1. EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS. Tom Peters/ExpoManagement Mexico D.F./08June 2006

2. 25

3. Slides at … tompeters.com

4. The Irreducible209

5. A frustrated participant at a seminar for investment bankers in Mauritius listened impatiently to my explanation of differences of opinion among me, Mike Porter, Gary Hamel, Jim Collins, etc. Finally, he’d had enough. “What, if anything,” he asked, “do you believe ‘for sure’?” I mumbled something, but his query started rumbling around in my mind. Three days later, wandering on a Sunday in London, the idea of “the irreducibles” occurred to me—and I started jotting down notes on stuff I do indeed believe “for sure.” Before I knew it, a few days later, the list had grown to 209 items. Hence “The Irreducible209” that follows. Tom Peters

6. Manhole Cover Madness and More ….

7. Chicagoland’s Mystery Disappearances …

8. THREE BILLION NEW CAPITALISTS —Clyde Prestowitz

9. “One Singaporean worker costs as much as … 3 … in Malaysia 8 … in Thailand 13 … in China 18 … in India.” Source: The Straits Times/2003

10. “Thaksinomics” (after Thaksin Shinawatra, PM)/ “Bangkok Fashion City”: “managed asset reflation” (add to brand value of Thai textiles by demonstrating flair and design excellence) Source: The Straits Times/2004

11. “Forget China, India and the Internet: Economic Growth Is Driven by Women.” —Headline, Economist, April 15, 2006, Leader, page 14

12. EXCELLENCE. THE MANDATE.

13. “If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.” —General Eric Shinseki, Chief of Staff. U. S. Army

14. “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” —Charles Darwin

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

16. Sam’s Secret #1!

17. "I think it is very important for you to do two things: act on your temporary conviction as if it was a real conviction; and when you realize that you are wrong, correct course very quickly.” —Andy Grove

18. “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. 10. It gets back to planning versus acting: We act from day one; others plan how to plan— for months.” —Bloomberg by Bloomberg

19. “ 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

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

21. EXCELLENCE. THE GENERAL’S STORY.

22. “If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.” —General Eric Shinseki, Chief of Staff. U. S. Army

23. “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” —Charles Darwin

24. Nelson’s secret: “[Other] admirals more frightened of losing than anxious to win”

25. EXCELLENCE. STARTERS.

26. Radio City Music Hall September 2005

27. Franchise Lost! TP: “ How many of you [600] really crave a new Chevy?” NYC/IIR/061205

28. P.P.E.E.R.R.E.

29. People. Product. Execution. Enthusiasm. Relentless. Re-invent. Excellence.

31. EXCELLENCE. THE WORD.

32. Synonyms Purity Transcendence Virtue Elegance Majesty Antonyms Mediocrity

33. EXCELLENCE. GAMECHANGER.

34. 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”

35. ExIn*: 1982-2002/Forbes.com DJIA : $10,000 yields $85,000 EI : $10,000 yields $140,050 *Forbes/ Excellence Index /Basket of 32 publicly traded stocks

36. EXCELLENCE. CAUSES. ADVERSARIES.

37. 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

38. 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”

39. Hardball: Are You Playing to Play or Playing to Win? by George Stalk & Rob Lachenauer/HBS Press “The winners in business have always played hardball.” “Unleash massive and overwhelming force.” “Exploit anomalies.” “Threaten your competitor’s profit sanctuaries.” “Entice your competitor into retreat.” Approximately 640 Index entries: Customer/s (service, retention, loyalty), 4. People ( employees, motivation, morale, worker/s), 0. Innovation ( product development, research & development, new products), 0.

40. 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)

41. 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

42. EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS.

43. “Why in the world did you go to Siberia?”

44. The Peters Principles: Enthusiasm. Emotion. Excellence. Energy. Excitement. Service. Growth. Creativity. Imagination. Vitality. Joy. Surprise. Independence. Spirit. Community. Limitless human potential. Diversity. Profit. Innovation. Design. Quality. Entrepreneurialism. Wow.

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

46. Business: The Ultimate Creative Endeavor.

47. Business: The Ultimate Personal Development- Growth Experience.

48. Business: The Ultimate Transcendent Service Opportunity.

49. EXCELLENCE. YOU & ME.

50. “ In Tom’s world, it’s always better to try a swan dive and deliver a colossal belly flop than to step timidly off the board while holding your nose.” —Fast Company /October2003

51. “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body—but rather a skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, ‘Wow, what a ride!’ ” —anon.

