In Search of Excellence/ Excellence Attribute #1: A Bias For Action

In Search of Excellence/ Excellence Attribute #1: A Bias For Action! Tom Peters/17 February 2012

The research on what became In Search of Excellence began in 1977
The research on what became In Search of Excellence began in The first publication of our fledgling effort appeared in BusinessWeek in July It included a list of eight “attributes of excellence” teased from our mountain of data. The first of the eight was, “Do it. Fix it. Try it.” To our surprise as much as anyone else’s, the eight attributes stayed intact through a gajillion drafts and presentations and then the book’s publication in 1982, though a word or two did change. Now #1 was “A Bias for Action.” This is the 30th anniversary of the book’s appearance, and while much has changed, if I were to update it, “A Bias for Action” would retain its #1 spot. If possible, in fact, it’s even more important in these destabilized times. One recent research effort, aimed at advising bosses on adapting to the whacky [now and forever more] times, suggested that the #1 key to success was “experiment fearlessly.” Sounds suspiciously like “a bias for action” to me! Along the way, no surprise, I’ve collected a ton of “stuff” on this dear-to-my-head-and-heart topic—in my MOAP/Mother Of All Presentations the bias for action animates a prominent section, which is one of the longest. But I thought that in the process I’d pass this version, un-annotated, along in the “for what it’s worth” category. A Bias for Action. FIRST in FIRST in And no change predicted—for institutions OR individuals!

Overture

“We have a ‘strategic plan. ’ It’s called doing things
“We have a ‘strategic plan.’ It’s called doing things.” — Herb Kelleher

“Execution is strategy.” —Fred Malek
5

“Can do!”* *U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalions/ Seabee motto

READY. FIRE! AIM. —Ross Perot (vs. “Aim! Aim! Aim!”)

BLAME NO ONE. EXPECT NOTHING. DO SOMETHING.
Source: Locker room sign posted by NFL football coach Bill Parcells 8

"Thinking is the enemy of creativity
"Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It's self-conscious and anything self-conscious is lousy. You simply must … Do things.” —Ray Bradbury

John Boyd: “To Be somebody or to Do something” BOYD: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War (Robert Coram)

Fall seven times, stand up eight
—Japanese proverb

“You miss 100% of the shots you never take.” —Wayne Gretzky
12

The Action Faction Bossidy+ Perot+ Peters & Waterman Peters+ Hayek+ Boyd Kelley+ Grant+ Nelson+

Bossidy+

Former GE Vice Chairman-former Allied CEO Larry Bossidy, a tough-as-they-come operating executive, wrote, with business guru Ram Charan, Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done. Absurd as it may sound, this may well be the first primetime book on execution per se. And a remarkable book it is. And execution is, of course, first and foremost a “bias for action” game!

“Execution is the job of the business leader
“Execution is the job of the business leader.” —Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

“I saw that leaders placed too much emphasis on what some call high-level strategy, on intellectualizing and philosophizing, and not enough on implementation. People would agree on a project or initiative, and then nothing would come of it.” —Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

“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. I’m not knocking education or looking for dumb people. But if you have to choose between someone with a staggering IQ and an elite education who’s gliding along, and someone with a lower IQ but who is absolutely determined to succeed, you’ll always do better with the second person.” —Larry Bossidy (Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done)

“The head of one of the large management consulting firms asks [members of a client organization, ‘And what do you do that justifies your being on the payroll?’ The great majority answer, ‘I run the accounting department,’ or ‘I am in charge of the sales force’ … Only a few say, ‘It’s my job to give our managers the information they need to make the right decisions,’ or ‘I am responsible for finding out what products the customer will want tomorrow.’ The man who focuses on efforts and stresses his downward authority is a subordinate no matter how exalted his rank or title. But the man who focuses on contributions and who takes responsibility for results, no matter how junior, is in the most literal sense of the phrase, ‘top management.’ He holds himself responsible for the performance of the whole.” —Peter Drucker

“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, Execution

WOW!! Observed closely: The use of “I” or “we” during a
job interview. Source: Leonard Berry & Kent Seltman, chapter 6, “Hiring for Values,” Management Lessons From Mayo Clinic

“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

The Leader’s Seven Essential Behaviors
The Leader’s Seven Essential Behaviors *Know your people and your business *Insist on realism *Set clear goals and priorities *Follow through *Reward the doers *Expand people’s capabilities *Know yourself Source: Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

“Realism is the heart of execution
“Realism is the heart of execution.” —Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

(1) Sum of Projects = Goal (“Vision”) (2) Sum of Milestones = Project (3) Rapid Review Truth-telling = Accountability

“robust dialogue” —Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

Beware the “Can’t Do” Merchants
Beware the “Can’t Do” Merchants! “Andrew Higgins, who built landing craft in WWII, refused to hire graduates of engineering schools. He believed that they only teach you what you can’t do in engineering school. He started off with 20 employees, and by the middle of the war had 30,000 working for him. He turned out 20,000 landing craft. D.D. Eisenhower told me, ‘Andrew Higgins won the war for us. He did it without engineers.’ ” —Stephen Ambrose/Fast Company

