyone in
Challenge Century21.
201
Distinct or Extinct
202
22. Pursue the Best!
203
From 1, 2 or youre out JW to Best
Talent in each industry segment to build best
proprietary intangibles EMSource Ed
Michaels, War for Talent
204
23. Up or Out.
205
We believe companies can increase their market
cap 50 percent in 3 years. Steve Macadam at
Georgia-Pacific changed 20 of his 40 box plant
managers to put more talented, higher paid
managers in charge. He increased profitability
from 25 million to 80 million in 2 years. Ed
Michaels, War for Talent
206
24. Ensure that the
Review Process Has INTEGRITY.
207
25 100 But what do I do thats more
important than developing people? I dont do the
damn work. They do.GS
208
25. Pay Up!
209
Top performing companies are two to four times
more likely than the rest to pay what it takes
to prevent losing top performers. Ed Michaels,
War for Talent
210
26. Training I Train!
Train! Train!
211
26.3
212
3 Weeks in MayTraining Prep 187Work
41(Other 17)
213
1 vs. 367
214
Divas do it. Violinists do it. Sprinters do it.
Golfers do it. Pilots do it. Soldiers do it.
Surgeons do it. Cops do it. Astronauts do it. Why
dont businesspeople do it?
215
27. Training II 100
Business People.
216
28. Training III 100
LEADERS.
217
I start with the premise that the function of
leadership is to produce more leaders, not more
followers. Ralph Nader
218
29. Training IV Boss as
Trainer-in-Chief.
219
Workout 24 DPY in the Classroom
220
30. Training V The REAL
Bedrock of the Talent Thing.
221
My wife and I went to a kindergarten
parent-teacher conference and were informed that
our budding refrigerator artist, Christopher,
would be receiving a grade of Unsatisfactory in
art. We were shocked. How could any childlet
alone our childreceive a poor grade in art at
such a young age? His teacher informed us that
he had refused to color within the lines, which
was a state requirement for demonstrating
grade-level motor skills. Jordan Ayan, AHA!
222
31. Wide-open
Communication NO BARRIERS.
223
The organizations we created have become
tyrants. They have taken control, holding us
fettered, creating barriers that hinder rather
than help our businesses. The lines that we drew
on our neat organizational diagrams have turned
into walls that no one can scale or penetrate or
even peer over. Frank Lekanne Deprez René
Tissen, Zero Space Moving Beyond Organizational
Limits
224
32. Respect!
225
What creates trust, in the end, is the
leaders manifest respect for the followers.
Jim OToole, Leading Change
226
33. Embrace the Whole
Individual.
227
34. Build Places of
Grace.
228
35. MBWA Visible
Leadership!Managing By Wandering Around
229
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
230
36. Thank You!
231
The deepest human need is the need to be
appreciated. William James
232
37. Promote for people
skills. (THE REST IS DETAILS.)
233
When assessing candidates, the first thing I
looked for was energy and enthusiasm for
execution. Does she talk about the thrill of
getting things done, the obstacles overcome, the
role her people played or does she keep
wandering back to strategy or philosophy?
Larry Bossidy, Honeywell/AlliedSignal, in
Execution
234
38. Honor Youth.
235
Why focus on these late teens and
twenty-somethings? Because they are the first
young who are both in a position to change the
world, and are actually doing so. For the first
time in history, children are more comfortable,
knowledgeable and literate than their parents
about an innovation central to society. The
Internet has triggered the first industrial
revolution in history to be led by the
young.The Economist
236
39. Provide Early
Leadership Assignments.
237
The WOW! Project
238
40. Create a FORMAL System
of Mentoring.
239
41. Diversity!
240
To be a leader in consumer products, its
critical to have leaders who represent the
population we serve. Steve Reinemund/PepsiCo
241
42. WOMEN RULE.
242
AS LEADERS, WOMEN RULE New Studies find that
female managers outshine their male counterparts
in almost every measureTitle, Special
Report/BusinessWeek
243
The Core Argument1. We are in a
War for Talent.2. The war will intensify.3.
