Them-Us Tom Peters/0626.2006

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Synonyms Purity Transcendence Virtue Elegance Majesty Antonyms Mediocrity

Them-Us

“Them” “Us” Strategy EXECUTION Strategy MANAGEMENT Strategy People Strategy “Culture”-Values Planning Action Marketing Selling/Sales Marketing Customers as Raving Fans Customers Clients Micro-segmentation Big Stuff (Women, Boomers) Cost minimization Revenue maximization Synergy/“Efficiencies” Decentralization “Strategic supplier Pioneering supplier Process Project Men Women Leadership Management + Leadership Standardization Exceptionalism (53 = 53)

“Them” “Us” Big Mid-size (bacteria) Growth by merger Organic growth Buy market share Create NEW markets Efficient, streamlined Value-creating “PSF” “department” Certainty-predictability Ambiguity-opportunity Fearful of losing Aggressive pursuit of winning Plan Prototype Careful evaluation Another prototype Revised plan Another prototype People/Employees Talent Effective HR department Rockin’ Talent Development Center Benchmark against the Benchmark against the “best”-“industry leader” “coolest”

“Them” “Us” Benchmark “Future”mark Orderly career progression “Up or Out” (PDQ) Head Heart IQ EQ “Professional” Passionate Stoic, humble leaders Noisy, emotional “characters” in charge Hire for Resume Hire for intangibles Measured-thoughtful Relentless, pig-headed approach determination Teamwork comes first Teamwork and disruptive individuals equal billing Listen to customers Lead customers Customer “involvement” Intimate-Seamless customer inter-twining

“Them” “Us” MBM (Management MBWA by memo/meeting) MBA MFA/School of Hard Knocks Shareholder Value Great people-product rule comes first (Shareholder value derivative) Work smart Work hard Built to last Built to Rock the World Reward successes Reward (XCELLENT) failures Quality first! Design 1T Quality first! Innovation 1T High-quality Jaw-dropping Experience transaction CVs demo consistent CVs feature Magic Moments performance Good grades Cool stuff Operational excellence World-rocking INNOVATION

“Them” “Us” Brand Lovemark Best analysis wins Best STORY wins “Beyond politics” Politics-is-life, the rest is details Outsource Best source “Motivate” Send on QUESTS “Motivate” Invite to join adventure “Motivate” Don’t De-motivate Measured language HOT language Product-Service Gamechanging SOLUTION, Thrilling EXPERIENCE, DREAM come true, LOVEMARK Pastel Technicolor

“Them” “Us” Better Different “Mission success” “Mission EXCELLENCE” Very good EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS.

A Life’s Work/More or Less First 1966: MBWA/Do>Talk/Listen/Lead From The Front 1974: Behavioralism: Do>Talk/IMPLEMENTATION>Strategy 1979: 7S/Emphasis on “Soft Ss” (“Hard is soft. Soft is hard.”) 1982: “Beyond strategy” EXCELLENCE “Bias for Action”/“Do it. Fix it. Try it again.” “Close to the Customer” MBWA (as metaphor) “Management Style” 1990: “Innovate or Die” Design Women Brand You WOW! (Passion. Enthusiasm. Energy. Emotion. Technicolor) 2000: “The Work Matters” PSF+BY+WowProjects = V.A. Source #1 Brand “Inside”

EXCELLENCE. CAUSES. ADVERSARIES.

Adversaries B-schools (crappy at soft skills, implementation, leadership) Strategy-is-all By-the-numbers management Dis-passionate management Focus groups Intuition discounted Leading as an intellectual task Leading without passion Cool language in Hot times Dilbert (accepting cubicle slavery) Bigness per se (severe scale limitations—even at Microsoft) White guys! (not really, but enough already) 18-44 emphasis in marketing (geezers > youth for foreseeable future) -Cost > +Revenue (cost cutting more important than organic revenue growth) CI (continuous improvement in an age of discontinuous world) LESS THAN THE NO-HOLDS-BARRED PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE

*B.Schools (“M.I.A.” or at most “B.I.A.”—barely in action) M.B.A./M.I.A.*: Talk. (Present.) Listen. (Interview.) Sell. (Life = Sales.) Do. (Execution-Implementation.) Talent. (Recruit-Develop-Retain.) Project Management. (Create. Solicit support. Execution. Adoption-Client “Culture Change.”) Product. (“It.”) Innovation. (Design. Creativity. “Buzz-building.” Politics.) Leadership. (USMA, etc.) E.Q. (Connect.) “Culture” Change. (Lasting impact.) Diversity. (Cross-cultural Effectiveness.) Career Creation. (Brand You life-lifestyle.) Wellness. (Life.) *B.Schools (“M.I.A.” or at most “B.I.A.”—barely in action)

Implementation/Small Wins (Stanford GSB/PhD thesis; Causes/1966-2006 Implementation/Small Wins (Stanford GSB/PhD thesis; 1st on implementation per se) EXCELLENCE (as a worthy business pursuit) Management Style/Corporate Culture Soft “Ss”/7-S (Waterman-Peters complete “business model”; waaaaay beyond Strategy & Structure) Structure > Strategy (“We shape our structures, then they shape us …”—Churchillian paraphrase) Soft Change Levers (> structure; symbols, patterns & settings) Close to the Customer (novel idea, circa 1982) MBWA (Managing By Wandering Around—courtesy a much more intimate than today HP) Productivity through People (novel idea, circa 1982) Chaos/Crazy Times Call for Crazy Organizations Middle-sized companies are cool Re-imagine!/Innovate or Die! Small-ish/Scale & Synergy limits-delusions/anti-Big Mergers

Causes/1966-2006 Women/Market opportunity Women/Leaders (right for the times) Design/Design-as-soul Wow! (Hot language) Weird! Passion!/Enthusiasm!/Exuberance! (as Leader Lever #1) Brand You (or else) PSF = Bedrock (add value or bust—every group must demonstrate economic viability) PSF + Brand You + WOW Projects = New Biz Logic Sales/+R > -C (increasing revenue more important than cutting cost) HealthCare/Wellness-Safety-H5N1 Brand = Talent (best roster wins) New VA Ladder/Products-Services-SOLUTIONS-EXPERIENCES-DREAMKETING (Dream Marketing)-LOVEMARK Different > > Better Boomers & Geezers/marketing to new “mega-segment”