"Thinking is the enemy of creativity
"Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It's self-conscious and anything self-conscious is lousy. You simply must … Do things.” —Ray Bradbury

“Intelligent people can always come up with intelligent reasons … to do nothing.” —Scott Simon

"Never be afraid to try; remember
"Never be afraid to try; remember ... amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic." —Author Unknown

Ye gads: “Thomas Stanley has not only found no correlation between success in school and an ability to accumulate wealth, he’s actually found a negative correlation. ‘It seems that school-related evaluations are poor predictors of economic success,’ Stanley concluded. ‘What did predict success was a willingness to take risks. Yet the success-failure standards of most schools penalized risk takers. Most educational systems reward those who play it safe. As a result, those who do well in school find it hard to take risks later on.’” —Richard Farson & Ralph Keyes, Whoever Makes the Most Mistakes Wins

“Tom, we normally start at … 6:15A. M. ”
“Tom, we normally start at … 6:15A.M.”* *GE [of course—which is my point here] sector boss informs me that he’s giving me a break —my speech will start at a slovenly 6:30AM

“Can do!”* *U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalions/ Seabee motto

Dick/DAY (Build. Period
Dick/DAY (Build! Period!) Dan/NIGHT (Flawless report on what not built)* *My two Seabee commanding officers (Vietnam/ ): Richard Anderson, Daniel ________

“Execution is strategy.” —Fred Malek
35

“Costco has figured out the big, simple things and executed with total fanaticism.” —Charles Munger, Berkshire Hathaway 36

“In real life, strategy is actually very straightforward
“In real life, strategy is actually very straightforward. Pick a general direction … and implement like hell.” —Jack Welch 37

Perot+

READY. FIRE! AIM. —Ross Perot (vs. “Aim! Aim! Aim!”)

The larger than life H. Ross Perot sold EDS to GM in the 1980s, and went on the car giant’s Board. A few years later he was asked by a Fortune writer to explain the difference between the two companies. He said that at EDS the strategy was marked by unrelenting urgency. He called it … “Ready. Fire. Aim.” I.e., stop talking and get on with it—now! By comparison, he said, at GM the “strategy” was one of constant delay, or “Ready. Aim. Aim. Aim. Aim . …” (Alas, well into the 1st decade of the new century GM’s problems/ unwieldy bureaucracy remained pretty much unchanged.)

: R.A.F./Ready. Aim. Fire. : R.F.A./Ready. Fire! Aim. ??: F.F.F./Fire! Fire! Fire!

—for months.” —Bloomberg by Bloomberg
“We made mistakes, of course. Most of them were omissions we didn’t think of when we initially wrote the software. We fixed them by doing it over and over, again and again. We do the same today. While our competitors are still sucking their thumbs trying to make the design perfect, we’re already on prototype version No. 5. By the time our rivals are ready with wires and screws, we are on version No It gets back to planning versus acting: We act from day one; others plan how to plan —for months.” —Bloomberg by Bloomberg

“Burt Rutan wasn’t a fighter jock; he was an engineer who had been asked to figure out why the F-4 Phantom was flying pilots into the ground in Vietnam. While his fellow engineers attacked such tasks with calculators, Rutan insisted on considering the problem in the air. A near-fatal flight not only led to a critical F-4 modification, it also confirmed for Rutan a notion he had held ever since he had built model airplanes as a child. The way to make a better aircraft wasn’t to sit around perfecting a design, it was to get something up in the air and see what happens, then try to fix whatever goes wrong.” —Eric Abrahamson & David Freedman, Chapter 8, “Messy Leadership,” from A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder

“What are Rutan’s management rules. He insists he doesn’t have any
“What are Rutan’s management rules? He insists he doesn’t have any. ‘I don’t like rules,’ he says. ‘Things are so easy to change if you don’t write them down.’ Rutan feels good management works in much the same way good aircraft design does: Instead of trying to figure out the best way to do something and sticking to it, just try out an approach and keep fixing it.” —Eric Abrahamson & David Freedman, Chapter 8, “Messy Leadership,” from A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder

“Downplaying up-front design, not matching employees’ tasks to their experience and training, eschewing specialization, creating a culture that glorifies questions and mistakes, not acting like a CEO—how has all this worked out for Rutan? Scaled Composites has managed 88 consecutive profitable quarters in an industry that is perennially profit challenged. The firm’s regular clients include NASA and most of the big aerospace companies—and it is known as the go-to concern when a need arises for an aircraft that flies higher or faster or farther or more nimbly or less expensively than any other has. Scaled Composites has rolled out 26 new types of aircraft in 30 years, at a time when giant aerospace companies struggle to get a single new aircraft out in a decade.” —Eric Abrahamson & David Freedman, Chapter 8, “Messy Leadership,” A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder

