1. Sustaining EXCELLENCE!
LONG
Tom Peters’
Sustaining EXCELLENCE!
Jabil Circuit/Officers Meeting 2013
TradeWinds Resort/St. Pete Beach/02 May 2013
tompeters.com/excellencenow.com) 1

2. “I am often asked … 2 2

3. “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 … Source: Paul Ormerod, Why Most Things Fail: Evolution, Extinction and Economics 3 3

4. “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 4 4

5. “Mr. Foster and his McKinsey colleagues collected detailed performance data stretching back 40 years for 1,000 U.S. companies. They found that NONE of the long-term survivors managed to outperform the market. Worse, the longer companies had been in the database, the worse they did.” —Financial Times 5

6. “It’s just a fact: Survivors underperform.” —Dick Foster

7. “Data drawn from the real world attest to a fact that is beyond our control: Everything in existence tends to deteriorate.” —Norberto Odebrecht, Education Through Work 7

8. Dick Kovacevich: “You don’t get better by being bigger. You get worse8

9. Conrad Hilton, at a gala celebrating his career …9 9

10. Conrad Hilton, at a gala celebrating his career, was called to the podium and asked, “What were the most important lessons you learned in your long and distinguished career?” His answer … 10 10

11. “Remember to tuck the shower curtain inside the bathtub.”11

12. Sports: You beat yourself!

13. “Execution is strategy.” —Fred Malek13

14. “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

15. “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

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

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

18. “Costco figured out the big, simple things and executed with total fanaticism.” —Charles Munger, Berkshire Hathaway 18

19. is because they try to be clever.” —Napoleon
“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

20. EXCELLENCE IN EXECUTION = DEEPEST “BLUE OCEAN”

21. Really First Things Before First Things

22. If the regimental commander lost most of his 2nd lieutenants and 1st lieutenants and captains and majors, it would be a tragedy. If he lost his sergeants it would be a catastrophe. The Army and the Navy are fully aware that success on the battlefield is dependent to an extraordinary degree on its Sergeants and Chief Petty Officers. Does industry have the same awareness? 22

23. “People leave managers not companies.” —Dave Wheeler

24. Suggested addition to your statement of Core Values: “We are obsessed with developing a cadre of 1st line managers that is second to none—we understand that this cadre per se is arguably one of our top two or three most important ‘Strategic Assets.’” 24

25. Really First Things Before First Things

26. *Cross-Functional eXcellence
XFX = #1*
*Cross-Functional eXcellence 26 26

27. Never waste a lunch! 27

28. *Measure! Monthly! Part of evaluation! [The PAs Club.]
% XF lunches*
*Measure! Monthly! Part of evaluation! [The PAs Club.] 28

29. call or visit or send an email of “Thanks” for some
XFX/Typical Social Accelerators
1. EVERYONE’s [more or less] JOB #1: Make friends in other functions! (Purposefully. Consistently. Measurably.)
2. “Do lunch” with people in other functions!! Frequently!! (Minimum 10% to 25% for everyone? Measured.)
3. Ask peers in other functions for references so you can become conversant in their world. (It’s one helluva sign of ... GIVE-A-DAMN-ism.)
4. Religiously invite counterparts in other functions to your team meetings. Ask them to present “cool stuff” from “their world” to your group. (Useful. Mark of respect.)
5. PROACTIVELY SEEK EXAMPLES OF “TINY” ACTS OF “XFX” TO ACKNOWLEDGE—PRIVATELY AND PUBLICALLY. (Bosses: ONCE A DAY … make a short
call or visit or send an of “Thanks” for some
sort of XFX gesture by your folks and some other function’s folks.)
6. Present counterparts in other functions awards for service to your group. Tiny awards at least weekly; and an “Annual All-Star Supporters [from other groups] Banquet” modeled after superstar salesperson banquets.

30. Present counterparts in other functions recognition/awards for service to your group: Tiny awards at least weekly. An “Annual All-Star Supporters [from other groups] Banquet” modeled after [and equivalent to!] superstar salesperson banquets. 30

31. XFX/: Typical Social Accelerators
16. Formal evaluations. Everyone, starting with the receptionist, should have a significant XF rating component in their evaluation. (The “XFX Performance” should be among the Top 3 items in all managers’ evaluations.)
17. Every functional unit should have strict and extensive measures of “customer satisfaction” based on evaluations from other functions of its usefulness and effectiveness and value-added to the enterprise as a whole.
18. Demand XF experience for, especially, senior jobs. For example, the U.S. military requires all would-be generals and admirals to have served a full tour in a job whose only goals were cross-functional achievements.
19. “Deep dip.” Dive three levels down in the organization to fill a senior role with some one who has been noticeably pro-active on adding value via excellent cross-functional integration.
20. XFX is … PERSONAL … as well as about organizational effectiveness. PXFX [Personal XFX] is arguably the #1 Accelerant to personal success—in terms of organizational career, freelancer/Brand You, or as entrepreneur.
21. Excellence! There is a “State of XF Excellence” per se. Talk it up constantly. Pursue it. Aspire to nothing less.

32. Formal evaluations. Everyone, starting with the receptionist, should have a significant XFX rating component in their evaluation. (The “XFX Performance” should be among the Top 3 items in all managers’ evaluations.) 32

33. ALL HAIL … THOSE WHO HELP!

34. THEY ALL GOTTA SEE THE
ONE WHO SACRIFICED
TO HELP SOMEONE
GET IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK-KUDOS. (PERHAPS MORE RECOGNITION THAN THE “PRINCIPAL” “DOER.”)

35. Suggested addition to your statement of Core Values: “We will not rest until seamless cross-functional integration/communication has become our primary source of value-added. EXCELLENCE in cross-functional integration shall become a daily operational passion for 100% of us.” 35

36. ONE Act of XFX Enhancement every day!

37. Case 37

38. … hundreds of times better here …

39. Team medicine (“medicine as a co-operative science”)
William Mayo, 1910, on the Clinic’s Two Core Values:
Patient-centered care
Team medicine (“medicine as a co-operative science”)
Source: Leonard Berry & Kent Seltman, “Orchestrating the Clues of Quality,” Chapter 7 from Management Lessons From Mayo Clinic

40. “I am hundreds of times better here [than
in my prior hospital assignment] because of the support system. It’s like you are working in an organism; you are not a single cell when you are out there practicing.” —quote from Dr. Nina Schwenk, in Chapter 3, “Practicing Team Medicine,” from Leonard Berry & Kent Seltman,
from Management Lessons From Mayo Clinic

41. 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

42. Really First Things Before First Things

43. *Source: Jerome Groopman, How Doctors Think
“The doctor
interrupts
after …*
*Source: Jerome Groopman, How Doctors Think 43

