Ouch!

“Data drawn from the real world attest to a fact that is beyond our control: —Norberto Odebrecht, Education Through Work “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

LONG Tom Peters’ Excellence! Excellence! NOW! NOW! Foley & Lardner LLP/Annual Partners Meeting Chicago /15 September 2011 (Presentation/Presentation tompeters.com)

NOTE: To appreciate this presentation [and ensure that it is not a mess ], you need Microsoft fonts: “Showcard Gothic,” “Ravie,” “Chiller” and “Verdana”

“[This year’s] graduates are told [by commencement speakers] to pursue happiness and joy. But, of course, when you read a biography of someone you admire, it’s rarely the things that made them happy that compel our admiration. It’s the things they did to court unhappiness—the things they did that were arduous and miserable, which sometimes cost them friends and aroused hatred. It’s excellence, not happiness, that we admire most.” —David Brooks, “It’s Not About You,” op-ed, New York Times, 30 May 2011

Why in the World did you go to Siberia? go to Siberia?

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

#1

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

18 …

18 … seconds!

[An obsession with] Listening is... the ultimate mark of Respect. 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.) 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 Communication* (*Which is in turn Attribute #1 of organizational effectiveness.) organizational effectiveness.)[cont.]

“I wasn’t bowled over by [David Boies] intelligence … What impressed me was that when he asked a question, he waited for an answer. He not only listened … he made me feel like I was the only person in the room.” —Lawyer Kevin _____, on his first, inadvertent meeting with renown attorney David Boies, from Marshall Goldsmith, “The One Skill That Separates,” Fast Company

**8 of 10 sales presentations fail **50% failed sales presentations … talking “at” before listening! —Susan Scott, “Let Silence Do the Heavy Listening,” chapter title, Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life, One Conversation at a Time

Message: Listening is a … profession! Message: Listening is a … profession!

“Execution is strategy.”

Conrad ilton … Conrad H ilton …

Conrad Hilton, at a gala celebrating his career, was called to the podium and asked, His answer … 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 …

“ remember to tuck the shower curtain inside the bathtub.”

“Execution is strategy.” —Fred Malek

“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.” “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* *Ulysses Simpson Grant (U.S. Grant) was actually Hiram Ulysses Grant

“ARE YOU BEING REASONABLE? Most people are reasonable; that’s why they only do reasonably well.” “ARE YOU BEING REASONABLE? Most people are reasonable; that’s why they only do reasonably well.” Source: Paul Arden, Whatever You Think Think the Opposite

The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it. Michelangelo

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

“ 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, wildly successful Canadian Oil & Gas wildcatter

starts at home

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

“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. The problem is an acute lack of feedback [especially on people issues].” —Daniel Goleman (et al.), The New Leaders “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

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself" - Leo Tolstoy

Listen to your grandmother!

“Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart.” “Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart.” —Henry Clay, American Statesman ( )

K = R = P Kindness = Repeat business = Profit.

Kindness = Repeat Business = Profit. Profit.

“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. Even More Successful.

With a new and forthcoming policy on apologies … Toro, the lawn mower folks, reduced the average cost of settling a claim from $115,000 in 1991 to $35,000 in 2008— and the company hasn’t been to trial in the last 15 years! The VA hospital in Lexington, Massachusetts, developed an approach, totally uncharacteristic in healthcare, to apologizing for errors—even when no patient request or claim was made. In 2000, the systemic mean VA hospital malpractice settlement throughout the United States was $413,000; the Lexington VA hospital settlement number was $36,000 —and there were far fewer per patient claims to begin with.) Source: John Kador, Effective Apology

Cross-border Conversations

Never waste a lunch!* Never waste a lunch!* *The sacred 220 Abs.

“ I am hundreds of times better here [than in my prior hospital assignment] because of the support system. It’s like you were 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 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

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

“Allied commands depend on mutual confidence and this confidence is gained, above all through the development of friendships.” of friendships.” —General D.D. Eisenhower, Armchair General* *“Perhaps his most outstanding ability [at West Point] was the ease with which he made friends and earned the trust of fellow cadets who came from widely varied backgrounds ; it was a quality that would pay great dividends during his future coalition command.” was the ease with which he made friends and earned the trust of fellow cadets who came from widely varied backgrounds ; it was a quality that would pay great dividends during his future coalition command.”

Loser: “He’s such a suck-up!” Winner: “He’s such a suck-down.”

Which customers first?

“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)

… no less than Cathedrals in which the full and awesome power of the Imagination and Spirit and native Entrepreneurial flair of diverse individuals is unleashed in passionate pursuit of … Excellence.