“One Rutan principle is not to worry so much about the formal background of the engineers he hires or to look for the sorts of specialties normally sought after by aerospace companies. Instead, he looks for people who share his passion for aircraft design and who can work on anything from a fuselage to a door handle or are willing to learn how. He then gives those people free rein.” —Eric Abrahamson & David Freedman, Chapter 8, “Messy Leadership,” A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder

“A Rutan principle is that it’s useful to have everyone questioning everything the company does all the time, and especially have people questioning their own work. Rutan makes sure that when employees point out their mistakes, they’re applauded rather than reprimanded.” —Eric Abrahamson & David Freedman, Chapter 8, “Messy Leadership,” A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder

Culture of Prototyping “Effective prototyping may be the most valuable core competence an innovative organization can hope to have.” —Michael Schrage 48

Think about It. Innovation = Reaction to the Prototype. E. g
Think about It! Innovation = Reaction to the Prototype* *E.g., No prototype, nothing to think about. Source: Michael Schrage 49

of the opportunity. (NYTimes/0426.11)
“Demo or die!” Source: This was the approach championed by Nicholas Negroponte which vaulted his MIT Media Lab to the forefront of IT-multimedia innovation. It was his successful alternative to the traditional MIT-academic “publish or perish.” Negroponte’s rapid-prototyping version was emblematic of the times and the pace and the enormity of the opportunity. (NYTimes/ )

“This is so simple it sounds stupid, but it is amazing how few oil people really understand that you only find oil if you drill wells. You may think you’re finding it when you’re drawing maps and studying logs, but you have to drill.” Source: The Hunters, by John Masters, Canadian O & G wildcatter

“While many people think big oil is responsible for virtually all new discoveries, 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”

Source: The Hunters, by John Masters, Canadian O & G wildcatter
… only find oil if you drill ... Source: The Hunters, by John Masters, Canadian O & G wildcatter

A man approached JP Morgan, held up an envelope, and said, “Sir, in my hand I hold a guaranteed formula for success, which I will gladly sell you for $25,000.” “Sir,” JP Morgan replied, “I do not know what is in the envelope, however if you show me, and I like it, I give you my word as a gentleman that I will pay you what you ask.” The man agreed to the terms, and handed over the envelope. JP Morgan opened it, and extracted a single sheet of paper. He gave it one look, a mere glance, then handed the piece of paper back to the gent. And paid him the agreed-upon $25,000 …

The miracle “formula” … 1
The miracle “formula” … Every morning, write a list of the things that need to be done that day Do them Source: Hugh MacLeod/tompeters.com/NPR

“Never forget implementation boys
“Never forget implementation boys. In our work it’s what I call the ‘missing 98 percent’ of the client puzzle.” —Al McDonald, Managing Director, McKinsey & Company

“A good plan executed right now beats a great plan executed next week
“A good plan executed right now beats a great plan executed next week.” —Patton

“We are in a brawl with no rules.” —Paul Allaire

[Only] answer to “We are in a brawl with no rules”: S.A.V.

Screw Around Vigorously!* *TP

Axiom: “We are in a brawl with no rules
Axiom: “We are in a brawl with no rules.” (Allaire) Implication: “The world will not be kind to those who ‘play by the rules’.” (Peters) Strategy: R.F.A./S.A.V. (Perot/Peters)

“Ever notice that ‘What the hell’ is always the right decision?”
Source: a shrewd observation, attributed to an unknown Hollywood scriptwriter NB: I admit it. I found the quote, not at a Harvard B. School exec program, but in a nearby Cambridge novelty shop. There’s a message here—not least of which is to consider the value of the $4.00 card vs. a $4,000-a-day program at the HBS? The card, however, cost a lot more than $4; I ordered a couple of hundred, and give them away like candies at seminars.

“We have a ‘strategic plan. ’ It’s called doing things
“We have a ‘strategic plan.’ It’s called doing things.” — Herb Kelleher

Peters & Waterman

“Do it. Fix it. Try it. ” Tom Peters/Business Week/07
“Do it. Fix it. Try it.” Tom Peters/Business Week/ (Principal #1/first publication of “Attributes of Excellence”)

In Search of Excellence/1982/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”

Peters+

1/46 69

For me it started in the U. S. Navy in 1966
For me it started in the U.S. Navy in I was a junior officer in U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion NINE, a part of the fabled U.S. Navy Seabees. The Seabees motto has been, since birth in 1942, “Can do.” In my first deployment to Vietnam, the “Can do” spirit was drummed into my head. It “took.” Life is hopelessly complex, and to say anything “for sure” is a stretch. I’ve, in fact, got but one exception to that rule—one “for sure” that was hatched in 1966 and which animates my life and my work in 2012 … 46 years later!

Lesson46*: WTTMSW* *Only thing I’ve learned “for sure,” 1966-2012
71

Whoever Tries The Most Stuff Wins

Better yet: WTTMSTFW 73

Whoever Tries The Most Stuff Fastest Wins

Better yet: WTTMS(ASTMSU)TFW
75

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

Whoever Tries The Most Stuff And Screws Up Fastest Wins!