Women are under-represented in our
leadership ranks.4. Women and men are
different.5. Womens strengths match the New
Economys leadership needsto a striking
degree.6. Women are also the principal
purchasers of goods and servicesretail and
commercial.7. Ergo, women are a large part of
the answer to the War for Talent
issue/opportunity.
244
43. Hire ( Protect!)
Weird!
245
The Cracked Ones Let in the LightOur business
needs a massive transfusion of talent, and
talent, I believe, is most likely to be found
among non-conformists, dissenters and rebels.
David Ogilvy
246
44. We Are All Unique.

247
Beware Standardized Evals One size NEVER fits
all. One size fits one. Period.
248
45. Capitalize on
Strengths.
249
The key difference between checkers and chess
is that in checkers the pieces all move the same
way, whereas in chess all the pieces move
differently. Discover what is unique about each
person and capitalize on it. Marcus
Buckingham, The One Thing You Need to Know
250
46. Bosses Win People
Over.
251
PJ Coaching is winning players over.
252
47. GOAL Voyages of
Mutual Discovery.
253
Quests!
254
48. Foster
Independence.
255
You must realize that how you invest your human
capital matters as much as how you invest your
financial capital. Its rate of return determines
your future options. Take a job for what it
teaches you, not for what it pays. Instead of a
potential employer asking, Where do you see
yourself in 5 years? youll ask, If I invest my
mental assets with you for 5 years, how much will
they appreciate? How much will my portfolio of
career options grow? Source Stan Davis
Christopher Meyer, futureWEALTH
256
49. Enthusiasm!
257
?
258
Its simple, really, Tom. Hire for ?s, and,
above all, promote for ?s. Starbucks
follower/WS analyst
259
50. Talent Brand.
260
The Talent501. People
first!2. Soft is Hard. 3. FUNDAMENTAL PREMISE
We are in an Age of Talent/ Creativity/
Intellectual-capital Added.4. Talent
excellence in every part of the
organization.5. P.O.T./Pursuit Of Talent
Obsession.6. HR sits at The Head Table.7. HR is
cool.
261
Brand Talent.
262
!
263
The Irreducible209Tom Peters/Novosibirsk/14April
2006
264
A frustrated participant at a seminar for
investment bankers in Mauritius listened
impatiently to my explanation of differences of
opinion among me, Mike Porter, Gary Hamel, Jim
Collins, etc. Finally, hed had enough. What, if
anything, he asked, do you believe for sure?
I mumbled something, but his query started
rumbling around in my mind. Three days later,
wandering on a Sunday in London, the idea of the
irreducibles occurred to meand I started
jotting down notes on stuff I do indeed believe
for sure. Before I knew it, a few days later,
the list had grown to 209 items. Hence The
Irreducible209 that follows.Tom Peters
265
1. Hare 1, Tortoise 0. (Hare-y times.) 2. Tempo.
(O.O.D.A.) 3. MBWA. 4. Appreciation. (Motivator
1.) (Cant be faked. Good.) 5. Decency. 6.
Hurry. 7. Time out. 8. One matters. 9. Big
change. Short time. (Alt not work.) 10.
Excellence. Always. 11. Passion. Energy. Hustle.
Enthusiasm. Exuberance. (Move mountains. No
alt.) 12. You must care. 13. Emotion. 14. Hard is
soft. (Soft is hard.)
266
15. Men. Women. Different. Contend. Connect. 16.
Women. Buy. All. (RU listening?) 17. Quality.
(Mind-blowing. Beyond 6-Sigma.) 18. Re-invent.
Re-pot. (Required.) 19. Jaywalk. 20. Big change.
Small of people. (Always.) 21. Experiment.
Now. 22. Failure. Normal. 23. Most failures,
most success. (Fail. Forward. Fast.) 24.
Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre
successes. 25. Women leaders. (Altered times.)
26. Extremism. (Good business. Bad
politics.) 27. Innovation source. Only. Extreme
irritation. 28. Smile.
267
29. You must care. 30. Mentor. (Highest ROI.) 31.
Best roster wins. 32. Wow. (Okay in biz.) 33.
We all have customers. (Biz. Personal.) 34. All
contacts Experiences. 35. Cirque du Soleil.
(Peerless.) 36. Leaders create space for
growth. 37. Quests. (Only.) 38. High aspirations,
high results. (Self-fulfilling
prophecy.) 39. Attitude 1, Skills 0. (Mostly.)
(Attitude 1, Skill 0.3?) 40. Sometimes Skill
1, Attitude 0.1. 41. Must love, not like. 42.
Wegmans. (No excuses. Mere groceries.) 43.
Less than your best. Cheating.
268
44. Brand You. (No alt.) 45. Self-sufficiency.
(Biggest LT turn-on.) 46. In the moment. 47. The
moment wins. 48. Tomorrow Never. 49. Action 1,
Plan 0.1. 50. Execution can be a system. 51.
Realism. 52. Own up. Move on. 53.
Accountability. 54. Work hard gt Work smart.
(Mostly.) 55. Feedback. Necessary. Fast. (R.F.A.
in RFA times.) 56. Customers. Listen.
Lead. (Paradox.) 57. On stage. Always. (GW,
FDR, RG Supreme actors.)
269
58. Master statistical analysis. 59. Excellence
Set the table. 60. Legacy. (Will it have
mattered?) 61. Great. (Why not?) 62. Radicals
rule. (Think Olympics.) 63. !!! Good. 64. Red
1, Brown 0. (Red times.) 65. Talk. Listen. (Big
2. Master.) 66. Politics. (Normal-inevitable
state of affairs. Master.) 67. Student.
Forever. 68. Why? (Question 1.) 69. Dont
belittle. 70. Respect. 71. All we have this
moment. (Moments matter most?) 72. Now.
(Procrastination. Death.)
270
73. Exercise. 74. Paint. (Leader. Portraits of
Excellence.) 75. Best story wins. 76. You must
be the change you wish to see in the
world. 77. Two big ones. Max.
(Priorities.) 78. No I in Team. (I in
Win.) 79. I in Win. (No I in Team.) 80.
Different 1, Better 0. (Better 0.1) 81.
Imitation Mistake. (Learn, from who?) 82.
Choose/battle the right competitor. 83.
Schools. Creativity. Entrepreneurship.
(Not.) 84. MBAs. Creativity. Entrepreneurship.
Leadership. (Not.) 85. Design. Under-rated.
Wildly. (Still.) (Everything.)
271
86. You Calendar. (Calendar. Never. Lies.) 87.
Laugh. 88. Handshake. (Quantity. Quality.) 89.
Dont fold your hands in front of your chest.
Ever. (Never.) 90. Grace. (Works in biz.) 91.
Weird. Wins. (Weird times.) 92. Crazy times.
Crazy orgs. 93. Internet. All. 94. Women.
Boomers-Geezers. Market. All. 95. Passion.
(Repeat. So what?) 96. Energy. (Repeat.
So what?) 97. Hustle. (Repeat. So
what?) 98. Enthusiasm. (Repeat. So what?) 99.
Exuberance. (Repeat. So what?) 100. Smile.
(Repeat. So what?) 101. Care.
(Repeat. So what?)
272
102. Simplicity. Redundancy. Resilience. Bloody-
mindedness. Visible optimism. (Success.)
103. Act. (Repeat. So what?) 104.
Appreciate. (Repeat. So what?) 105. Fun. (Biz.
Why not?) 106. Joy. (Biz. Why not?) 107. Sales
Life. 108. Marketing Life. 109. Long-term. Top
line. 110. Great company Creates the most
individual success stories. (RE/MAX) 111.
