Tom%20Peters

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Tom PetersEXCELLENCE. ALWAYS.XAlways/Kual
a Lumpur/02August2006
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Slides at tompeters.comalso leadership
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The Irreducible209
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Thats a Big Number .
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THREE BILLION NEW CAPITALISTS Clyde Prestowitz
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EXCELLENCE. THE MANDATE.
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If you dont like change, youre going to
like irrelevance even less. General Eric
Shinseki, Chief of Staff. U. S. Army
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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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EXCELLENCE. STARTERS.
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Radio City Music HallSeptember 2005
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Franchise Lost! TP How many of you 600
really crave a new Chevy?NYC/IIR/061205
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2P.3E.
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People.Product.Execution.Enthusiasm.Excellence
.
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EXCELLENCE. THE WORD.
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SynonymsPurityTranscendenceVirtueEleganceMaj
estyAntonymsMediocrity
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EXCELLENCE. GAMECHANGER.
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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
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ExIn 1982-2002/Forbes.comDJIA 10,000 yields
85,000 EI 10,000 yields 140,050
Forbes/Excellence Index /Basket of 32
publicly traded stocks
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Sorry, Jack The New Rules

• Old Rule
• Big Dogs Own the Street
• Be No.1 or No. 2 in the Market
• Shareholders Rule
• Be Lean and Mean
• Rank Players Go With the As
• Hire a Charismatic CEO
• Admire My Might
• Source Fortune/07.24.2006

• New Rule
• Agile Is Best Big Can Bite
• Create Something New
• The Customer Is King
• Look Out, Not In
• Hire Passionate People
• Hire a Courageous CEO
• Admire My Soul

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EXCELLENCE. NOT YET.
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Hardball Are You Playing to Play or Playing to
Win? by George Stalk Rob Lachenauer/HBS
PressThe winners in business have always
played hardball. Unleash massive and
overwhelming force. Exploit anomalies.
Threaten your competitors profit sanctuaries.
Entice your competitor into retreat.Approximat
ely 640 Index entries Customer/s (service,
retention, loyalty), 4. People (employees,
motivation, morale, worker/s), 0. Innovation
(product development, research development, new
products), 0.
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Them-Us
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Them UsStrategy

EXECUTIONPlanning
ActionMarketing
Selling/SalesMarkets
CustomersCustomers
ClientsMicro-segmentation Big
Stuff (Women, Boomers)Cost minimization
Revenue maximizationSynergy/Efficiencies
DecentralizationStrategic supplier
Pioneering supplierProcess
ProjectEffectiveness
ExcellenceMen
WomenLeadership
Management
LeadershipStandardization
Exceptionalism (53 53)Big clients
COOL clientsPrestigious Board
INTERESTING Board
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Porter.Drucker.Bennis.Peters.
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Importance of Success Factors by Various
Gurus/(Unreliable) Estimates by Tom Peters
Strategy Systems People
Passion Porter 50 20
20 10 Drucker 25 35
25 15
Bennis 25 20 30
25 Peters 15
20 40 25
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good words.Bad words.
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Words that may NOT be used in my presence
Motivate Market
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Words that may NOT be used in my presence
Motivate
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In the end, management doesnt change culture.
Management invites the workforce itself to
change the culture. Lou Gerstner
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Words that may NOT be used in my presence
Market
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SellSellSell
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EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS.
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Why in the world did you go to Siberia?
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The Peters Principles Enthusiasm. Emotion.
Excellence. Energy. Excitement. Service. Growth.
Creativity. Imagination. Vitality. Joy.
Surprise. Independence. Spirit. Community.
Limitless human potential. Diversity. Profit.
Innovation. Design. Quality. Entrepreneurialism.
Wow.
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Business (at its best) An emotional, vital,
innovative, joyful, creative, entrepreneurial
endeavor that elicits maximum concerted human
potential in the wholehearted service of
others.Excellence. Always.Employees,
Customers, Suppliers, Communities, Owners,
Temporary partners
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EXCELLENCE. HTSH.