“Experiment fearlessly” Source: BusinessWeek, “Type A Organization Strategies: How to Hit a Moving Target”—Tactic #1 “… relentless trial and error” Source: Wall Street Journal, cornerstone of effective approach to “rebalancing” company portfolios in the face of changing and uncertain global economic conditions ( ) 78

“The difference between Bach and his forgotten peers isn’t necessarily that he had a better ratio of hits to misses. The difference is that the mediocre might have a dozen ideas, while Bach, in his lifetime, created more than a thousand full-fledged musical compositions. A genius is a genius, psychologist Paul Simonton maintains, because he can put together such a staggering number of insights, ideas, theories, random observations, and unexpected connections that he almost inevitably ends up with something great. ‘Quality,’ Simonton writes, ‘is a probabilistic function of quantity.’” —Malcolm Gladwell, “Creation Myth,” New Yorker,

“Quality is a probabilistic function of quantity.”

Water Displacement 40 Tries
Water Displacement 40 Tries* *The magic potion includes “40” in its name—it took the inventor 40 tries to get it right!

Hayek+

F.A. Hayek, Nobel prize winner in economics, said, in effect, that economic growth is a function of getting a lot of stuff going and “winning” (growing) courtesy the “law of large numbers.” Much of the secret is the absence of a plan—let lotsa stuff happen, and some unimaginable great stuff will be part of the picture.

Economic Progress/Growth: “Spontaneous Discovery Process” —F.A. Hayek

[Rapid] Trial and Error = Heart of the scientific method
Engine of natural selection Basis for economic growth Key to business success 86

What makes God laugh?

People making plans!

The Mess Is The Message! Period!

“By indirections find directions out.” —Hamlet, II. i

“Containerization … is a remarkable achievement
“Containerization … is a remarkable achievement. No one foresaw how the box would transform everything it touched—from ships and ports to patterns of global trade. Containerization is a monument to the most powerful law in economics, that of unanticipated consequences. … This history ought to be humbling to fans of modern management methods. Careful planning and thorough analysis, those business school basics, may have their place, but they provide little guidance in the face of disruptive changes that alter an industry’s very fundamentals.” —Marc Levinson, author of The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger (2006 was the 50th anniversary of containerization)

“No one rises so high as he who knows not where he is going
“No one rises so high as he who knows not where he is going.” —Cromwell

“My only goal is to have no goals
“My only goal is to have no goals. The goal, every time, is that film, that very moment.” —Bernardo Bertolucci

on his Academy Award winning “Gosford Park”
“We normally shoot a few takes, even if the first one is terrific … because what I’m really hoping for is a ‘mistake.’ I think that most of the really great moments in my films were not planned. They were things that naturally occurred and we said, ‘Wow, look at that—that’s something we want to keep.’ That’s when you hit the truth button with the audience.” —Robert Altman, on his Academy Award winning “Gosford Park”

Surprise, Transformation & Excellence Through Spontaneous Discovery

The Limits of “Systems Thinking”:
Surprise, Transformation & Excellence Through Spontaneous Discovery (1 of 2) This summer [2009] was the summer of brush clearing. And, it turned out, much more. It started as simple exercise. After a day or two, scratches from head to toe, and enjoyment, I set myself a goal of clearing a little space to get a better view of one of the farm ponds. That revealed something else … to my surprise. At a casual dinner, I sat next to a landscaper, and we got to talking about our farm and my skills with clipper, saw, etc. In particular, she suggested that I do some clearing around a few of our big boulders. Intrigued, I set about clearing, on our main trail, around a couple of said boulders. I was again amazed at the result. That in turn led to attacking some dense brush and brambles around some barely visible rocks that had always intrigued me—which led to “finding,” in effect, a great place for a more or less “Zen garden,” as we’ve taken to calling it. Which led to … more and more. And more. (Especially a rock wall, a hundred or so yards long, that is a massive wonder—next year I’ll move up the hill behind it—I can already begin to imagine what I’ll discover, though my hunch will be mostly “wrong,” and end up leading me somewhere else.)

The Limits of “Systems Thinking”:
Surprise, Transformation & Excellence Through Spontaneous Discovery (2 of 2) To make a long story short: I now have a new hobby, and maybe, ye gads, my life’s work for years to come. This winter I’ll do a little, but I also plan to read up on outdoor spaces, Zen gardens, etc; visit some rock gardens—spaces close by or amidst my travels; and, indeed, concoct a more or less plan (rough sketches) for next spring’s activities—though I’m sure that what I do will move forward mostly by what I discover as I move forward. (what discovers itself may actually be a better way to put it—there’s a “hidden hand” here.) As I’m beginning to see it, this is at least a 10-year project—maybe even a multi-generation project. I proceeded by trial and error and instinct, and each experiment led to/suggested another experiment (or 2 or 10) and to a greater understanding of potential—the “plan,” though there was none, made itself. And it was far, far better (more ambitious, more interesting, more satisfying) than I would have imagined. In fact, the result to date bears little or no relationship to what I was thinking about at the start—a trivial self-designed chore may become the engine of my next decade; the “brushcutting project” is now leading Susan and I to view our entire property, and what it might represent, in a new light. I was able to do much more than I’d dreamed—overall, and project by project. “Systems thinking”? It would have killed the whole thing. Is “everything connected to every thing else”? Well, sure. But I had no idea how everything was connected to everything else until I began (thank you, Michael Schrage) “serious play.”