Talent first, performance byproduct. 112.
Sustained Wow 1, Shareholder value,
0.2 (Product, People.) 113. Commitment, by
invitation only. 114. Creativity, by invitation
only. 115. HR 1. (Ought to.) 116.
Face-to-face. (5K miles, 5 minutes.)
273
117. Negotiation. Make all winners. (Save
face.) 118. Grace makes enemies friends. 119.
Network. 120. Invest in relationships. (Think
ROIR. Return On Investment in
Relationships.) 118. Relationship investment.
Forethought. Calendar item.
Intensity. 119. Innovation. Easy. (Hang out
with weird.) 120. Weird Win. (Weird
times.) 121. The bottleneck is at the top
of the bottle. 122. Good Board Weird Board.
(At least, surprising.) 123. No
contention, no progress.
274
124. Crucial conversations. Crucial
confrontations. (Study. Learn. Do.) 125. Honest
feedback. 126. Gaspworthy. Yes. 127. Insanely
great. 128. Astonish me. 129. Make it
immortal. 130. Will you remember it in 20
years? 131. No small opportunities.
(Reframe.) 132. One playmate, one playpen
Enough. 133. End run. Sensible. 134. Allies are
there for the finding. 135. Find successes. Build
on successes. (Pos gt Neg. Encourage gt
Fix.) 136. Somebodys doing it today. Find
em. 137. Someone is living 2016 in 2006.
(Find em. Study em.)
275
138. Dont benchmark, futuremark.
(2016. Happening. Somewhere.) 139. PMA. It
works. 140. There are no experts. (You are the
expert.) 141. Life is short. 142. Sustained
success. Fat chance. Make today matter.
(Sustained. Ha.) 143. Collaborate. (Networked
world.) 144. Go solo. (Individual. Unit of
Intellectual Capital.) 145. There are no
perfect plans. (Do. Wins.) 146. Plans motivate.
(Right or wrong. Sense of purpose.) 147.
Never rest. 148. Get some sleep. 149. Winning
Embracing paradox. 150. Ambiguity Opportunity.
276
151. Resilience. 152. Relentless-ness. 153. None.
Above. Comeuppance. (GM. Sears. U.S.
Steel. DEC.) 154. Be yourself. Period. 155. Never
work with jerks. Including customers.
(Life. Too short.) 156. Under-promise,
over-deliver. 157. Talent. (Powerful word.) 158.
Customer Anyone whose actions affect
your results. 159. Competition stinks. (Seek the
soft spots where you can dominate.) 160.
K.I.S.S./Keep It Simple, Stupid. 161. Beauty.
(Good biz word.) 162. See the beauty in a
hamburger bun. (Go. Ray.)
277
163. Own up. Quick. ( Denial. Cancer.)164.
Celebrate. Often.165. 78 people 78 approaches.
(Each. Unique.)166. Weed. Ceaselessly. (Prune.
Stupid. Rules. Non-stop.)167. Get out
of the way. (You The problem.)168. Smile.
Sunny. Optimism. (If it kills you.)169. Flowers.
(Cheery workplace.)170. Enjoy. (Or get the
hell.)171. Be intolerant of sour. (1 Major
pollution)172. No quick trigger on promotion.
(Too important.)173. Evaluation Lots of
study-time.174. Evaluation Life or death to
evaluee.175. 360 evaluation. No fad.176. Exit
when youre done. (Done. Sooner than you
think.)
278
177. Today. Now. My Project. Am. Is. I.
Period. 178. Beautiful systems. (Good biz
phrase. Not oxymoron.) 179. Build on
strengths gt Fix weaknesses. 180. To dont To
do. (To dont gt To do ?) 181.
Leaders Do People. (Period.) 182. Leaders enjoy
leading. 183. Serious leadership training
Serious. 184. Priorities. Obvious. (Or
else.) 185. 5 Priorities 0 Priorities.