52. “This is the true joy of Life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one … the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.” —GB Shaw/Man and Superman

53. EXCELLENCE. WANTING.

54. This is not a “mature category.”

55. This is an “ undistinguished category.”

56. “ The ‘surplus society’ has a surplus of similar companies, employing similar people, with similar educational backgrounds, coming up with similar ideas, producing similar things, with similar prices and s imilar quality.” Kjell Nordström and Jonas Ridderstråle, Funky Business

57. “ 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

58. EXCELLENCE. NO EXCUSES.

59. Summary: WallopWal*Mart16* *Or: Why it’s so absurdly easy to beat a GIANT Company

60. The “Small Guys” Guide: Wallop Wal*Mart16 * Niche-aimed. (Never, ever “all things for all people,” a “mini- Wal*Mart.) * Never attack the monsters head on! (Instead steal niche business and lukewarm customers.) *“Dramatically Different” (La Difference... within our community, our industry regionally, etc … is as obvious as the end of one’s nose!) (THIS IS WHERE MOST MIDGETS COME UP SHORT.) * Compete on value/experience/intimacy, not price. (You ain’t gonna beat the behemoths on cost-price in 9.99 out of 10 cases.) * Emotional bond with Clients, Vendors. (BEAT THE BIGGIES ON EMOTION/CONNECTION!!)

61. EXCELLENCE. DRAMATIC. DIFFERENCE.

62. “A focus on cost-cutting and efficiency has helped many organizations weather the downturn, but this approach will ultimately render them obsolete. Only the constant pursuit of innovation can ensure long-term success.” —Daniel Muzyka, Dean, Sauder School of Business, Univ of British Columbia (FT/09.17.04)

63. We become who we hang out with!

64. Measure “Strangeness”/Portfolio Quality Staff Consultants Vendors Out-sourcing Partners (#, Quality) Innovation Alliance Partners Customers Competitors (who we “benchmark” against) Strategic Initiatives Product Portfolio (LineEx v. Leap) IS/IT Projects HQ Location Lunch Mates Language Board

65. EXCELLENCE! ALWAYS!

66. $798

67. $415/SqFt/Wal*Mart $798/SqFt/Whole Foods

68. 7X. 730A- 800P. F12A.* *’93-’03/10 yr annual return: CB: 29%; WM: 17%; HD: 16%. Mkt Cap: 48% p.a.

70. “It’s simple, really, Tom. Hire for s, and, above all, promote for s.” —Starbucks middle manager/field

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

72. EXCELLENCE. PITIFUL.

73. ???????? 6/44

74. P&G

75. EXCELLENCE. FOUND.

76. “To be a leader in consumer products, it’s critical to have leaders who represent the population we serve.” —Steve Reinemund/PepsiCo

77. EXCELLENCE. OPPORTUNITY.

78. “Women are the majority market” —Fara Warner/The Power of the Purse

79. The Perfect Answer Jill and Jack buy slacks in black…

81. 1. Men and women are different. 2. Very different. 3. VERY, VERY DIFFERENT. 4. Women & Men have a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y nothing in common. 5. Women buy lotsa stuff. 6. WOMEN BUY A-L-L THE STUFF. 7. Women’s Market = Opportunity No. 1. 8. Men are (STILL) in charge. 9. MEN ARE … TOTALLY, HOPELESSLY CLUELESS ABOUT WOMEN. 10. Women’s Market = Opportunity No. 1.

82. 10. Women’s Market = Opportunity No. 1.

83. EXCELLENCE. OPPORTUNITY.

84. 2000-2010 Stats 18-44: -1% 55+: +21% (55-64: +47% )

85. 44-65: “New Customer Majority” * *45% larger than 18-43; 60% larger by 2010 Source: Ageless Marketing, David Wolfe & Robert Snyder

86. “The New Customer Majority is the only adult market with realistic prospects for significant sales growth in dozens of product lines for thousands of companies.” —David Wolfe & Robert Snyder, Ageless Marketing

87. The Irreducible209

88. 73. Exercise. 74. Paint. (Leader. Portraits of Excellence.) 75. Best story wins. 76. “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” 77. Two “big ones.” Max. (Priorities.) 78. No “I” in Team. (“I” in Win.) 79. “I” in Win. (No “I” in Team.) 80. Different 1, Better 0. (Better = 0.1) 81. Imitation = Mistake. (Learn, from who?) 82. Choose/battle the “right” competitor. 83. Schools. Creativity. Entrepreneurship. (Not.) 84. MBAs. Creativity. Entrepreneurship. Leadership. (Not.) 85. Design. Under-rated. Wildly. (Still.) (Everything.)

89. EXCELLENCE. VALUE ADDED.

90. $55B

91. The [Only?] Answer PSF (Professional Service Firm “model”/The Organizing Principle ) + Brand You (“Distinct” or “Extinct”/The Talent ) + Wow! Projects (“Different” vs “Better”/The Work )

92. “Big Brown’s New Bag: UPS Aims to Be the Traffic Manager for Corporate America” —Headline/BW/2004

93. MasterCard Advisors

94. I. LAN Installation Co. (3%) II. Geek Squad. (30%.) III. Acquired by BestBuy. IV. Flagship of BestBuy Wholesale “Solutions” Strategy Makeover.