is now leading Susan and I to view our
I proceeded by trial and error and instinct, and each experiment led to/suggested another experiment (or 2 or 10) and to a greater understanding of potential—the “plan,” though there was none, made itself. And it was far, far better (more ambitious, more interesting, more satisfying) than I would have imagined. In fact, the result to date bears little or no relationship to what I was thinking about at the start—a trivial self-designed chore may become the engine of my next decade; the “brushcutting project” is now leading Susan and I to view our entire property, and what it might become-represent, in a new light.

He who has the quickest “O. O. D. A. Loops”. wins. Observe. Orient
He who has the quickest “O.O.D.A. Loops”* wins! *Observe. Orient. Decide. Act. /Col. John Boyd

John Boyd was called by some the most important military strategist since Sun Tzu. The core idea he presents is keep moving, keep zigging and zagging—the opponent is kept off balance and in a constantly reactive mode. I do not equate business competition with warfare; e.g., there’s plenty of room for me and my competitors and overall industry growth is good for all of us. On the other hand, the Boyd concept is sound—and in a gyrating world can usefully apply to many if not most settings.

OODA Loop/Boyd Cycle “Unraveling the competition”/ Quick Transients/ Quick Tempo (NOT JUST SPEED!)/ Agility/ “So quick it is disconcerting” (adversary over-reacts or under-reacts)/ “Winners used tactics that caused the enemy to unravel before the fight” (NEVER HEAD TO HEAD) BOYD: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War (Robert Coram)

“Fast Transients” “Buttonhook turn” (YF16: “could flick from one maneuver to another faster than any aircraft”) BOYD: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War (Robert Coram)

“Blitzkrieg is far more than lightning thrusts that most people think of when they hear the term; rather it was all about high operational tempo and the rapid exploitation of opportunity.” —Robert Coram, Boyd “Re-arrange the mind of the enemy” —T.E. Lawrence “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” —Ali BOYD: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War (Robert Coram)

F86 vs. MiG/Korea/10:1 Bubble canopy (360 degree view) Full hydraulic controls (“The F86 driver could go from one maneuver to another faster than the MiG driver”) MiG: “faster in raw acceleration and turning ability”; F86: “quicker in changing maneuvers” BOYD: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War (Robert Coram)

“The stuff has got to be implicit
“The stuff has got to be implicit. If it is explicit, you can’t do it fast enough.” BOYD: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War (Robert Coram)

Kelley+

“Fail faster. Succeed Sooner.” David Kelley/IDEO

Making mistakes is often considered anathema—especially when one is in school. How absurd! How sick! We advance … ONLY … THROUGH “ERROR & TRIAL.”

“Fail. Forward. Fast.” High Tech CEO, Pennsylvania
110

“No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” —Samuel Beckett
111

“The secret of fast progress is inefficiency, fast and furious and numerous failures.” —Kevin Kelly
112

“Natural selection is death
“Natural selection is death. ... Without huge amounts of death, organisms do not change over time. ... Death is the mother of structure. ... It took four billion years of death ... to invent the human mind ...” — The Cobra Event

“The Silicon Valley of today is built less atop the spires of earlier triumphs than upon the rubble of earlier debacles.” —Paul Saffo, tech futurist, Palo Alto

“He was not afraid to fail”
“He was not afraid to fail”* *David Glass, former CEO, Walmart, to TP, on … Sam Walton’s principal success secret

“Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre successes
“Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre successes.” —Phil Daniels, Sydney exec 116

“If people tell me they skied all day and never fell down, I tell them to try a different mountain.” —Michael Bloomberg (BW/ )

“In business, you reward people for taking risks
“In business, you reward people for taking risks. When it doesn’t work out you promote them—because they were willing to try new things. If people tell me they skied all day and never fell down, I tell them to try a different mountain.” —Michael Bloomberg (BW/ ) 118

(from Timeless Wisdom, compiled by Gary Fenchuk)
“No man ever became great ... except through many and great mistakes.” —William Gladstone (from Timeless Wisdom, compiled by Gary Fenchuk)

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

… and that is why I succeed

Read It! Richard Farson & Ralph Keyes: Whoever Makes the Most Mistakes Wins: The Paradox of Innovation

"A man's errors are his portals of discovery." —James Joyce

"Barn's burnt down … now I can see the moon." —Masahide, Japanese poet

“It is not enough to ‘tolerate’ failure—you must ‘celebrate’ failure
“It is not enough to ‘tolerate’ failure—you must ‘celebrate’ failure.” —Richard Farson (Whoever Makes the Most Mistakes Wins) 125

Grant+

“The only way to whip an army is to go out and fight it
“The only way to whip an army is to go out and fight it.” —Grant Source: John Mosier, Grant

U.S. Grant (Ulysses Simpson or “Unconditional Surrender” Grant) is arguably America’s most effective general. While others dithered, Grant succeeded by, regardless of circumstances, such as an undermanned force, gettin’ on with gettin128128’ on. He was on the move—and come hell and high water he would never move in any direction other than forward. The latter sounds like a vacuous nostrum—but to Grant it was the essence of his character and thence success.)