44. 18 … 44

45. 18 … seconds! 45

46. [An obsession with] Listening is ... the ultimate mark of Respect.
Listening is ... the heart and soul of Engagement.
Listening is ... the heart and soul of Kindness.
Listening is ... the heart and soul of Thoughtfulness.
Listening is ... the basis for true Collaboration.
Listening is ... the basis for true Partnership.
Listening is ... a Team Sport.
Listening is ... a Developable Individual Skill.* (*Though women
are far better at it than men.)
Listening is ... the basis for Community.
Listening is ... the bedrock of Joint Ventures that work.
Listening is ... the bedrock of Joint Ventures that grow.
Listening is ... the core of effective Cross-functional
Communication* (*Which is in turn Attribute #1 of
organization effectiveness.)
[cont.] 46

47. Listening is ... the engine of superior EXECUTION.
Listening is ... the key to making the Sale.
Listening is ... the key to Keeping the Customer’s Business.
Listening is ... Service.
Listening is ... the engine of Network development.
Listening is ... the engine of Network maintenance.
Listening is ... the engine of Network expansion.
Listening is ... Social Networking’s “secret weapon.”
Listening is ... Learning.
Listening is ... the sine qua non of Renewal.
Listening is ... the sine qua non of Creativity.
Listening is ... the sine qua non of Innovation.
Listening is ... the core of taking diverse opinions aboard.
Listening is ... Strategy.
Listening is ... Source #1 of “Value-added.”
Listening is ... Differentiator #1.
Listening is ... Profitable.* (*The “R.O.I.” from listening is higher than
from any other single activity.)
Listening is … the bedrock which underpins a Commitment to
EXCELLENCE!

48. If you agree with the above, shouldn’t listening be ... a Core Value?
If you agree with the above, shouldn’t listening be ... perhaps Core Value #1?* (*“We are Effective Listeners—we treat Listening EXCELLENCE as the Centerpiece of our Commitment to Respect and Engagement and Community and Growth.”)
If you agree, shouldn’t listening be ... a Core Competence?
If you agree, shouldn’t listening be ... Core Competence #1?
If you agree, shouldn’t listening be ... an explicit “agenda item” at every Meeting?
If you agree, shouldn’t listening be ... our Strategy—per se? (Listening = Strategy.)
If you agree, shouldn’t listening be ... the #1 skill we look for in Hiring (for every job)? 48

49. Listen = “Profession” = Study = practice = evaluation = Enterprise value49

50. Really First Things Before First Things

51. Whine all you want, but meetings
are what you [boss] do!

52. Meetings = #1 leadership opportunity

53. Meeting: Every meeting that does not stir the imagination and curiosity of attendees and increase bonding and co-operation and engagement and sense of worth and motivate rapid action and enhance enthusiasm is a permanently lost opportunity.

54. Sustaining EXCELLENCE!
Tom Peters’
Sustaining EXCELLENCE!
Jabil Circuit/Officers Meeting 2013
TradeWinds Resort/St. Pete Beach/02 May 2013
tompeters.com/excellencenow.com) 54

55. 1.

56. “Business has to give people enriching, rewarding lives … or it's simply not worth doing.”
—Richard Branson 56

57. “You have to treat your employees like customers
“You have to treat your employees like customers.” —Herb Kelleher, upon being asked his “secret to success” Source: Joe Nocera, NYT, “Parting Words of an Airline Pioneer,”
on the occasion of Herb Kelleher’s retirement after 37 years at Southwest Airlines (SWA’s pilots union took out a full-page ad in USA Today
thanking HK for all he had done) ; across the way in Dallas, American Airlines’ pilots were picketing AA’s Annual Meeting) 57

58. "When I hire someone, that's when I go to work for them
"When I hire someone, that's when I go to work for them.” —John DiJulius, "What's the Secret to Providing a World-class Customer Experience"

59. “Employees who don't feel significant rarely make significant contributions.” —Mark Sanborn

60. “I didn’t have a ‘mission statement’ at Burger King. I had a dream
“I didn’t have a ‘mission statement’ at Burger King. I had a dream. Very simple. It was something like, ‘Burger King is 250,000 people, every one of whom gives a shit.’ Every one. Accounting. Systems. Not just the drive through. Everyone is ‘in the brand.’ That’s what we’re talking about, nothing less.” — Barry Gibbons

61. Amen! “What creates trust, in the end, is the leader’s manifest respect for the followers.” — Jim O’Toole, Leading Change

62. "If you want staff to give great service, give great service to staff
"If you want staff to give great service, give great service to staff." —Ari Weinzweig, Zingerman's 62

63. EMPLOYEES FIRST, CUSTOMERS SECOND:
Turning Conventional Management Upside Down
Vineet Nayar/CEO/HCL Technologies

64. “No matter what the situation, [the great manager’s] first response is always to think about the individual concerned and how things can be arranged to help that individual experience success.” —Marcus Buckingham, The One Thing You Need to Know 64

65. Brand = Talent. 65

66. Our Mission To develop and manage talent; to apply that talent, throughout the world, for the benefit of clients; to do so in partnership; to do so with profit. WPP 66

67. “Leaders ‘do’ people. Period.” —Anon.

68. Oath of Office: Managers/Servant Leaders
Our goal is to serve our customers brilliantly and profitably over
the long haul.
Serving our customers brilliantly and profitably over the long
haul is a product of brilliantly serving, over the long haul, the
people who serve the customer.
Hence, our job as leaders—the alpha and the omega and
everything in between—is abetting the sustained growth and
success and engagement and enthusiasm and commitment to
Excellence of those, one at a time, who directly or indirectly
serve the ultimate customer.
We—leaders of every stripe—are in the “Human Growth and
Development and Success and Aspiration to Excellence
business.”
“We” [leaders] only grow when “they” [each and every one of our colleagues] are
growing.
“We” [leaders] only succeed when “they” [each and every one of our colleagues]
are succeeding.
“We” [leaders] only energetically march toward Excellence when
“they” [each and every one of our colleagues] are energetically marching
toward Excellence.
Period. 68

69. 7 Steps to Sustaining Success
You take care of the people.
The people take care of the service.
The service takes care of the customer.
The customer takes care of the profit.
The profit takes care of the re-investment.
The re-investment takes care of the re-invention.
The re-invention takes care of the future.
(And at every step the only measure is EXCELLENCE.)

70. You take care of the people.
7 Steps to Sustaining Success
You take care of the people.
The people take care of the service.
The service takes care of the customer.
The customer takes care of the profit.
The profit takes care of the re-investment.
The re-investment takes care of the re-invention.
The re-invention takes care of the future.
(And at every step the only measure is EXCELLENCE.)