The Memories That Matter.

The Memories That Matter The Memories That Matter The people you developed who went on to stellar accomplishments inside or outside stellar accomplishments inside or outside the company. the company. The (no more than) two or three people you developed who went on to create stellar institutions of their own. create stellar institutions of their own. The long shots (people with “a certain something”) you bet on who surprised themselves—and your peers. 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,” later say “You made a difference in my life,” “Your belief in me changed everything.” “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.) 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 still make you smile and which fundamentally changed the way things are done inside or outside the company/industry. things are done inside or outside the company/industry. The supercharged camaraderie of a handful of Great Teams aiming to The supercharged camaraderie of a handful of Great Teams aiming to “change the world.” “change the world.”

“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?”

Les Wexner: From sweaters to people!

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

You are What You Eat You are What You Eat

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

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 ” 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’ ”

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

“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

The Bottleneck … “ The Bottleneck …

The Bottleneck … Is at the Top of the Bottle” “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 … At the top!” — Gary Hamel/Harvard Business Review “ The Bottleneck … Is at the Top of the Bottle” “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 … At the top!” — Gary Hamel/Harvard Business Review

Obvious as the end of your nose Obvious as the end of your nose

“Headline 2020: Women Hold 80 Percent of Management and Professional Jobs” Source: The Extreme Future: The Top Trends That Will Reshape the World in the Next 20 Years, James Canton

“Power Women 100” 26 female CEOs of Public Companies Vs. Men/Market: +28%* V s. Industry: +15%* *Post-appointment Source: Forbes 10,10 “Power Women 100” 26 female CEOs of Public Companies Vs. Men/Market: +28%* V s. Industry: +15%* *Post-appointment Source: Forbes 10,10

“AS LEADERS, WOMEN RULE: New Studies find that female managers outshine their male counterparts in almost every measure” TITLE/ Special Report/ BusinessWeek

Women’s Negotiating Strengths *Ability to put themselves in their counterparties’ shoes *Comprehensive, attentive and detailed communication style *Empathy that facilitates trust-building *Curious and attentive listening *Less competitive attitude *Strong sense of fairness and ability to persuade *Proactive risk manager *Collaborative decision-making Source: Horacio Falcao, Cover story/May 2006, World Business, “Say It Like a Woman: Why the 21 st -century negotiator will need the female touch”

“Forget China, India and the Internet : Economic Growth Is Driven by Women.” Source: Headline, Economist

“Men Are Finished” Source: Title, Slate conference, 0920/NYU

GREAT Professional Service Firms

GREAT Professional Service Firms 1. Stunning commitment to integrity. 2. Counselors first. (“We are not in a commodity business.” Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.) 3. Stellar listeners—to our Clients. 4. Stellar listeners—to our fellow partners. 5. Stellar listeners—to our most junior associates. (!!!!!) 6. Stellar listeners—to every member of staff. 7. Insatiable curiosity marks 100% of partners. 8. We live to serve/Extreme service ethic. 9. Our leaders are servant leaders. (Every partner is a leader first.) 10. Deeply ingrained sense of fairness. 11. Hustlers—but thoughtful to a fault! (Excise rude bastards.) 12. “Service ethic” means service to one another as much as service to clients. 13. Drop everything to assist a colleague in need—central to our overall ethos. 14. Toss “lousy colleagues” out on their derrieres. GREAT Professional Service Firms 1. Stunning commitment to integrity. 2. Counselors first. (“We are not in a commodity business.” Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.) 3. Stellar listeners—to our Clients. 4. Stellar listeners—to our fellow partners. 5. Stellar listeners—to our most junior associates. (!!!!!) 6. Stellar listeners—to every member of staff. 7. Insatiable curiosity marks 100% of partners. 8. We live to serve/Extreme service ethic. 9. Our leaders are servant leaders. (Every partner is a leader first.) 10. Deeply ingrained sense of fairness. 11. Hustlers—but thoughtful to a fault! (Excise rude bastards.) 12. “Service ethic” means service to one another as much as service to clients. 13. Drop everything to assist a colleague in need—central to our overall ethos. 14. Toss “lousy colleagues” out on their derrieres.