Grant from the “seminal” biography by: Jean Edward Smith

“A generation of American officers had been schooled to believe the art of generalship required rigid adherence to certain textbook theorems.”/151 “The nature of Grant’s greatness has been a riddle to many observers. … did not hedge his bets … disregarded explicit instructions … nothing to fall back on … violating every maxim held dear by the military profession … new dimension: ability to learn from the battlefield … finished near the bottom of his [West Point] class in tactics … carried the fight to the enemy … maintain the momentum of the attack … military greatness is the ability to recognize and respond to opportunities presented.”/ “Grant had an aversion to digging in.”/153 “Grant had an intangible advantage. He knew what he wanted.”/153 “Grant’s seven-mile dash changed the course of the war.”/157 “The one who attacks first will be victorious.”/158 “dogged”/159 “unconditional surrender”/162 “simplicity and determination”/166 “quickness of mind that allowed him to make on the spot adjustments … [his] battles were not elegant set-piece operations”/166 “[other Union general] preferred preparation to execution … became a friend of detail … suffered from ‘the slows’ …”/170 Message to Halleck from McClellan: “Do not hesitate to arrest him” [following great victory]/172 … “learned how to withstand attacks from the rear” [Army politics]/179

“He never credited the enemy with the capacity to take the offensive
“He never credited the enemy with the capacity to take the offensive.”/185 “tenacity [like Wellington]”/187 “I haven’t despaired of whipping them yet” [at avery low point]/195 “Both sides seemed defeated and whoever assumed the offensive was sure to win.”/200 … “inchoate bond [between Grant and soldiers]”/201 … “The genius of Grant’s command style lay in its simplicity. Grant never burdened his division commanders with excessive detail. … no elaborate staff conferences, no written orders prescribing deployment. … Grant recognized the battlefield was in flux. By not specifying movements in detail, he left his subordinate commanders free to exploit whatever opportunities developed.”/202 “If anyone other than Grant had been in command, the Union army certainly would have retreated.”/204 Lincoln (urged to fire Grant): “I can’t spare this man; he fights.”/205 “Grant turned defeat into Union victory.”/206 “moved on intuition, which he often could not explain or justify.”/208 “instinctive recognition that victory lay in relentlessly hounding a defeated army into surrender.”/213 Nathan Bedford Forrest, successful Confederate commander: “amenable to no known rules of procedure, was a law unto himself for all military acts, and was constantly doing the unexpected at all times and places.”/213

—Jean Edward Smith/GRANT
“The genius of Grant’s command style lay in its simplicity. Grant never burdened his division commanders with excessive detail. … no elaborate staff conferences, no written orders prescribing deployment. … Grant recognized the battlefield was in flux. By not specifying movements in detail, he left his subordinate commanders free to exploit whatever opportunities developed.” —Jean Edward Smith/GRANT

“The commanding general would be in the field”/228 Lincoln: “What I want, and what the people want, is generals who will fight battles and win victories. Grant has done this and I propose to stand by him.”/231 “retains his hold upon the affections of his men”/232 “Grant’s moral courage—his willingness to choose a path frrom which there could be no return—set him apart from most commanders … were [Grant and Lee] were uniquely willing to take full responsibility for their actions.”/233 “ … modest … honest … nothing could perturb … never faltered …”/233 “plan was breathtakingly simple but fraught with peril”/235 “demonstrating the flexibility that had become his hallmark”/238 “But like any West Point trained general, he had difficulty comprehending what Grant was up to …”/240 “recognized the value of momentum … throw off balance … blitzkreig … traveling light … headquarters in the saddle”/243 “acted as quartermaster”/243 [rushed away so that he couldn’t receive Halleck’s order] … “like Lord Nelson … telescope to his blind eye” … “pressing ahead on his own”/245 “focus on the enemy’s weakness rather than his own”/250

“recognized the value of momentum … throw [opponent] off balance … blitzkreig … traveling light … headquarters in the saddle” —Jean Edward Smith/GRANT

TP: Metabolic Management
TP: Metabolic Management* *Leader consciously responsible for tempo/ momentum/metabolic rate of the organization

(original source unknown)
"The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike at him as hard as you can and as often as you can, and keep moving on." —Grant, courtesy Richard Cauley at tompeters,com (original source unknown)

on Project Management by Jerry Manas.
“The art of war does not require complicated maneuvers; the simplest are the best, and common sense is fundamental. From which one might wonder how it is generals make blunders; it is because they try to be clever.” —Napoleon on Simplicity, from Napoleon on Project Management by Jerry Manas.