71. 3 People 71

72. “The ONE Question”: “In the last year [3 years, current job], name the … three people … whose growth you’ve most contributed to. Please explain where they were at the beginning of the year, where they are today, and where they are heading in the next 12 months. Please explain … in painstaking detail … your development strategy in each case. Please tell me your biggest development disappointment—looking back, could you or would you have done anything differently? Please tell me about your greatest development triumph—and disaster—in the last five years. What are the ‘three big things’ you’ve learned about helping people grow along the way?” 72

73. 2/year = legacy.

74. Promotion Decisions “life and death decisions” Source: Peter Drucker, The Practice of Management

75. “A man should never be promoted to a managerial position if his vision focuses on people’s weaknesses rather than on their strengths.” —Peter Drucker, The Practice of Management 75

76. Andrew Carnegie’s Tombstone Inscription … Here lies a man Who knew how to enlist In his service Better men than himself. Source: Peter Drucker, The Practice of Management 76

77. “The leaders of Great Groups … love talent … and know where to find it
“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

78. Les Wexner: From sweaters to people!*
*Limited Brands founder Les Wexner queried on astounding long-term success—said, in effect, it happened because he got
as excited about developing people as he had been about predicting fashion trends in his early years

79. “Unremarkable” except for RESULTS: Superb people developer
(her/his folks invariably
amazed at what
they’ve accomplished!)

80. 70 Cents 80

81. “In short, hiring is the most important aspect of business and yet remains woefully misunderstood.”
Source: Wall Street Journal, ,
review of Who: The A Method for Hiring,
Geoff Smart and Randy Street

82. “Development can help great people be even better—but if I had a dollar to spend, I’d spend 70 cents getting the right person in the door.” —Paul Russell, Director, Leadership and Development, Google

83. “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

84. “C-level”? 84

85. In the Army, 3-star generals worry about training
In the Army, 3-star generals worry about training. In most businesses, it's a “ho hum” mid-level staff function.

86. Why is intensive-extensive training obvious for the army & navy & sports teams & performing arts groups—but not for the average business?

87. I would hazard a guess that most CEOs see IT investments as a “strategic necessity,” but see training expenses as “a necessary evil.”

88. (1) Training merits
“C-level” status!
(2) Top trainers should
be paid a king’s
ransom—and be of
the same caliber as
top marketers or
researchers.

89. No company ever Expended too much thought/Effort/ $$$$ on training
No company ever Expended too much thought/Effort/ $$$$ on training!* *ESPECIALLY … small company

90. “training, TRAINING and M-O-R-E T-R-A-I-N-I-N-G”
—CINCPAC Nimitz to CNO King/actual emphasis in written communication
/1943/on #1 need for U.S. Navy in South Pacific

91. Heroism: Training > Patriotism

92. 2X 92

93. TP: “How to throw $500,000 into the sea in one easy lesson!!”93

94. < CAPEX > PEOPLE! 94

95. 2X
Source: Container Store/Goal: increase average sale per shopper 95

96. The Memories That Matter.96

97. The people you developed who went on to
The Memories That Matter
The people you developed who went on to
stellar accomplishments inside or outside
the company.
The (no more than) two or three people you developed who went on to
create stellar institutions of their own.
The long shots (people with “a certain something”) you bet on who
surprised themselves—and your peers.
The people of all stripes who 2/5/10/20 years
later say “You made a difference in my life,”
“Your belief in me changed everything.”
The sort of/character of people you hired in general. (And the bad
apples you chucked out despite some stellar traits.)
A handful of projects (a half dozen at most) you doggedly pursued that
still make you smile and which fundamentally changed the way
things are done inside or outside the company/industry.
The supercharged camaraderie of a handful of Great Teams aiming to
“change the world.” 97

98. A frighteningly consistent record of having
The Memories That Matter
Belly laughs at some of the stupid-insane things you and your mates
tried.
Less than a closet full of “I should have …”
A frighteningly consistent record of having
invariably said, “Go for it!”
Not intervening in the face of considerable loss—recognizing that to
develop top talent means tolerating failures and allowing the
person who screwed up to work their own way through and out of
their self-created mess.
Dealing with one or more crises with particular/memorable aplomb.
Demanding … CIVILITY … regardless of circumstances.
Turning around one or two or so truly dreadful situations—and
watching almost everyone involved rise to the occasion (often to
their own surprise) and acquire a renewed sense of purpose in the
process.
Leaving something behind of demonstrable-lasting worth. (On short as
well as long assignments.) 98

99. The respect of your peers.
The Memories That Matter
Having almost always (99% of the time) put “Quality” and “Excellence”
ahead of “Quantity.” (At times an unpopular approach.)
A few “critical” instances where you stopped short and could have
“done more”—but to have done so would have compromised your and
your team’s character and integrity.
A sense of time well and honorably spent.
The expression of “simple” human kindness and consideration—no
matter how harried you may be/may have been.
Understood that your demeanor/expression of character always set
the tone—especially in difficult situations.
Never (rarely) let your external expression of enthusiasm/
determination flag—the rougher the times, the more your expressed
energy and bedrock optimism and sense of humor showed.
The respect of your peers.
A stoic unwillingness to badmouth others—even in private. 99

100. A Mandela-like “naïve” belief that others will
The Memories That Matter
An invariant creed: When something goes amiss, “The buck stops with
me”; when something goes right, it was their doing, not yours.
A Mandela-like “naïve” belief that others will
rise to the occasion if given the opportunity.
A reputation for eschewing the “trappings of power.” (Strong self-
management of tendencies toward arrogance or dismissiveness.)
Intense, even “driven” … but not to the point of being careless of others
in the process of forging ahead.
Willing time and again to be surprised by ways of doing things that are
inconsistent with your “certain hypotheses.”
Humility in the face of others, at every level,
who know more than you about “the way
things really are.”
Bit your tongue on a thousand occasions—and listened, really
really listened. (And been constantly delighted when, as a result, you
invariably learned something new and invariably increased your
connection with the speaker.)
100

101. Always and relentlessly put at the top of your list/any
The Memories That Matter
Unalloyed pleasure in being informed of the fallaciousness of your
beliefs by someone 15 years your junior and several rungs below you
on the hierarchical ladder.
Selflessness. (A sterling reputation as “a guy always willing to help out
with alacrity despite personal cost.”)
As thoughtful and respectful, or more so, toward thine “enemies” as
toward friends and supporters.
Always and relentlessly put at the top of your list/any
list being first and foremost “of service” to your
internal and external constituents. (Employees/Peers/
Customers/Vendors/Community.)
Treated the term “servant leadership” as holy writ. (And “preached”
“servant leadership” to others—new “non-managerial” hire or old
pro, age 18 or 48.)
101

102. Created the sort of workplaces you’d like your kids to
The Memories That Matter
Created the sort of workplaces you’d like your kids to
inhabit. (Explicitly conscious of this “Would I want my
kids to work here?” litmus test.)
A “certifiable” “nut” about quality and safety and integrity. (More or
less regardless of any costs.)
A notable few circumstances where you resigned rather than
compromise your bedrock beliefs.
Perfectionism just short of the paralyzing variety.
A self- and relentlessly enforced group standard of
“EXCELLENCE-in-all-we-do”/“EXCELLENCE in our
behavior toward one another.”
102

103. Joe J. Jones – Net Worth $21,543,672.48

104. Not.

105. 2.