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HTSH Engage!Commit! Engage! Try! Fail! Get
up! Try again! Fail again! Try again! But never,
ever stop moving on! Progress for humanity is
engendered by those who join and savor the fray
by giving one hundred percent of themselves to
their dreams! Not by those timid souls who remain
glued to the sidelines, stifled by tradition, and
fearful of losing face or giving offense to the
reigning authorities.Key words Commit! Engage!
Try! Fail! Persist!HTST/Hands That Shape
Humanity, Tom Peters contribution to a Bishop
Tutu exhibit
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EXCELLENCE. INNOVATE. OR. DIE.
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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)
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Pathetic!
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Forbes100 from 1917 to 1987 39 members of the
Class of 17 were alive in 87 18 in 87 F100
18 F100 survivors underperformed the market by
20 just 2 (2), GE Kodak, outperformed the
market 1917 to 1987.SP 500 from 1957 to 1997
74 members of the Class of 57 were alive in 97
12 (2.4) of 500 outperformed the market from
1957 to 1997.Source Dick Foster Sarah
Kaplan, Creative Destruction Why Companies That
Are Built to Last Underperform the Market
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I am often asked by would-be entrepreneurs
seeking escape from life within huge corporate
structures, How do I build a small firm for
myself? The answer seems obvious Buy a very
large one and just wait. Paul Ormerod, Why
Most Things Fail Evolution, Extinction and
Economics
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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)
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TOO BIG TO GROW Why Wall Street has soured on
many of corporate Americas most admired and
feared companies headline, Newsweek, 0313.06
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Scale?Microsofts Struggle With Scale
Headline, FT, 09.2005Troubling Exits at
Microsoft Cover Story, BW, 09.2005Too Big
to Move Fast? Headline, BW, 09.2005
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Sluggish Obese Unimaginative More Sluggish
More Obese More Unimaginative Even More
Sluggish Even More Obese Even More
Unimaginative Nissan Renault GM
Innovative, Agile Challenger for Toyota????
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Almost every personal friend I have in the world
works on Wall Street. You can buy and sell the
same company six times and everybody makes money,
but Im not sure were actually innovating.
Our challenge is to take nanotechnology into the
future, to do personalized medicine Jeff
Immelt/2005
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More than 1 RD spending, last 25 years?
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GM
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Inno64 Innovation Strategies Tactics
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What We Know For Sure About InnovationBig
mergers by large dont workScale is
over-ratedStrategic planning is the last refuge
of scoundrelsFocus groups are counter-productive
Built to last is a chimera (stupid)Success
killsForgetting is impossibleRe-imagine is a
charming ideaOrderly innovation process is an
oxymoronic phrase ( Believed only by morons
with ox-like brains)Tipping points are easy to
identify long after they will do you any
goodFacts arentAll information making it to
the top is filtered to the point of danger and
hilaritySuccess stories are the illusions of
egomaniacs (and gurus)If you believe the
memoirs of CEOs you should be institutionalizedH
erd behavior (XYZ is hot) is ubiquitous and
amusingTop teams are DittoheadsCEOs have
little effect on performanceExpert prediction
is rarely better than rolling the dice
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InnoTactics64 Parallel universe End run regnant
powers Find done deals-practicing mavericks Bell
curves2016 in 2006 Non-industry
benchmarking Everything Portfolio V.C.s
all! Hot language/Wow-Astonish me-Insanely
great- immortal-Make something great Lead
customers Lead suppliers /Top decile RD Weird
alliances Mottos/Paul Arden (Whatever You Think
Think the Opposite) Hire freaks/Enough weird
people? Weird Boards!!!
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We become who we hang out with!
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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
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Kodak . FujiGM . FordFord . GMIBM .
Siemens, FujitsuSears KmartXerox . Kodak, IBM
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futuremark
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Dont benchmark, futuremark! Impetus The
future is already here its just not evenly
distributed William Gibson
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Find em!
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Somewhere in your organization, groups of people
are already doing things differently and better.
To create lasting change, find these areas of
positive deviance and fan the flames.
Richard Pascale Jerry Sternin, Your
Companys Secret Change Agents, HBR
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Some people look for things that went wrong and
try to fix them. I look for things that went
right, and try to build off them. Bob Stone (Mr
ReGo)
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Parallel universe!