Napoleon’ “six winning principles”: Exactitude (sweat the details)
Napoleon’ “six winning principles”: Exactitude (sweat the details). Speed. Flexibility. Simplicity. Character. Moral Force. Simplicity: “The art of war does not require complicated maneuvers; the simplest are the best, and common sense is fundamental. From which one might wonder how it is generals make blunders; it is because they try to be clever.” Character: “A military leader must possess as much character as intellect. Men who have a great deal of intelligence and little character are the least suited. … It is preferable to have much character and little intellect.” Source: Jerry Manas, Napoleon on Project Management

“Above all the troops appreciated Grant’s unassuming manner
“Above all the troops appreciated Grant’s unassuming manner. Most generals went about attended by a retinue of immaculately tailored staff officers. Grant usually rode alone, except for an orderly or two to carry messages if the need arose. Another soldier said the soldiers looked on Grant ‘as a friendly partner, not an arbitrary commander.’ Instead of cheering as he rode by, they would ‘greet him as they would sddress one of their neighbors at home. ‘Good morning, General,’ ‘Pleasant day, General’ … There was no nonsense, no sentiment; only a plain businessman of the republic, there for the one single purpose of getting that command over the river in the shortest time possible.’” [Grant: 5-feet 8-inches with a slouch]/232 After the victory at Chattanooga: “The [Union senior] officers rode past the Confederates smugly without any sign of recognition except by one. ‘When General Grant reached the line of ragged, filthy, bloody, despairing prisoners strung out on each side of the bridge, he lifted his hat and held it over his head until he passed the last man of that living funeral cortege. He was the only officer in that whole train who recognized us as being on the face of the earth.’”/ 281 “Grant was unhappy about going into winter quarters. He saw no reason to keep the army idle, and the pause would give the rebels time to reorganize.”/282

*quote within a quote from diary of a Confederate soldier
“The [Union senior] officers rode past the Confederates smugly without any sign of recognition except by one. ‘When General Grant reached the line of ragged, filthy, bloody, despairing prisoners strung out on each side of the bridge, he lifted his hat and held it over his head until he passed the last man of that living funeral cortege. He was the only officer in that whole train who recognized us as being on the face of the earth.’*” *quote within a quote from diary of a Confederate soldier

From LEE KENNETT’s SHERMAN: “Grant tended to be a simple listener when these two strategies [for taking Vicksburg] were being discussed. His own preference may have been impelled as much by natural inclination as by any arguments he heard. He wrote afterward: ‘One of my superstitions had always been when I started to go anywhere or to do anything, not to turn back, or stop, until the thing intended was accomplished.’”/ 202

“One of my superstitions had always been when I started to go anywhere or to do anything, not to turn back, or stop, until the thing intended was accomplished.” —Grant

—Michael Korda, Ulysses Grant
“This [adolescent] incident [of getting from point A to point B] is notable not only because it underlines Grant’s fearless horsemanship and his determination, but also it is the first known example of a very important peculiarity of his character: Grant had an extreme, almost phobic dislike of turning back and retracing his steps. If he set out for somewhere, he would get there somehow, whatever the difficulties that lay in his way. This idiosyncrasy would turn out to be one the factors that made him such a formidable general. Grant would always, always press on—turning back was not an option for him.” —Michael Korda, Ulysses Grant

CWVA to MBWA: “In these days of telegraph and steam I can command while traveling and visiting about.” —U.S. Grant Managing By Wandering Around” —HP circa Source: Ulysses S. Grant, by Geoffrey Perret

TP’s take: Intuition takes precedence (listen attentively but act on intuition) … Move today > perfect plan tomorrow [subsequent Patton line] … Great advantage: When moving, you know what you’re up to and you’re moving [the one sitting still is, thence, always reactive] [Boyd: quickest O.O.D.A. loops/Observe. Orient. Decide. Act. Disorient enemy] … Action! ... Keep moving! … Engage! … Offense! [weakness-strength: can’t even imagine enemy counter-attacking; little conception of defense] … Momentum! …. Keep ‘em off balance … … Adjust … Adapt … … Opportunism! … Constantly revise in accordance with conditions and opportunities in the field [life = excellence at “Plan B”] … Doggedness … Relentless!! [trait shaped in early childhhood] … Never retreat … Simplicity! … Wide latitude for division commanders … minimum written orders, conferences, etc … keep his own council … HQ is Grant & his horse … no retinue! … commune with soldiers/exude quiet confidence/Approachable … decent … Self-accountability! … Evade orders (or ignore) … Share harm & hardship … total victory/ demand “unconditional surrender”—G’s first claim to fame [Nelson: other Admirals avoid loss, friend and foe as in Grant’s case vs Nelson’s seek victory] … [Life 101: politics between the Generals: E.g., Grant & Halleck]