95. EXCELLENCE. NECESSITY. OPPORTUNITY.

96. “ ‘Disintermediation’ is overrated. Those who fear disintermediation should in fact be afraid of irrelevance—disintermediation is just another way of saying that … you’ve become irrelevant to your customers.” —John Battelle/Point/Advertising Age/07.05

97. 43,000

98. Chicago: HRMAC

99. “support function” / “cost center”/ “overhead” or …

100. Are you … “ Rock Stars of the Age of Talent”

101. Are you the … “Principal Engine of Value Added” *E.g.: Your R&D budget as robust as the New Products team?

102. The Irreducible209

103. 117. Negotiation. Make all winners. (Save face.) 118. Grace makes enemies friends. 119. Network. 120. Invest in relationships. (Think ROIR. Return On Investment in Relationships.) 118. Relationship investment. Forethought. Calendar item. Intensity. 119. Innovation. Easy. (Hang out with weird.) 120. Weird = Win. (Weird times.) 121. “The bottleneck is at the top of the bottle.” 122. Good Board = Weird Board. (At least, surprising.) 123. No contention, no progress.

104. EXCELLENCE. NO OPTION.

105. “ ‘Disintermediation’ is overrated. Those who fear disintermediation should in fact be afraid of irrelevance—disintermediation is just another way of saying that … you’ve become irrelevant to your customers.” —John Battelle/Point/Advertising Age/07.05

106. Department Head to … Managing Partner, IS [HR, R&D, etc.] Inc.

107. The “PSF35” : Thirty-Five Professional Service Firm Marks of Excellence

108. The PSF35: The Work & The Legacy 1. CRYSTAL CLEAR POINT OF VIEW (E very Practice Group: “If you can’t explain your position in eight words or less, you don’t have a position”—Seth Godin) 2. DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE (“We are the only ones who do what we do”—Jerry Garcia) 3. Stretch Is Routine (“Never bite off less than you can chew”—anon.) 4. Eye-Appetite for Game-changer Projects (Excellence at Assembling “Best Team”—Fast) 5. “Playful” Clients (Adventurous folks who unfailingly Aim to Change the World) 6. Small “Uneconomic” Clients with Big Aims 7. Life Is Too Short to Work with Jerks (Fire lousy clients) 8. OBSESSED WITH LEGACY (Practice Group and Individual: “Dent the Universe”—Steve Jobs) 9. Fire-on-the-spot Anyone Who Says, “Law/Architecture/Consulting/ I-banking/ Accounting/PR/Etc. has become a ‘commodity’ ” 10. Consistent with #9 above … DO NOT SHY AWAY FROM THE WORD (IDEA) “RADICAL”

109. Point of View!

110. R.POV8* *Remarkable Point Of View/8 Words or less/“If you can’t state your position in eight words or less you don’t have a position.”—SG

111. EXCELLENCE. ATTITUDE. TRANSFORMATION.

112. “Purchasing Officer” Thrust #1: Cost (at All Costs*) Minimization Professional ? Or/to: Full Partner- Leader in Lifetime Value-added Maximization ? (*Lopez: “Arguably ‘Villain #1’ in GM tragedy”/Anon VSE-Spain)

113. PSF Transformation: Credit Department/Trek Was Is Credit Dept Financial Services Hammer on dealers until Make dealers successful so they they pay CAN pay AR sold to 3 rd party Trek is the commercial financial commercial co. Company 23 employees 12 employees Oversee peak AR of $70M Oversee peak AR of $160M Identify risky dealers Identify opportunities Cost Center Profit Center No products Products: Consulting, MC/Visa, Stored value of gift cards, Gift card peripherals, Online payments Source: John Burke/0330.06

114. EXCELLENCE. UP THE LADDER.

115. The Value-added Ladder/Stuff ‘n’ Things Goods Raw Materials

116. The Value-added Ladder/Stuff & Transactions Services Goods Raw Materials

117. The Value-added Ladder/Opportunity-seeking Gamechanging Solutions Services Goods Raw Materials

118. Answer: PSF

119. EXCELLENCE. EXPERIENCE IT.

120. “ 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

121. “ Club Med is more than just a ‘resort’; it’s a means of rediscovering oneself, of inventing an entirely new ‘me.’ ” Source: Jean-Marie Dru, Disruption

122. EXCELLENCE. UP THE LADDER.

123. The Value-added Ladder/Memorable Connection Spellbinding Experiences Gamechanging Solutions Services Goods Raw Materials