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Venture fund Gerstner/Amex, Dow/Marriott,
Grove/Intel, Bedbury/Starbucks
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SkunkWorks/ ParallelUniversethe 1
solutionSource Scott Bedbury
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HEART OF STRATEGY
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Under his former boss, Jack Welch, the skills GE
prized above all others were cost-cutting,
efficiency and deal-making. What mattered was the
continual improvement of operations, and that
mindset helped the 152 billion industrial and
finance behemoth become a marvel of earnings
consistency. Immelt hasnt turned his back on the
old ways. But in his GE, the new imperatives are
risk-taking, sophisticated marketing and, above
all, innovation. BW/2005
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Immelt on Innovation breakthroughs Pull out
and fund ideas in each business that will
generate gt100M in revenue find best people to
lead (80 throughout GE)Source Fast
Company/07.05
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Conscious measurement
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Innovation Index How many of your Top 5
Strategic Initiatives/Key Projects score 8 or
higher out of 10 on a Weird/Profound/
Wow/Game- changer Scale?
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ACTION culture
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We made mistakes, of course. Most of them were
omissions we didnt 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,
were already on prototype version No. 5. By the
time our rivals are ready with wires and screws,
we are on version No. 10. It gets back to
planning versus acting We act from day one
others plan how to planfor months. Bloomberg
by Bloomberg
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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
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tolerate encourage? failure
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FAIL, FAIL AGAIN. FAIL BETTER. Samuel Beckett
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Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre
successes.Phil Daniels, Sydney exec
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EXCELLENCE. 4/40.
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4/40
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De-cent-ral-iz-a-tion!
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Decentralization is not a piece of paper. Its
not me. Its either in your heart, or not.
Brian Joffe/BIDvest
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Ex-e-cu-tion!
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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
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You only find oil if you drill wells.
Source The Hunters, by John Masters, Canadian
O G wildcatter
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We have a strategic plan. Its called doing
things. Herb Kelleher
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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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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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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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Ac-count-a-bil-ity!
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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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GE has set a standard of candor. There is no
puffery. There isnt an ounce of denial in the
place. Kevin Sharer, CEO Amgen, on the GE
mystique (Fortune)
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615A.M.
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????????Work Hard gt Work Smart
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DECENTRALIZATION.EXECUTION.ACCOUTABILITY.61
5A.M.
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EXCELLENCE MANAGEMENT VERSUS (??) LEADERSHIP
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RIGHT THINGS.THINGS RIGHT.
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Not!Leadership is doing the right things.
Management is doing things right. WB et al.
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The Twain SHALL Meet!Leadership Invite
Associates/Colleagues/Talent to join a Gaspworthy
Adventure in EXCELLENCE which will provide
matchless Personal and Professional Growth and be
of Dramatically Different Service to selected
ClientsManagement Do it!
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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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EXCELLENCE. DRAMATIC.DIFFERENCE.DOABLE.
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This is not a mature category.
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This is an undistinguished category.
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798
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415/SqFt/WalMart798/SqFt/Whole Foods
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SummaryWallopWalMart16Or Why its so
absurdly easy to beat a GIANT Company
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The Small Guys Guide Wallop
WalMart16 Niche-aimed. (Never, ever all
things for all people, a mini-WalMart.) Never
attack the monsters head on! (Instead steal niche
business and lukewarm customers.) Dramatically
Different (La Difference ... within our
community, our industry regionally, etc is as
obvious as the end of ones nose!) (THIS IS WHERE
MOST MIDGETS COME UP SHORT.) Compete on
value/experience/intimacy, not price. (You aint
gonna beat the behemoths on cost-price in 9.99
out of 10 cases.) Emotional bond with Clients,
Vendors. (BEAT THE BIGGIES ON EMOTION/CONNECTION!!
)
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What Ive Learned about Small BusinessTom
Peters26June2006
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Passion for PRODUCT.OBSESSION With Product.LOVE
The Product.Aim To Be ONLY ONES WHO DO WHAT WE
DO.Keep ADDIN Stuff.Invest UNWISELY in
RD.Reside Permanently In The DISCOMFORT
Zone.Unhealthy PARANOIA Is A Good Thing.Add
Clients That PUSH-PULL.SELL. SELL. SELL.