Re- lent -less

“It is no use saying ‘We are doing our best
“It is no use saying ‘We are doing our best.’ You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.” —Winston Churchill

“Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.” —William Feather, author, entrepreneur

“If Richard [Holbrooke] calls and asks you for something, just say ‘Yes.’ If you say ‘No,’ you’ll eventually get to yes, but the journey will be very painful.” —Henry Kissinger on the late diplomat-problemsolver Richard Holbrooke

72/1/5/909

Success/Suffrage Elizabeth Cady Stanton ( ), Lucretia Mott, Martha Wright, Mary Ann McClintock, Jane Hunt (Lunch/Seneca Falls, NY/ ) years, 1 month, 5 days, 909 elections ( /Nashville, TN) = The 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (which gave women the right to vote)

Nelson+

On NELSON: “[other] admirals more frightened of losing than anxious to win”

U.S. Grant and Horatio Nelson were cut to the same measure from the same bolt of cloth. Immediate forward action was their virtually religious watchword. Moreover, and among other things, both were known for their love, returned, of their soldiers and sailors—and the leeway for action they gave to their subordinate commanders.

The Nelson Baker’s Dozen
1. Simple-clear scheme (“Plan”) (Not wildly imaginative) (Patton: “A good plan executed with vigor right now tops a ‘perfect’ plan executed next week.”) 2. SOARING/BOLD/CLEAR/UNEQUIVOCAL/WORTHY/NOBLE/INSPIRING “GOAL”/“MISSION”/“PURPOSE”/“QUEST” 3. “Conversation”: Engagement of All Leaders 4. Leeway for Leaders: Select the Best/Dip Deep/Initiative demanded/Accountability swift/Micromanagement absent 5. LED BY “LOVE” (Lambert), NOT “AUTHORITY” (Identify with sailors!) 6. Instinct/Seize the Moment/“Impetuosity” (Boyd’s “OODA Loops”: React more quickly than opponent, destroy his “world view”) 7. VIGOR! (Zander: leader as “Dispenser of Enthusiasm”) 8. Peerless Basic Skills/Mastery of Craft (Seamanship) 9. Workaholic! (“Duty” first, second, and third) 10. LEAD BY CONFIDENT & DETERMINED & CONTINUOUS & VISIBLE EXAMPLE (In Harm’s Way) (Gandhi: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”/ Giuliani: Show up!) 11. Genius (“Transform the world to conform to their ideas,” “Triumph over rules”) (Gandhi, Lee-Singapore) , not Greatness (“Make the most of their world”) 12. Luck! (Right time, right place; survivor) (“Lucky Eagle” vs “Bold Eagle”) 13. Others principal shortcoming: “ADMIRALS MORE FRIGHTENED OF LOSING THAN ANXIOUS TO WIN” Source: Andrew Lambert, Nelson: Britannia’s God of War

Nelson’s Way: A Baker’s Dozen/Short
1. Simple scheme. 2. Noble purpose! 3. Engage others. 4. Find great talent, let it soar! 5. Lead by Love! 6. Trust your gut, not the focus group: Seize the Moment! 7. Vigor! 8. Master your craft. 9. Work harder than the next person. 10. Show the way, walk the talk, exude confidence! Start a Passion Epidemic! 11. Change the rules: Create your own game! 12. Shake of the pain, get back up off the ground, the timing may well be right tomorrow! (E.g., Get lucky!) 13. By hook or by crook, quash your fear of failure, savor your quirkiness and participate fully in the fray! Source: Andrew Lambert, Nelson: Britannia’s God of War

Insubordinate (when it comes to delays)/N Action-oriented/Offense/ Total victory/N Relentless Troop Commander par Excellence/N Leeway to Commanders/N

“The Nelson Touch,” The Battle That Changed The World
“He above all encouraged (and prepared) his subordinates to seize the initiative whenever necessary, particularly in the fog of war —and the men who served under him knew what he expected.” —Jay Tolson, on “The Nelson Touch,” The Battle That Changed The World

Fisherisms Do right and damn the odds. Stagnation is the curse of life
Fisherisms Do right and damn the odds. Stagnation is the curse of life. The best is the cheapest. Emotion can sway the world. Mad things come off. Haste in all things. Any fool can obey orders. History is a record of exploded ideas. Life is phrases. Source: Jan Morris, Fisher’s Face, Or, Getting to Know the Admiral

“We must have no tinkering. No pandering to sentiment
“We must have no tinkering! No pandering to sentiment! No regard for susceptibilities! We must be ruthless, relentless, and remorseless.” —Jan Morris, Fisher’s Face, Or, Getting to Know the Admiral

Q.E.D.: “You miss 100% of the shots you never take.” —Wayne Gretzky
161

In Search of Excellence/ Excellence Attribute #1: A Bias For Action

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In Search of Excellence/ Excellence Attribute #1: A Bias For Action

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