106. 3. Autonomy and Entrepreneurship 4. Productivity Through People
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”

107. *In Search of Excellence
“Breakthrough” 82*
People!
Customers!
Action!
Values!
*In Search of Excellence

108. Hard is Soft.
Soft is Hard.

109. Hard [numbers, plans] is Soft. Soft [people/relationships] is Hard.

110. “Why in the
World did you
go to Siberia?”

111. wholehearted pursuit of EXCELLENCE in
Enterprise* (*at its best): An emotional, vital, innovative, joyful, creative, entrepreneurial endeavor that elicits maximum
concerted human
potential in the
wholehearted pursuit of EXCELLENCE in
service of others.** **Employees, Customers, Suppliers, Communities, Owners, Temporary partners

112. Excellence
112

113. “At a party …
113
113

114. “At a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island, Kurt Vonnegut informs his pal, Joseph Heller, that their host, a hedge fund manager, had made more money in a single day than Heller had earned from his wildly popular novel Catch-22 over its whole history. Heller responds …
114
114

115. “At a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island, Kurt Vonnegut informs his pal, Joseph Heller … that their host, a hedge fund manager, had made more money in a single day than Heller had earned from his wildly popular novel Catch-22 over its whole history. Heller responds … ‘Yes, but I have something he will never have …
Source: John Bogle, Enough. The Measures of Money, Business, and Life (Bogle is founder of the Vanguard Mutual Fund Group)
115

116. At a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island, Kurt Vonnegut informs his pal, Joseph Heller … that their host, a hedge fund manager, had made more money in a single day than Heller had earned from his wildly popular novel Catch-22 over its whole history. Heller responds … Yes, but I have something he will never have …
enough.
Source: John Bogle, Enough. The Measures of Money, Business, and Life (Bogle is founder of the Vanguard Mutual Fund Group)

117. “Too Much Cost, Not Enough Value”
“Too Much Speculation, Not Enough Investment”
“Too Much Complexity, Not Enough Simplicity”
“Too Much Counting, Not Enough Trust”
“Too Much Business Conduct, Not Enough Professional Conduct”
“Too Much Salesmanship, Not Enough Stewardship”
“Too Much Focus on Things, Not Enough Focus on Commitment”
“Too Many Twenty-first Century Values, Not Enough Eighteenth-Century Values”
“Too Much ‘Success,’ Not Enough Character”
Source: Chapter titles from Jack Bogle, Enough.
117

119. 3.

120. 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
120

121. READY. FIRE! AIM. H. Ross Perot (vs “Aim! Aim! Aim!” /EDS vs GM/1985)
121

122. “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

123. 1/45
123

124. Lesson45: WTTMSW
124

125. WHOEVER
TRIES
THE
MOST
STUFF
WINS

126. Better yet: WTTMSTFW
126

127. WHOEVER
TRIES
THE
MOST
STUFF
FASTEST
WINS

128. Better yet: WTTMS(ASTMSU)TFW
128

129. WHOEVER
TRIES
THE
MOST
STUFF
(AND
SCREWS
UP)
FASTEST
WINS

130. TRY IT . TRY IT. TRY IT.

131. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It
Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It. Try It.

132. —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 #5. By the time our rivals are ready with wires and screws, we are on version #10. It gets back to planning versus acting: We act from day one; others plan how to plan—for months.”
—Bloomberg by Bloomberg
132

133. Culture of Prototyping “Effective prototyping may be THE MOST VALUABLE CORE COMPETENCE an innovative organization can hope to have.” —Michael Schrage
133

134. “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/ )

135. DEMO.
NOW.
OR.
DIE.

136. “mean-time-to-prototype” Source: Sony, via Michael Schrage
136

137. Whoever
Creates
The
Quickest
Prototypes
Wins

138. “You can’t be a serious innovator unless and until you are ready, willing and able to seriously play. ‘Serious play’ is not an oxymoron; it is the essence of innovation.” —Michael Schrage, Serious Play
SORRY … I LOVE THIS. “SERIOUS PLAY” … OR … FUHGEDDABOUDIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No bull: I’m 57 … and I believe that this is … THE Truth. NO SHIT.

139. “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 ( )
139

140. “FAIL. FORWARD. FAST.” High Tech CEO, Pennsylvania
140

141. “No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” —Samuel Beckett
141

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

143. “The secret of fast progress is inefficiency, fast and furious and numerous failures.” —Kevin Kelly
143

144. “FAIL FASTER. SUCCEED SOONER.” David Kelley/IDEO

145. “REWARD excellent failures. PUNISH mediocre successes
“REWARD excellent failures. PUNISH mediocre successes.” —Phil Daniels, Sydney exec
145

146. “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)
146

147. (in “Corner Office,” New York Times)
“I used to play pretty serious chess. It’s very easy for me—though I find it is difficult for a lot of people—to recognize that a lot of the things you do are mistakes. One of the things very important to becoming a good chess player was losing a lot of games. You get to the point that when you lose a game, you don’t beat yourself up. You try to learn from it. We try to encourage that attitude. —Alan Trefler, CEO, Pegasystems
(in “Corner Office,” New York Times)

148. “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/ )
148

149. “YOU MISS 100% OF THE SHOTS YOU NEVER TAKE.” —Wayne Gretzky
149

150. Iron Innovation Equality Law: The Quality and Quantity and Imaginativeness of Innovation [and “R & D” per se] … shall be the same in all functions —e.g., in HR and purchasing as much as in marketing or product development.
150

151. 3A.

152. *“Skunkworks” (my preference) or “Skunk Works” (Lockheed)
“Skunk Camps”
“Skunks” “Skunking”
*“Skunkworks” (my preference) or “Skunk Works” (Lockheed)

153. “Skunkworks”: 1 person for 3 months

154. “Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” —Margaret Mead

155. “the 1% solution”* *“Innovation grants,” etc. Source: Scott Bedbury

156. THE “PARALLEL UNIVERSE” AXIOM

157. “Venture” fund: Gerstner/Amex, Dow/Marriott, Grove/Intel, DuPont/AI, Bedbury/ Starbucks, etc.