SELL.Go For Broke CUSTOMER CONTACT
PEOPLE.PERFECTION Customer Contact People.Hire
for ATTITUDE.INVITE On An Adventure. GREAT
CFO/Biz Guy-Gal. NASTY CFO/Biz
Guy-Gal.QUADRANGULAR LEADERSHIP
Visionary-Talent Fanatic-Project Manager-I.P.M.
(I.P.M. Inspired Profit Mechanic)
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EXCELLENCE. VALUE ADDED.
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55B
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MasterCard Advisors
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Huge Customer Satisfaction versus Customer
Success
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EXCELLENCE. NO OPTION.
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Department Head to Managing Partner, IS
HR, RD, etc. Inc.
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Core MechanismGame-changing Solutions PSF
(Professional Service Firm model/The
Organizing Principle) Brand You(Distinct or
Extinct/The Talent) Wow! Projects
(Different vs Better/The Work)
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The PSF35 Thirty-Five Professional Service
Firm Marks of Excellence
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The PSF35 The Work The Legacy1.
CRYSTAL CLEAR POINT OF VIEW (E very
Practice Group If you cant explain your
position in eight words or less, you dont
have a positionSeth Godin)2. DRAMATIC
DIFFERENCE (We are the only ones who do what
we doJerry Garcia)3. Stretch Is Routine
(Never bite off less than you can
chewanon.)4. Eye-Appetite for Game-changer
Projects (Excellence at Assembling Best
TeamFast) 5. Playful Clients (Adventurous
folks who unfailingly Aim to Change the
World)6. Small Uneconomic Clients with Big
Aims 7. Life Is Too Short to Work with Jerks
(Fire lousy clients)8. OBSESSED WITH LEGACY
(Practice Group and Individual Dent the
UniverseSteve Jobs)9. Fire-on-the-spot Anyone
Who Says, Law/Architecture/Consulting/
I-banking/ Accounting/PR/Etc. has become a
commodity 10. Consistent with 9 above DO
NOT SHY AWAY FROM THE WORD (IDEA)
RADICAL
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Pointed Point of View!
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Are you the Principal Engine of Value
AddedE.g. Your RD budget as robust as the
New Products team?
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EXCELLENCE. ATTITUDE.TRANSFORMATION.
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Purchasing Officer Thrust 1 Cost (at All
Costs) Minimization Professional? Or/to Full
Partner-Leader in Lifetime Value-added
Maximization?(Lopez Arguably Villain 1 in
GM tragedy/Anon VSE-Spain)
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Up, Up, Up, Up the Value-added Ladder.
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The Value-added Ladder/Stuff n ThingsGoods
Raw Materials
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The Value-added Ladder/Stuff TransactionsServ
icesGoods Raw Materials
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The Value-added Ladder/Opportunity-seeking
Gamechanging SolutionsServicesGoods Raw
Materials
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EXCELLENCE. EXPERIENCE IT.
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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
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The Starbucks Fix Is on We have
identified a third place. And I really
believe that sets us apart. The third place is
that place thats not work or home. Its the
place our customers come for refuge.Nancy
Orsolini, District Manager
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Up, Up, Up, Up the Value-added Ladder.
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The Value-added Ladder/Memorable
ConnectionSpellbinding Experiences
Gamechanging SolutionsServicesGoods Raw
Materials
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CXOChief eXperience Officer
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EXCELLENCE. DREAM IT.
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Furniture vs. DreamsWe do not sell furniture
at Domain. We sell dreams. This is accomplished
by addressing the half-formed needs in our
customers heads. By uncovering these needs, we,
in essence, fill in the blanks. We convert
needs into dreams. Sales are the inevitable
result. Judy George, Domain Home Fashions
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Up, Up, Up, Up the Value-added Ladder.
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The Value-added Ladder/EmotionDreams Come
TrueSpellbinding Experiences Gamechanging
SolutionsServicesGoods Raw Materials
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CDMChief Dream Merchant
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EXCELLENCE. LOVE IT.