(3 Priorities 0 Priorities?) 186. People.
First. Last. Always. 187. It. Is. Always. The.
People. 188. Handshake. (Quantity. Quality.)
279
189. Dont fold your hands in front of
your chest. Ever. (Never.)190. Simplicity.
Redundancy. Resilience.
Bloody-mindedness. Visible optimism.
(Success.) (Repeat.)191. Employee Entrance
Guest Entrance.192. Put the customer
SECOND. (Thanks, Hal.)193. Flowers. (Or
did I say that before? No matter if I
did.)194. Big Mergers dont work. Small
acquisitions can/do workif you dont
screw with their energy.
280
195. Instinctively head for the front
line. (In all contexts.)196. Success
DDMMPR/"D-squared, M-squared, PR
DramDiff Money-Financial Acumen
Good Marketing Instincts Stellar
People Resilience (The fab five
What. Every. Small. Biz. Needs.) (Big
too.) 197. Core Mechanism (Game-changing
Solutions) PSF (Professional Service
Firm model) Wow! Projects
(Different vs Better) Brand You
(Distinct or Extinct) 198. 2011/2016 has
already happened. Find it.
281
199. Kids know kids. Oldies know oldies.
Women know women. (Staff
accordingly.)200. Everybody is my customer.201.
Cosset vendors.202. I want to run a
Housekeeping department. (And you?)203.
The military doesnt follow the military
model. (Initiative Excellence.)204. No such
thing as going to absurd lengths to
serve the Customer. (HSM Lefties.)205. Forget
the customer. All Clients.206. It takes
decades to get over sleights. (So
dont sleight.)207. Dont dumb down. Ever.
282
208. NO LESS THAN EXCELLENCE.
EVER.209. EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS.
283
!
284
Toms 60TIBsTIB This I BelieveVersion
14April2006
285
1. TECHNICOLOR RULES! (Passion Moves
Mountains!)
286
2. Audacity Matters!
287
3. Revolution Now!
288
4. Question Authority! ( Hire
Disrespectful People.)
289
5. Disorganization Wins! (LOVE THE
MESS!)
290
6. Think 3M Markets Matter Most. ONLY EXTREME
COMPETITION STAVES OFF STALENESS. (You can take
the boy out of Silicon Valley, but you cant take
Silicon Valley out of the boy!)
291
7. Three Hearty Cheers for Weirdos. (Bill Gates,
Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison, Scott McNealy, Craig
Venter et al.)
292
8. Message 2006 Technology Change
(Info-sciences, Biosciences) Is in Its Infancy!
(WE AINT SEE NOTHIN YET!)
293
9. Everything Is Up For Grabs! Volatility Is Thy
Name! (Forever Ever. Amen.) RE-INVENT OR
DIE!
294
10. Big Stinks. (Mostly.) (VERY Mostly.)
295
11. Permanence Is a Snare a Delusion.
(Forget Built to Last. Its Yesterdays
Idea.) (Try Built for Impact.)
296
12. Kaizen (Continuous Improvement) Is VDS/
Very Dangerous Stuff.
297
13. DESTRUCTION RULES!
298
14. Forget It! (Learning Easy. Forgetting
Nigh on Impossible.)
299
15. Innovation Is Easy Hang Out with Freaks.
(Employees, Board Members, Customers,
Suppliers, Alliance Partners, Consultants.)
300
16. Boring Begets Boring. (Cool Begets Cool.)
301
17. Think Portfolio. (Were All V.C.s.)
302
18. Perception Is All There Is. (Insiders
ALWAYS overestimate the Radicalism of What
Theyre Up To.)
303
19. Action ALWAYS Takes Precedence. Think
R.F!A./Ready. Fire! Aim. (REWARD SUCCESS. REWARD
FAILURE. PUNISH INACTION.)
304
20. He Who Makes Tests the Quickest Coolest
Prototypes Reigns!