158. “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 Company’s Secret Change Agents,” HBR (The late Mr. Sternin was an incredibly successful change agent in developing countries)

159. 3B.

160. The Case for Decentralization
The Ultimate “Try
It” Strategy:
The Case for Decentralization

161. Decentralization vs Centralization = “That’s ALL There Is” (from childrearing 101 to the Federalist Papers to Org.2012)

162. “Rose gardeners face a choice every spring
“Rose gardeners face a choice every spring. The long-term fate of a rose garden depends on this decision. If you want to have the largest and most glorious roses of the neighborhood, you will prune hard. This represents a policy of low tolerance and tight control. You force the plant to make the maximum use of its available resources, by putting them into the the rose’s ‘core business.’ Pruning hard is a dangerous policy in an unpredictable environment. Thus, if you are in a spot where you know nature may play tricks on you, you may opt for a policy of high tolerance. You will never have the biggest roses, but you have a much-enhanced chance of having roses every year. You will achieve a gradual renewal of the plant. In short, tolerant pruning achieves two ends: (1) It makes it easier to cope with unexpected environmental changes. (2) It leads to a continuous restructuring of the plant. The policy of tolerance admittedly wastes resources—the extra buds drain away nutrients from the main stem. But in an unpredictable environment, this policy of tolerance makes the rose healthier in the long run.” —Arie De Geus, The Living Company

163. “In short, tolerant pruning achieves two ends: (1) It makes it easier to cope with unexpected environmental changes. (2) It leads to a continuous restructuring of the plant. The policy of tolerance admittedly wastes resources—the extra buds drain away nutrients from the main stem. But in an unpredictable environment, this policy of tolerance makes the rose healthier in the long run.”

164. Resilience per se should/must become a corporate value and explicit part of business strategy!

165. Lessons from the Bees! “Since merger mania is now the rage, what lessons can the bees teach us? A simple one: Merging is not in nature. [Nature’s] process is the exact opposite: one of growth, fragmentation and dispersal. There is no megalomania, no merging for merging’s sake. The point is that unlike corporations, which just get bigger, bee colonies know when the time has come to split up into smaller colonies which can grow value faster. What the bees are telling us is that the corporate world has got it all wrong.” —David Lascelles, Co-director of The Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation [UK]

166. The True Logic* of Decentralization: 6 DIVISIONS = 6 “TRIES” 6 DIVISIONS = 6 DIFFERENT LEADERS = 6 INDEPENDENT “TRIES” = MAX PROBABILITY OF “WIN” 6 DIVISIONS = 6 VERY DIFFERENT LEADERS = 6 VERY INDEPENDENT “TRIES” = MAX PROBABILITY OF “FAR OUT”/”3-SIGMA” “WIN” *“Driver”: Law of Large #s

167. “‘Decentralization’ is not a piece of paper. It’s not me
“‘Decentralization’ is not a piece of paper. It’s not me. It’s either in your heart, or not.” —Brian Joffe/BIDvest
167

168. Innovation Enemy #1 I.C.D. Note 1: Inherent/Inevitable/ Immutable Centralist Drift Note 2: Jim Burke’s 1-word vocabulary: “No.”

169. Immutable Centralist Drift
Public Enemy #1: I.C.D.
Immutable Centralist Drift
“Once a system grows sufficiently complex and centralized, it doesn’t matter how badly our best and brightest foul things up. Every crisis increases their authority, because they seem to be the only ones who understand the system well enough to fix it. But their fixes tend to make the system even more complex and centralized, and more vulnerable to the next national-security surprise, the
next natural disaster, the next economic crisis.” —Ross Douthat/NYTimes

170. “I do not rule Russia. Ten-thousand clerks do.” —Czar Nicholas I

171. "Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, & eventually degenerates into a racket." —Eric Hoffer

172. Help wanted: I.C.D. COPS

173. “Best practice” = ZERO Standard Deviation

174. 4.

175. MITTELSTAND* ** *“agile creatures darting between the legs of
the multinational monsters” (Bloomberg BusinessWeek, 10.10)
**E.g. Goldmann Produktion
175

176. (Joel Resnick/Flemington NJ)
THE RED CARPET STORE
(Joel Resnick/Flemington NJ)
176

177. *PSA/Para-sea anchors Source: Kia Ora/Air New Zealand magazine
Motueka, New Zealand
Coppins Sea Anchors*
*PSA/Para-sea anchors
Source: Kia Ora/Air New Zealand magazine

178. Basement Systems Inc.

179. Jim’s Dog Wash Jim’s Mowing Canada Jim’s Mowing UK Jim’s Antennas
Jim’s Bookkeeping
Jim’s Building Maintenance
Jim’s Carpet Cleaning
Jim’s Car Cleaning
Jim’s Computer Services
Jim’s Dog Wash
Jim’s Driving School
Jim’s Fencing
Jim’s Floors
Jim’s Painting
Jim’s Paving
Jim’s Pergolas [gazebos]
Jim’s Pool Care
Jim’s Pressure Cleaning
Jim’s Roofing
Jim’s Security Doors
Jim’s Trees
Jim’s Window Cleaning
Jim’s Windscreens
Note: Download, free, Jim Penman’s book:
What Will They Franchise Next? The Story of Jim’s Group
179
179

180. Retail Superstars: Inside the 25 Best Independent Stores
in America —by George Whalin

181. Jungle Jim’s International Market, Fairfield, Ohio: “An adventure in ‘shoppertainment,’ as Jungle Jim’s calls it, begins in the parking lot and goes on to 1,600 cheeses and, yes, 1,400 varieties of hot sauce —not to mention 12,000 wines priced from $8 to $8,000 a bottle; all this is brought to you by 4,000 vendors. Customers come from every corner of the globe.”
Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, Frankenmuth, Michigan, pop 5,000: 98,000-square-foot “shop” features the likes of 6,000 Christmas ornaments, 50,000 trims, and anything else you can name if it pertains to Christmas.
Source: George Whalin, Retail Superstars
181

182. “Be the best. It’s the only market that’s not crowded.”
From: Retail Superstars: Inside the 25 Best
Independent Stores in America, George Whalin
182

183. 5.