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Brands have run out of juice. Theyre dead.
Kevin Roberts/Saatchi Saatchi
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Kevin Roberts Lovemarks!
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Up, Up, Up, Up the Value-added Ladder.
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Lovemark Dreams Come True Spellbinding
ExperiencesGamechanging SolutionsServicesGoods
Raw Materials
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CL OChief Lovemark Officer
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EXCELLENCE. DESIGN.SOUL.
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All Equal Except At Sony we assume that all
products of our competitors have basically the
same technology, price, performance and features.
Design is the only thing that differentiates one
product from another in the marketplace. Norio
Ohga
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We dont have a good language to talk about
this kind of thing. In most peoples
vocabularies, design means veneer. But to me,
nothing could be further from the meaning of
design. Design is the fundamental soul of a
man-made creation. Steve Jobs
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EXCELLENCE. EVERYWHERE.
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New ZealandSpainPortugalIrelandSingapore
Taiwan PhilippinesUAEChile(Romania)
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Better By Design A National StrategyNZ
Design Excellence
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New ZealandSpainPortugalIrelandSingapore
Taiwan PhilippinesUAEChile(Romania)
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MADE IN TAIWAN From Cheap Manufacturing to
Chic Branding Headline/Advertising Age/06.05
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Taiwan, Your Partner in InnoValuePoster/Buchares
t/03.06
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New ZealandThailandSpainPortugalIrelandSingap
ore Taiwan PhilippinesUAEChile(Romania)
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New ZealandMalaysiaSpainPortugalIrelandSingap
ore Taiwan PhilippinesUAEChile(Romania)
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EXCELLENCE.PURPOSE. BEDROCK.
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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)
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G.H. Create a cause, not a business.
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EXCELLENCE.ENTHUSIASM.ENERGY. PASSION.
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Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
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Charles Handy on the Alchemists Passion was
what drove these people, passion for their
product or 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 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,
passion is not a word often heard in the
elephant organizations, nor in schools, where it
can seem disruptive.
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Q If it were your 50K lifes savings and my
50K, what sort of Waiters would we look
for?A Enthusiasts!
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The Cup Challenge Tom Peters/0214.2006
164
For a forthcoming event, I was asked to provide
some possible sayings on leadership, six words
or less, designed go on coffee mugs distributed
as gifts. The results, a hasty draft, follow
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Passion! Energy! Enthusiasm! Passion!
Energy! Enthusiasm! "Enthusiasm! Enthusiasm!
Enthusiasm!" "Enthusiasm Moves Mountains!"
"Nothing Matches Enthusiasm as a
'Motivator'!" Technicolor Times Demand
Technicolor Actions Technicolor Times Demand
Technicolor People Wow. Now. Re-imagine! Re-
imagine! Re-do! Re-vise! Re-vo-lu-tion!
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"Respect!" Leaders Do People.
Period. Credibility. Asset No. 1. Tell the
Truth. Truth Wins. Challenge. Challenge.
Challenge. Two Big Goals. Tops. Focus. Your
Calendar Never Lies Good Story. Good
Leader. Best Story Wins. Live the
Story. Change the World. Accept Nothing Less.
"Dream!" Dream. The Only Worthwhile
Reality. Beware Those Who Agree With You Seek
Dissidents. Nurture Dissidents. Cherish
Dissidents
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Do.
168
Do.
169
Do.
170
Do. Do.
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Do. Do. Do.
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Do. Do. Do.
173
Do.
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No Less Than Excellence. Ever.
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Enthusiasm, the Ultimate Virus!
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EXCELLENCE. DETERMINATION.
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DE-TERM-IN-A-TION
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BLOOD-Y-MIND-ED-NESS
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Bloodyminded Unreasonably stubborn Source The
Random House Dictionary of the English Language
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It is no use saying We are doing our best. You
have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.
WSC
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First-level Scientific SuccessThe smartest guy
in the room winsOr
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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
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Whenever anything is being accomplished, I have
learned, it is being done by a monomaniac with a
mission. Peter Drucker
184
"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.