GREAT Professional Service Firms 15. Intellectual/Process point of view that is Distinct/Exciting. 16. Every partner must have a point of view of note. 17. The definition of the very best partners is that they are “insanely great” (thanks, Steve) mentors! 18. Equal compensation/recognition to top “rainmakers,” “intellectuals,” magical mentors. 19. Invest heavily in ideas. 20. Technology pioneers. (Yes, “pioneer.”) 21. A decent share of oddballs; not “rainmakers” but disturbers-of-the-peace. (Often irritating people.) 22. Relatively high turnover and high “d”/Diversity in top leadership committees. 23. Quality >> Quantity. (Big is fine as a byproduct of Great Work. “Big for big’s sake” is unfine.) 24. Significant portfolio of interesting clients. (I.e. clients that lead us-drag us into new pastures.) 25. Willingness to dump bad-demotivating-enervating clients (even big ones). GREAT Professional Service Firms 15. Intellectual/Process point of view that is Distinct/Exciting. 16. Every partner must have a point of view of note. 17. The definition of the very best partners is that they are “insanely great” (thanks, Steve) mentors! 18. Equal compensation/recognition to top “rainmakers,” “intellectuals,” magical mentors. 19. Invest heavily in ideas. 20. Technology pioneers. (Yes, “pioneer.”) 21. A decent share of oddballs; not “rainmakers” but disturbers-of-the-peace. (Often irritating people.) 22. Relatively high turnover and high “d”/Diversity in top leadership committees. 23. Quality >> Quantity. (Big is fine as a byproduct of Great Work. “Big for big’s sake” is unfine.) 24. Significant portfolio of interesting clients. (I.e. clients that lead us-drag us into new pastures.) 25. Willingness to dump bad-demotivating-enervating clients (even big ones).

GREAT Professional Service Firms 26. Understand that we are running a for-profit enterprise. Cash flow matters! (A lot.) 27. In love with our work! (Expunge those who are not in love with their work—dump the burnouts.) 28. Sense of fun. (Yes, damn it.) 30. Professional to a fault but not pompous. 31. Notable-visible respect for the ideas of young associates.(!!!!!!) 32. “d”iversity. (And Diversity.) 33. Practice-as-teamwork. (Teammate-ism rewarded, lack thereof punished with extreme prejudice.) 34. Deep bench. “Supporting cast,” notably starting with receptionists, must be of same quality as partners— there are no “bit players” in our business. 35. Age gracefully gives way to youth—regeneration a deep-seated guiding belief. 36. Hard work expected and cherished—workaholism for workaholism’s sake assiduously guarded against. 37. Proud of our culture, guard our culture zealously—but even “great cultures” age. (And get horribly elaborated.) GREAT Professional Service Firms 26. Understand that we are running a for-profit enterprise. Cash flow matters! (A lot.) 27. In love with our work! (Expunge those who are not in love with their work—dump the burnouts.) 28. Sense of fun. (Yes, damn it.) 30. Professional to a fault but not pompous. 31. Notable-visible respect for the ideas of young associates.(!!!!!!) 32. “d”iversity. (And Diversity.) 33. Practice-as-teamwork. (Teammate-ism rewarded, lack thereof punished with extreme prejudice.) 34. Deep bench. “Supporting cast,” notably starting with receptionists, must be of same quality as partners— there are no “bit players” in our business. 35. Age gracefully gives way to youth—regeneration a deep-seated guiding belief. 36. Hard work expected and cherished—workaholism for workaholism’s sake assiduously guarded against. 37. Proud of our culture, guard our culture zealously—but even “great cultures” age. (And get horribly elaborated.)

GREAT Professional Service Firms 38. Rigorous exit interviews. 39. Rigorous evaluations of client satisfaction by more or less disinterested parties. 40. Sky-high time investment in our evaluation process. 41. My legacy (as a partner) is: Being “of service.” Developing people. Being a good colleague—which absorbed lots of my time. Doing consistently superior (sky high) quality work. Adding materially to the ideas base of the Firm. Insuring the continuity of the firm—culturally and financially. Being a paragon of integrity and decency. Leaving gracefully. 42. “Execution is strategy.” (Thanks, Fred.) 43. My word is my bond. 44. Excellence. PERIOD. GREAT Professional Service Firms 38. Rigorous exit interviews. 39. Rigorous evaluations of client satisfaction by more or less disinterested parties. 40. Sky-high time investment in our evaluation process. 41. My legacy (as a partner) is: Being “of service.” Developing people. Being a good colleague—which absorbed lots of my time. Doing consistently superior (sky high) quality work. Adding materially to the ideas base of the Firm. Insuring the continuity of the firm—culturally and financially. Being a paragon of integrity and decency. Leaving gracefully. 42. “Execution is strategy.” (Thanks, Fred.) 43. My word is my bond. 44. Excellence. PERIOD.

Excellence. Always. If not Excellence, what? If not Excellence now, when?