184. “You will become like the five people you associate with the most—this can be either a blessing or a curse.” —Billy Cox

185. “The Bottleneck …

186. “The Bottleneck is at the … “Where are you likely to find people with the least diversity of experience, the largest investment in the past, and the greatest reverence for industry dogma … Top of the Bottle” — Gary Hamel/Harvard Business Review

187. The “Hang Out Axiom I”: WE ARE WHAT WE EAT/WE ARE THE COMPANY
WE KEEP
187

188. The “We are what we eat”/ “We are who we hang out with” Axiom: At its core, every (!!!) relationship-partnership decision (employee, vendor, customer, etc., etc.) is a strategic decision about: “Innovate, ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ ”
188

189. Measure/Manage: Portfolio “Strangeness”/ “Quality”
1. Customers
2. Vendors
3. Out-sourcing Partners
4. Acquisitions
5. Purposeful “Theft”
6. Diversity/“d”iversity
7. Diversity/Crowd-sourcing
Diversity/Weird
Diversity/Curiosity
10. Benchmarks
11. Calendar
12. MBWA
13. Lunch/General
14. Lunch/Other functions
15. Location/Internal
16. Location/HQ
17. Top team
18. Board

190. “DON’T BENCHMARK, FUTUREMARK
“DON’T BENCHMARK, FUTUREMARK!” Impetus: “The future is already here; it’s just not evenly distributed” —William Gibson

191. “DON’T BENCHMARK, ‘OTHER’ MARK!”

192. “The short road to ruin is to emulate the methods of your adversary
“The short road to ruin is to emulate the methods of your adversary.” — Winston Churchill

193. EMPLOYEES: “Are there enough weird people in the lab these days
EMPLOYEES: “Are there enough weird people in the lab these days?” Source: V. Chmn., pharmaceutical house, to a lab director

194. “[CEO A.G.] Lafley has shifted P&G’s focus on inventing all its own products to developing … OTHERS’ INVENTIONS AT LEAST HALF THE TIME. One successful example, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, is based on a product found in an Osaka market.” —Fortune

195. “Diverse groups of problem solvers—groups of people with diverse tools—consistently outperformed groups of the best and the brightest. If I formed two groups, one random (and therefore diverse) and one consisting of the best individual performers, the first group almost always did better. … DIVERSITY TRUMPED ABILITY.” —Scott Page, The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and Societies
195

196. Diversity … per se … is a key … maybe the key … to effective and innovative
decision making.

197. “Who’s the most interesting person you’ve met in the last 90 days
“Who’s the most interesting person you’ve met in the last 90 days? How do I get in touch with them?” —Fred Smith
197

198. Once a month on, say, a Friday, invite somebody intriguing, in any field, to have lunch with your gang. Call it: “Freak Fridays”

199. characteristic?” Vanity Fair: “What is your most marked
Mike Bloomberg: “Curiosity.”

200. CQ/Curiosity Quotient
CQ/Curiosity Quotient* *Hire for it in more or less 100% slots/Promote for it

201. “Do one thing every day that scares you.” —Eleanor Roosevelt

202. “Normal” = “0 for 800”

203. Alas: Education [almost invariably]
kills creativity

204. “Every child is born an artist. The trick is to remain an artist
“Every child is born an artist. The trick is to remain an artist.” —Picasso

205. “It is nothing short of a miracle that modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry.” —Albert Einstein

206. “Human creativity is the ultimate economic resource
“Human creativity is the ultimate economic resource.” —Richard Florida, The Rise of the Creative Class

207. Co-creation: Gamechanger!

209. “The Billion-man Research Team: Companies offering work to online communities are reaping the benefits of ‘crowdsourcing.’” —Headline, FT

210. Rob McEwen/CEO/ Goldcorp Inc
Rob McEwen/CEO/ Goldcorp Inc./ Red Lake GOLD Source: Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, Don Tapscott & Anthony Williams

211. 6.

212. Forget>“Learn” “The problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into your mind, but how to get the old ones out.” —Dee Hock

213. Forgetting >> Learning

214. We need a FORMAL … “Forgetting Strategy.”

215. 7.

216. MORE
MOORE

217. From: “Satisfaction” To: “Success”

218. “ ‘Results’ are measured by the success of all those who have purchased your product or service” —Jan Gunnarsson & Olle Blohm, The Welcoming Leader

219. IBM

220. “Lou, with all the money I’ve spent with you guys, why in the hell hasn’t my business been transformed?”

221. IBM to IBM

222. $55B* *IBM Global Services/ “Systems integrator of choice”

223. Planetary Rainmaker-in-Chief
Planetary Rainmaker-in-Chief! “[CEO Sam] Palmisano’s strategy is to expand tech’s borders by pushing users—and entire industries—toward radically different business models. The payoff for IBM would be access to an ocean of revenue—Palmisano estimates it at $500 billion a year —that technology companies have never been able to touch.” —Fortune

224. “You are headed for commodity hell if you don’t have services
“You are headed for commodity hell if you don’t have services.” —Lou Gerstner, on IBM’s coming revolution (1997)

225. UPS

226. What Can Brown Do for You? Source: ubiquitous UPS ad campaign

227. “Big Brown’s New Bag: UPS Aims to Be the Traffic Manager for Corporate America” —Headline/BW “UPS wants to take over the sweet spot in the endless loop of goods, information and capital that all the packages [it moves] represent.” —ecompany.com (E.g., UPS Logistics manages the logistics of 4.5M Ford vehicles, from 21 mfg. sites to 6,000 NA dealers)

228. “WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU. ” “It’s all about solutions
“WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?” “It’s all about solutions. We talk with customers about how to run better, stronger, cheaper supply chains. We have 1,000 engineers who work with customers …” —Bob Stoffel, UPS senior exec

229. Source: BusinessWeek cover story
“THE GIANT STALKING BIG OIL: HOW SCHLUMBERGER IS REWRITING THE RULES OF THE ENERGY GAME.”: “IPM [Integrated Project Management] strays from [Schlumberger’s] traditional role as a service provider and moves deeper into areas once dominated by the majors.”
Source: BusinessWeek cover story

230. IPM’s Chief: “We’ll do just about anything an oilfield owner would want, from drilling to production.”

231. A 2008 BusinessWeek cover story informed us that Schlumberger may well take over the world: “THE GIANT STALKING BIG OIL: How Schlumberger Is Rewriting the Rules of the Energy Game.” In short, Schlumberger knows how to create and run oilfields, anywhere, from drilling to fullscale production to distribution. And the nugget is hardcore, relatively small, technically accomplished, highly autonomous teams. As China and Russia, among others, make their move in energy, state run companies are eclipsing the major independents. (China’s state oil company just surpassed Exxon in market value.) At the center of it all, abetting these new players who are edging out the Exxons and BPs, the Kings of Large-scale, Long-term Project Management wear Schlumberger overalls. At the center of the center of the Schlumberger “empire” is a relatively newly configured outfit, reminiscent of IBM’s Global Services and UPS’ integrated logistics’ experts and even Best Buy’s now ubiquitous “Geek Squads.” The Schlumberger version of IBM Global Services is simply called IPM, for Integrated Project Management. It lives in a nondescript building near Gatwick Airport, and its chief says it will do “just about anything an oilfield owner would want, from drilling to production.” That is, as BusinessWeek put it, “[IPM] strays from [Schlumberger’s] traditional role as a service provider* and moves deeper into areas once dominated by the majors.” (*My old pal was solo on remote offshore platforms interpreting geophysical logs and the like.)