185
You want checklists. I instead offer you a
guaranteed formula Passion. Enthusiasm.
Bloody-mindedness as contrasted with mere
determination. Relentlessness. A demonic need
to make it happen. TP
186
Nelson.Grant.Churchill.
187
Geronimo!
188
Life is not a journey to the grave with the
intention of arriving safely in a pretty and
well-preserved bodybut rather a skid in
broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out,
and loudly proclaiming, Wow, what a ride!
anon.
189
"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)
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EXCELLENCE.TALENT. BEDROCK.
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Brand Talent.
192
Organizing Genius / Warren Bennis and Patricia
Ward BiedermanGroups 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.
193
Leaderships Mt Everest/Mt Excellencefree to
do his or her absolute best allow its
members to discover their greatness.
194
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
195
We are a life Success Companyfounder,
RE/MAX
196
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
197
Leaders do people. Period. Anon.
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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
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PARCs Bob Taylor Connoisseur of Talent
200
Hire very good people!
201
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
202
DD21M
203
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.
204
Whats your companys EVP/IBP?Employee
Value Proposition, per Ed Michaels et al., The
War for Talent IBP/Internal Brand Promise per TP
205
EVP/IBP Remarkable challenge, rapid
professional growth, respect, satisfaction, fun,
stunning opportunity, exceptional reward, amazing
peer group, full membership in Club Adventure,
maximized future employabilitySource Ed
Michaels, The War for Talent TP
206
A Few Lessons from the ArtsEach hired and
developed and evaluated in unique ways (23
contributors 23 unique contributions 23
pathways 23 personalities 23 sets of
motivators)Attitude/Enthusiasm/Energy
paramountRe-lent-less!Practice is cool (G
Leonard/Mastery)Team and individual Aspire to
EXCELLENCE ObviousEx-e-cu-tionTalent Brand
DuhThe Project rulesEmotional languageBit
players. No.B.I.W. (everything)Delta events
Delta rosters (incl leader/s)
207
Re-imaginePeople Power The Talent50
208
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.
209
50. Talent Brand.
210
EXCELLENCE. WOMEN.LEADERS.
211
Women Dominate Economic Growth.
212
Forget China, India and the Internet Economic
Growth Is Driven by Women. Headline,
Economist, April 15, 2006, Leader, page 14
213
Goldman Sachs in Tokyo has developed an index of
115 companies poised to benefit from womens
increased purchasing power over the past decade
the value of shares in Goldmans basket has risen
by 96, against the Tokyo stockmarkets rise of
13. Economist, April 15
214
Women are the majority market Fara
Warner/The Power of the Purse
215
Impact! Add It Up!Primary
markets/Everything (Men buy things that other
men will buy for women. I buy things that women
want.successful jeweler/F. Women are the
majority market Fara Warner/The Power of the
Purse. Women as Purchasing Officers, CIOs,
etc.)Greater global workforce participation rate
(bigger contributor to GDP growth than
technology, China, IndiaEconomist)Higher wages
(more seniority, promotionseven if not to CEO
greater pay equityeven if not equal)Business
decision makers (more seniority,
promotionseven if not to CEO)Women-owned
businesses (answer to the Glass Ceiling10.6M in
USA recipients of micro-lendingdeveloping
world)
216
AS LEADERS, WOMEN RULE New Studies find that
female managers outshine their male counterparts
in almost every measureTitle, Special
Report/BusinessWeek
217
Womens Negotiating
StrengthsAbility to put themselves in their
counterparties shoesComprehensive, attentive
and detailed communication styleEmpathy that
facilitates trust-buildingCurious and attentive
listeningLess competitive attitudeStrong
sense of fairness and ability to
persuadeProactive risk managerCollaborative
decision-makingSource Horacio Falcao, Cover
story/May 2006, World Business, Say It Like a
Woman Why the 21st-century negotiator will need
the female touch
218
EXCELLENCE. INDIVIDUAL.BRAND YOU.
219
Core MechanismGame-changing Solutions PSF
(Professional Service Firm model/The
Organizing Principle) Brand You(Distinct or
Extinct/The Talent) Wow! Projects
(Different vs Better/The Work)
220
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
221
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
222
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!)