305
21. Haste Makes Waste. (SO GO WASTE!)
306
22. Screw-ups are the Mark of Excellence.
(Do It Right the First Time Is a Very Stupid
Idea.)
307
23. Play Hard! Play Now! (Cherish Play!)
308
24. TALENT TIME! (He/She Who Has the Best
Roster Rules!)
309
25. Re-do Education. Totally. (FOSTER
CREATIVITY NOT UNIFORMITY.) (THE NOISIEST
CLASSROOM WINS.)
310
26. Diversitys Hour Is Now!
311
27. SHE Is the Best Leader!
312
28. MARKETING MANTRA Embrace the BIG THREE
Demographics. (1) SHE is the Customer. (For
everything.) (2) Rapidly Aging Boomers Have
ALL THE MONEY. (3) Green Matters. (TRILLIONS OF
Are at Stake.) (NOBODY Gets It.) (Mere
Programs Will Not Suffice.)
313
29. Re-boot Healthcare. (UNDERSTATEMENT.)
314
30. WHAT ARE WE SELLING? Experiences
Solutions gt Quality Satisfaction. (The
Traditional Value-added Equation Is Being Set
on Its Ear.)
315
31. DESIGN New Seat of the Soul.
316
32. Branding Is for EVERYONE. He Who Has the
BEST STORY Takes Home the Marbles.
317
33. DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE Only Difference.
318
34. WORDS/Language Matters a Lot. (E.g. Three
Hearty Cheers for Wow!)
319
35. WHAT MATTERS IS STUFF THAT MATTERS. (Query
1 Are You Proud of It?)
320
36. eALL. (IS/IT Half-way No Way.)
321
37. DREAM Big! DREAM Enormous! DREAM
Gargantuan! (These Are XXX Times.)
322
38. THINK MIKE! (Michelangelo The greatest
danger for most of us is not that our aim is too
high and we miss it, but that it is too low and
we reach it.)
323
39. There Is Only ONE BIG ISSUE (Crappy)
Cross-functional Communication.
324
40. Stop Doing Dumb Stuff. (SYSTEMATIZE THE
PROCESS OF UN-DUMBING.)
325
41. Beautiful Systems Are BEAUTIFUL.
326
42. The WHITE-COLLAR REVOLUTION Will Devour
Everything in Its Path.
327
43. Take Charge of Your Destiny! BrandYou
Moment! DISTINCT OR EXTINCT!
328
44. Powerlessness Is a State of Mind! Think
King. Gandhi. De Gaulle.
329
45. Pursue Adventure in Every Task.
330
46. EXCELLENCE Is a State of Mind. (Excellence
Takes a Minute.) (No Bull.)
331
47. SHOW UP! (If You Care, Youre There.)
332
48. YOUR CALENDAR KNOWS ALL. (You Calendar.)
(Mind Your TO DONT List.)
333
49. LIFE IS SALES. (The Rest Is Details.)
334
50. Boss Mantra 1 I DONT KNOW. (I Dont
Know Permission to Explore.)
335
51. Management Role 1 GET OUT OF THE WAY. (Clear
the Way.) (Manager Hurdle Removal
Professional.)
336
52. Epitaph from Hell He Woulda Done Some
Truly Cool Stuff But His Boss Wouldnt Let
Him.
337
53. Change Takes However Long You Think It
Takes. (Eschew Incrementalism.)
338
54. Respect! (Rule 1 Dont Belittle!)
339
55. Thank You Trumps All!
340
56. Integrity Matters! Integrity
Credibility. (Dennis K. Is a Jerk.)
341
57. SOFT IS HARD. HARD IS SOFT. (Numbers Are
Soft. People Are Not.)
342
58. Try Sunny! (Sunny Begets Sunny. Gloomy
Begets Gloomy.)
343
59. DISPENSE ENTHUSIASM!
344
60. FUN Is Not a 4-Letter Word. So, too
JOY. (And GRACE.)
345
The End.
346
!