232. GE Enterprise Solutions*
GE Enterprise Solutions delivers high-impact, integrated solutions that improve customers’ productivity and profitability. Enterprise Solutions helps customers compete and win in a changing global environment by combining the power of GE’s intelligent technologies with its multi-industry experience and expertise. Enterprise Solutions comprises high-tech, high-growth businesses including Sensing & Inspection Technologies, Security, GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, and Digital Energy. The business has 17,000 customer-focused associates in more than 60 countries around the world.
*from GE.com

233. “Instant Infrastructure: GE Becomes a General Store for Developing Countries” —headline/ NYT

234. UTC/Otis + UTC/Carrier: boxes. to “integrated building systems”
UTC/Otis + UTC/Carrier: boxes* to “integrated building systems” *elevators, air conditioners

235. MasterCard Advisors
235

236. LEAVE IT TO BEAVER.

237. Trapper: <$20 per beaver pelt. Source: WSJ

238. WDCP/“WILDLIFE DAMAGE-CONTROL PROFESSIONAL”: $150 to “remove” “problem beaver”; $750-$1,000 for flood-control piping … so that beavers can stay. Source: WSJ

239. Trapper = Redneck WDCP = PSF/ Professional Services Provider

240. 7X to 40X for “Solution” [rather than “service transaction”]

241. 8.

242. LITTLE =
BIG

243. #1

244. 7X. 7:30A-8:00P. F12A. 7:30AM = 7:15AM. 8:00PM = 8:15PM.

245. #2

246. Don’t like it?
Don’t pay.
Source: Granite Rock Co.

247. #3

248. Red light flashes=
-10%

249. #4

250. It BEGINS (and ENDS) in the …

251. Parking lot* *Disney

252. #5

253. National “Brand”/ 2-CENT candy

254. #6

255. Big carts =
1.5X
Source: Wal*Mart

256. #7

257. Bag sizes = New markets:
Source: PepsiCo

258. <TGW and … >TGR [Things Gone WRONG-Things Gone RIGHT]

259. “EXPERIENCES ARE AS DISTINCT FROM SERVICES AS SERVICES ARE FROM GOODS
“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

260. Customers describing their service experience as “superior”: 8%
Companies describing
the service experience they provide as
“superior”: 80%
—Source: Bain & Company survey of 362 companies, reported in John DiJulius,
What's the Secret to Providing a World-class Customer Experience?

261. 5X Acquire vs maintain*:
*Recession goal: Higher “market share” current customers

262. CXO* *Chief eXperience Officer
262

263. (1) Amenable to rapid
experimentation/
failure “free” (PR, $$)
(2) Quick to implement/
Quick to Roll out
(3) Inexpensive to
implement/Roll out
(4) Huge multiplier
(5) An “Attitude”

264. Half-day/25 ideas
One week/5 experiments
(3) One month/Select best 2
(4) days/Roll out

265. 9.

266. 25
266

267. “I’m always stopping by our stores— at least 25 a week
“I’m always stopping by our stores— at least 25 a week. I’m also in other places: Home Depot, Whole Foods, Crate & Barrel. … I try to be a sponge to pick up as much as I can. …” —Howard Schultz Source: Fortune, “Secrets of Greatness”

268. MBWA Managing By Wandering Around/HP
268

269. 50% Un-scheduled
269

270. MBWA 4

271. “The four most important words in any organization are …
271

272. MBWA 8: Change the World With Four Words
“WHAT DO YOU THINK?”
Source: courtesy Dave Wheeler, posted at tompeters.com
272

273. MBWA 8

274. MBWA 8: Change the World With EIGHT Words What do you think
MBWA 8: Change the World With EIGHT Words What do you think?* How can I help?** *Dave Wheeler: “What are the four most important words in the boss’ lexicon?” **Boss as CHRO/Chief Hurdle Removal Officer **********************************

275. MBWA 12

276. MBWA 12: Change the World With TWELVE Words What do you think
MBWA 12: Change the World With TWELVE Words What do you think?* How can I help?** What have you learned?*** *Dave Wheeler: “What are the four most important words in the boss’ lexicon?” **Boss as CHRO/Chief Hurdle Removal Officer ********************************** ***What [new thing] have you learned [in the last 24 hours]? **********************

277. MBWA 16

278. MBWA 16: Change the World With SIXTEEN Words What do you think
MBWA 16: Change the World With SIXTEEN Words What do you think?* How can I help?** What have you learned?*** “Thank you!”**** “I’m sorry.”***** *Dave Wheeler: “What are the four most important words in the boss’ lexicon?” **Boss as CHRO/Chief Hurdle Removal Officer ********************************** ***What [new thing] have you learned [in the last 24 hours]? ********************** ****Recognition-Appreciation POWER! ********************************************** *****Accept responsibilities for your bloopers—large or small *************************

279. Tomorrow: How many times will you “ask the WDYT question”. [Count ’em
Tomorrow: How many times will you “ask the WDYT question”? [Count ’em!!] [Practice makes better!] [This is a STRATEGIC skill!]
279

280. You = Your Calendar
280

281. You = Your calendar* *The calendar NEVER lies.
281

282. YOUR CALENDAR KNOWS PRECISELY WHAT YOU REALLY CARE ABOUT. DO YOU????
282

283. Don’t > Do* * “Don’ting” must be systematic > WILLPOWER
283

284. “The one thing you need to know about sustained individual success: Discover what you don’t like doing and STOP doing it.” —Marcus Buckingham, The One Thing You Need to Know

285. “If there is any one ‘secret’ to effectiveness, it is concentration
“If there is any one ‘secret’ to effectiveness, it is concentration. Effective executives do first things first … and they do one thing at a time.” —Peter Drucker
285

286. “It’s always showtime.” —David D’Alessandro, Career Warfare
286

287. “I am a dispenser of enthusiasm.” —Ben Zander

288. “Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm.” —Samuel Taylor Coleridge

289. “A man without a smiling face must not open a shop.” —Chinese Proverb

290. Me first!
290

291. “To develop others, start with yourself.” —Marshall Goldsmith

292. “Being aware of yourself and how you affect everyone around you is what distinguishes a superior leader.” —Edie Seashore (Strategy + Business #45)

293. “How can a high-level leader like _____ be so out of touch with the truth about himself? It’s more common than you would imagine. In fact, the higher up the ladder a leader climbs, the less accurate his self-assessment is likely to be. The problem is an acute lack of feedback [especially on people issues].” —Daniel Goleman (et al.), The New Leaders