223
Distinct or Extinct
224
motivational stuff
225
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Eleanor Roosevelt
226
ARE YOU BEING REASONABLE? Most people are
reasonable thats why they only do reasonably
well. Source Paul Arden, Whatever You Think
Think the Opposite
227
The one thing you need to know about sustained
individual success Discover what you dont like
doing and stop doing it. Marcus Buckingham,
The One Thing You Need to Know
228
EXCELLENCE.SELF-KNOWLEDGE. BEDROCK.
229
X.Step 1Buy a Mirror!
230
The First step in a dramatic organizational
change program is obviousdramatic personal
change! RG
231
You must be the change you wish to see in the
world.Gandhi
232
You Your calendarCalendars NEVER lie!!
233
25
234
Getting to WOW Through Mastery of The
Sales25.
235
Getting Things Done The Power
Implementation34.
236
Presentation Excellence The PresX56
237
The Interviewing Excellence The IntX31
238
EXCELLENCE. REVENUE.MATTERS.MOST.
239
Analysts preferred cost cutting, as long as
they could see two or three years of EPS growth.
I preached revenue and the analysts eyes would
glaze over. Now revenue is in because so many
got caught, and earnings went to hell. They said,
Oh my gosh, you need revenues to grow earnings
over time. Well, Duh! Dick Kovacevich, Wells
Fargo
240
. Everyone lives by selling something.
Robert Louis Stevenson
241
SellSellSell
242
TP.27 on Selling(Short) (Personal)
243
Out-prepare!! (huge time commitment!)Learn the
culturePractice!Care-EmpathyListen-Empathetic
listening (SC)Listen-Body languageK.I.S.S.
(1-page summary. 1 1.)Enthusiasm-ENERGY-Authen
ticity!!OBVIOUS belief in productSelling
Solution-Success-Experience-Dream come
true-Love-Dramatic DifferenceSelling Better
STORY! (Best story wins)Selling Yourself!
(Brand you)Obvious Wow!No exaggeration!Spell
out commitments!SIMPLE timelineSell
inside-First! Thorough!Relationships-Way
down!!Time!!!! (Eg, build trust)Ooze
integrityIntroduce to rest of team, esp.
mechanicsSBWA (5K for 5M)Remember
Close!Gotta-make-a-profit (be ready to walk
away!)Good lossDont dis competitors!!Make
her-him-target SUCCESSFUL (in a personal way)
244
GE (more or less)The Sales122 122
Ridiculously Obvious Thoughts About Selling
StuffTom Peters/0402.2006
245
EXCELLENCE. LEADING.
246
Leadership23
247

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.)
248
Kevin Roberts Credo1.
Ready. Fire! Aim.2. If it aint 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!
249
Sir Richards RulesFollow your passions.Keep
it simple.Get the best people to help
you.Re-create yourself.Play.Source Fortune
on Branson
250
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
251
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
252
EXCELLENCE. STRETCH.
253
The greatest dangerfor most of usis not that
our aim istoo highand we miss it,but that it
istoo lowand we reach it.Michelangelo
254
EXCELLENCE. KABOOM.
255
Beware of the tyranny of making Small Changes
to Small Things. Rather, make Big Changes to Big
Things. Roger Enrico, former Chairman,
PepsiCo
256
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
257
Kevin Roberts Credo1.
Ready. Fire! Aim.2. If it aint 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!
258
EXCELLENCE. THRILLS.
259
Radically Thrilling Language! Radically
Thrilling. BMW Z4 (ad)
260
CTOChief Thrills Officer
261
EXCELLENCE. WOW. NOW.
262
CWOChief WOW Officer
263
!
264
C!OChief ! Officer
265
Its always showtime. David DAlessandro,
Career Warfare
266
EXCELLENCE. HTSH.
267
HTSH Engage!Commit! Engage! Try! Fail! Get
up! Try again! Fail again! Try again! But never,
ever stop moving on! Progress for humanity is
engendered by those who join and savor the fray
by giving one hundred percent of themselves to
their dreams! Not by those timid souls who remain
glued to the sidelines, stifled by tradition, and
fearful of losing face or giving offense to the
reigning authorities.Key words Commit! Engage!
Try! Fail! Persist!HTST/Hands That Shape
Humanity, Tom Peters contribution to a Bishop
Tutu exhibit
268
EXCELLE ALWAYS.
269
Bonus
270
The Irreducible209/Sales122/60TIBs
271
The Irreducible209
272
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
273
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.)
274
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.
275
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.
276
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.)
277
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.)
278
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.)
279
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?)
280
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.)
281
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.
282
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.)
283
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.
284
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.)
285
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.)
286
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.
287
188. Handshake. (Quantity. Quality.)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.
288
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.
289
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.
290
208. NO LESS THAN EXCELLENCE.
EVER.209. EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS.
291
Work In ProgressXXX. One size fits. One. Only.
(Evaluations. Period.)XXX. Teaching.
Individualized. Only. (6 billion people
6 billion learning trajectories.)
(Montessori.)XXX. First impression. Matters.
Shapes all that comes. Hard to overcome.
(Understatement.)XXX. Jerks. Dont work with.
(Life Too short.)XXX. Manage the hell out of
first impressions.XXX. Last impression. Matters.
Dominates memory. Hard to overcome.
(Understatement.)XXX. Manage the hell out of
last impressions.XXX. Plain English.XXX.
K.I.S.S. (450/8.)XXX. 798. 55,000,000,000.
3,000,000,000. 7AM-7PM. 615AM.XXX.
Donnelly Weatherstrip rules.XXX. Managers do
things right. Leaders do the right
thing. NOT.
292
GE (more or less)The Sales122 122
Ridiculously Obvious Thoughts About Selling
StuffTom Peters/0402.2006
293
This list was first prepared for GE Energy sales
marketing people in January 2006. It started
with a half-dozen items, and grew like Topsy.
Possibly, given its origins, its a little tilted
toward complex, engineering-based sales. In any
event, it makes a perfect companion to The
Irreducibles209. This, too, is effectively a
list of irreducibles.Tom Peters
294
1. Strategy overrated, simply doin stuff
underrated. See Kelleher and Bossidy We have a
strategic plan, its called doing things.Herb
Kelleher. 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. Action has its
own logicask Genghis Khan, Rommel, COL John
Boyd, U.S. Grant, Patton, W.T. Sherman. 2. What
are you personally great at? (Key word great.)
Play to strengths! Distinct or Extinct. You
should aim to be outrageously good/B.I.W. at a
niche area (or more). 3. Are you a personality,
a de facto brand in the industry? The Dr Phil
of ... 4. Opportunism (with a little forethought)
mostly wins. (Successful people are the ones who
are good at Plan B.) 5. Little starts can lead
to big wins. Most true winnersthink search
Googlestart as something small. Many big
dealsDisney Pixarcould have been done as
little-er deals if youd had the guts to jump
before the value became obvious.
295
6. Non-obvious targets have great potential.
Among many other things, everybody goes after the
obvious ones. Also, the non-obvious are often
good Partners for technology experiments. 7. The
best relationships are often (usually?) not top
to top! (Often the best hungry division GMs
eager to make a mark.) 8. ITS RELATIONSHIPS,
STUPIDDEEP AND FROM MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS. 9. In
any public-sector business, you must become an
avid student of the politics, the incentives
and constraints, mostly non-economic, facing all
of the players. Politicians are usually
incredibly logicalif you (deeply!) understand
the matrix in which they exist. 10. Relationships
from within our firm are as importantoften more
importantas those from outsideagain broad is as
important as deep. Alliesavid supporters!within
and from non-obvious places may be more important
than relationships at the Client organization.
Goal an insanely unfair market share of
insiders time devoted to your projects!
296
Everyone lives by selling something. Robert
Louis Stevenson
297
11. Interesting outsiders are essential to
innovative proposal and sales teams. An
exciting sales-proposal team is as important as
a prestigious one. 12. Is the proposal-sales team
weird enoughweirdos come up with the most
interesting, game-changer ideas. Period. 13.
Lunch with at least one weirdo per month. (Goal
always on the prowl for interesting ne