294. "Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself" —Leo Tolstoy

295. "You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine." —John C. Maxwell

296. EXCELLENCE is not an "aspiration.”
EXCELLENCE is … THE NEXT FIVE MINUTES.

297. EXCELLENCE is not an "aspiration."
EXCELLENCE is … THE NEXT FIVE MINUTES.
EXCELLENCE is your next conversation.
Or not.
EXCELLENCE is your next meeting.
EXCELLENCE is shutting up and listening—really listening.
EXCELLENCE is your next customer contact.
EXCELLENCE is saying “Thank you” for something “small.”
EXCELLENCE is the next time you shoulder responsibility and apologize.
EXCELLENCE is waaay over-reacting to a screw-up.
EXCELLENCE is the flowers you brought to work today.
EXCELLENCE is lending a hand to an “outsider” who’s fallen behind schedule.
EXCELLENCE is bothering to learn the way folks in finance [or IS or HR] think.
EXCELLENCE is waaay “over”-preparing for a 3-minute presentation.
EXCELLENCE is turning “insignificant” tasks into models of … EXCELLENCE.

298. EXCELLENCE is … THE NEXT FIVE MINUTES.

299. Or not.

300. 10.

301. “Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart.” —Henry Clay, American Statesman ( ) "Let's not forget that small emotions are the great captains of our lives." –—Van Gogh
301

302. Press Ganey Assoc: 139,380 former patients from 225 hospitals: NONE of THE top 15 factors determining Patient Satisfaction referred to patient’s health outcome. Instead: directly related to Staff Interaction; directly correlated with Employee Satisfaction Source: Putting Patients First, Susan Frampton, Laura Gilpin, Patrick Charmel
302

303. “There is a misconception that supportive interactions require more staff or more time and are therefore more costly. Although labor costs are a substantial part of any hospital budget, the interactions themselves add nothing to the budget. KINDNESS IS FREE. Listening to patients or answering their questions costs nothing. It can be argued that negative interactions—alienating patients, being non-responsive to their needs or limiting their sense of control—can be very costly. … Angry, frustrated or frightened patients may be combative, withdrawn and less cooperative—requiring far more time than it would have taken to interact with them initially in a positive way.” Source: Putting Patients First, Susan Frampton, Laura Gilpin, Patrick Charmel (Griffin Hospital/Derby CT; Planetree Alliance)
303

304. K = R = P
304

305. KINDNESS = REPEAT BUSINESS = PROFIT.
305

306. Kindness … WORKS!
Kindness … PAYS!

307. 1/80* *Post-interview “Thank you” notes
307

308. “Thank You.”
308

309. "Appreciative words are the most powerful force for good on earth.”
—George W. Crane, physician, columnist
“The two most powerful things in existence:
a kind word and a thoughtful gesture.”
—Ken Langone, co-founder, Home Depot

310. in the manager’s tool kit!
“Acknowledge” … perhaps the most powerful word (and idea) in the English language—and
in the manager’s tool kit!

311. Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become
“I regard apologizing as the most magical, healing, restorative gesture human beings can make. It is the centerpiece of my work with executives who want to get better.” —Marshall Goldsmith, What Got You
Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become
Even More Successful.
311

313. *divorce, loss of a BILLION $$$ aircraft sale, etc., etc.
Relationships (of all varieties): THERE ONCE WAS A TIME WHEN A THREE-MINUTE PHONE CALL WOULD HAVE AVOIDED SETTING OFF THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL THAT RESULTED IN A COMPLETE RUPTURE.*
*divorce, loss of a BILLION $$$ aircraft sale, etc., etc.
313

314. The completed “three-minute call” often-usually-invariably leads to a strengthening of the relationship. It not only acts as atonement but also paves the path for a “better than ever” trajectory. And having taken the initiative per se is worth its weight in …
314

315. *PERCEPTION IS ALL THERE IS!
THE PROBLEM IS RARELY/NEVER THE PROBLEM. THE RESPONSE TO THE PROBLEM INVARIABLY ENDS UP BEING THE REAL PROBLEM.*
*PERCEPTION IS ALL THERE IS!

316. COMEBACK >> PERFECTION
[BIG, QUICK RESPONSE]
>>
PERFECTION
316

317. *Hence: Service >> Sales (!!)
Acquire vs. maintain:
5X*
*Hence: Service >> Sales (!!)
317

318. Hard is Soft.
Soft is Hard.

319. "SOFT SKILLS” MASTERY = EXCELLENCE IN IMPLEMENTATION

320. Return On Investment In Relationships
320
320

321. R.O.I.R. >> R.O.I.
321
321

322. 11.

323. Wow!
323

325. Zappos 10 Corporate Values Deliver “WOW. ” through service
Zappos 10 Corporate Values Deliver “WOW!” through service. Embrace and drive change. Create fun and a little weirdness. Be adventurous, creative and open-minded. Pursue growth and learning. Build open and honest relationships with
communication. Build a positive team and family spirit. Do more with less. Be passionate and determined. Be humble.
Source: Delivering Happiness, Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos.com
325
325

326. “INSANELY GREAT” Steve Jobs “RADICALLY THRILLING” BMW
326

327. “We are crazy. We should do something when people say it is ‘crazy
“We are crazy. We should do something when people say it is ‘crazy.’ If people say something is ‘good’, it means someone else is already doing it.” —Hajime Mitarai, Canon

328. SKINNING CATS

329. There is more than one way to skin a cat!*
*Every project REQUIRES (if you’re smart) an
outside look by one/some Seriously Weird Cat/s
—in pursuit of whacked-out options.

330. 14,000 20,000 30
330

331. 14,000/eBay 20,000/Amazon 30/Craigslist
331

332. “There’s no use trying,’ said Alice
“There’s no use trying,’ said Alice. ‘One cannot believe impossible things.’ ‘I daresay you haven’t had much practice,’ said the Queen. ‘When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.’” — Lewis Carroll

333. Every project: Where’s your “Craig’s List [WOW!] option”?

334. “We all agree your theory is crazy
“We all agree your theory is crazy. The question, which divides us, is whether it is crazy enough.” —Niels Bohr, to Wolfgang Pauli

335. Kevin Roberts’ Credo 1. Ready. Fire. Aim. 2. If it ain’t broke
Kevin Roberts’ Credo 1. Ready. Fire! Aim. 2. If it ain’t broke ... Break it! 3. Hire crazies. 4. Ask dumb questions. 5. Pursue failure. 6. Lead, follow ... or get out of the way! 7. Spread confusion. 8. Ditch your office. 9. Read odd stuff AVOID MODERATION!
335

336. EXCELLENCE. Always. If not EXCELLENCE, what
EXCELLENCE. Always. If not EXCELLENCE, what? If not EXCELLENCE now, when?