124. C X O* *Chief e X perience Officer

125. EXCELLENCE. DREAM IT.

126. DREAM: “A dream is a complete moment in the life of a client. Important experiences that tempt the client to commit substantial resources. The essence of the desires of the consumer. The opportunity to help clients become what they want to be.” —Gian Luigi Longinotti-Buitoni

127. EXCELLENCE. UP THE LADDER.

128. The Value-added Ladder/Emotion Dreams Come True Spellbinding Experiences Gamechanging Solutions Services Goods Raw Materials

129. Furniture vs. Dreams “We do not sell ‘furniture’ at Domain. We sell dreams. This is accomplished by addressing the half- formed needs in our customers’ heads. By uncovering these needs, we, in essence, fill in the blanks. We convert ‘needs’ into ‘dreams.’ Sales are the inevitable result.” — Judy George, Domain Home Fashions

130. C DM* *Chief Dream Merchant

131. EXCELLENCE. LOVE IT.

132. “ Brands have run out of juice. They’re dead.” —Kevin Roberts/Saatchi & Saatchi

133. Kevin Roberts: Lovemarks !

137. Tattoo Brand : What % of users would tattoo the brand name on their body?

138. Top 10 “Tattoo Brands”* Harley.… 18.9% Disney.... 14.8 Coke …. 7.7 Google.... 6.6 Pepsi.... 6.1 Rolex …. 5.6 Nike …. 4.6 Adidas …. 3.1 Absolut …. 2.6 Nintendo …. 1.5 *BRANDsense: Build Powerful Brands through Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight, and Sound, Martin Lindstrom

139. C L O* *Chief Lovemar k Officer

140. EXCELLENCE. THE STORY.

141. “Storytelling is the core of culture.” —Branded Nation: The Marketing of Megachurch, College Inc., and Museumworld, James Twitchell

142. Best Story Wins! “A key – perhaps the key – to leadership is the effective communication of a story.” —Howard Gardner/Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership

143. Market Power = Story Power

144. C ST O* *Chief Storytelling Officer

145. The Irreducible209

146. 163. Own up. Quick. ( Denial. Cancer.) 164. Celebrate. Often. 165. 78 people = 78 approaches. (Each. Unique.) 166. Weed. Ceaselessly. (Prune. Stupid. Rules. Non-stop.) 167. Get out of the way. (You = The problem.) 168. Smile. Sunny. Optimism. (If it kills you.) 169. Flowers. (Cheery workplace.) 170. Enjoy. (Or get the hell.) 171. Be intolerant of “sour.” (1 = Major pollution) 172. No “quick trigger” on promotion. (Too important.) 173. Evaluation = Lots of study-time. 174. Evaluation = “Life or death” to evaluee. 175. “360” evaluation. No fad. 176. Exit when you’re done. (Done. Sooner than you think.)

147. EXCELLENCE. BEDROCK.

148. “Management has a lot to do with answers. Leadership is a function of questions. And the first question for a leader always is: ‘Who do we intend to be?’ Not ‘What are we going to do?’ but ‘Who do we intend to be?’” —Max De Pree, Herman Miller

149. “People want to be part of something larger than themselves. They want to be part of something they’re really proud of, that they’ll fight for, sacrifice for, trust.” —Howard Schultz, Starbucks (IBD/09.05)

150. EXCELLENCE. PASSION.

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

152. “Most important, he upped the energy level at Motorola.” —Fortune on Ed Zander/08.05

153. EXCELLENCE. BEDROCK.

154. Brand = Talent.

155. Organizing Genius / Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman “Groups become great only when everyone in them, leaders and members alike, is free to do his or her absolute best.” “The best thing a leader can do for a Great Group is to allow its members to discover their greatness.”

156. Leadership’s Mt Everest/Mt Excellence “free to do his or her absolute best” … “allow its members to discover their greatness.”

157. “The role of the Director is to create a space where the actor or actress can become more than they’ve ever been before, more than they’ve dreamed of being.” —Robert Altman, Oscar acceptance

158. “We are a ‘life Success Company”’ founder, RE/MAX

159. 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

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

161. Les Wexner: From sweaters to … people!

162. DD$21M

163. A review of Jack and Suzy Welch’s Winning claims there are but two key differentiators that set GE “culture” apart from the herd: First: Separating financial forecasting and performance measurement. Performance measurement based, as it usually is, on budgeting leads to an epidemic of gaming the system. GE’s performance measurement is divorced from budgeting—and instead reflects how you do relative to your past performance and relative to competitors’ performance; ie it’s about how you actually do in the context of what happened in the real world, not as compared to a gamed-abstract plan developed last year. Second: Putting HR on a par with finance and marketing.

164. EXCELLENCE. WOMEN. RULE.

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

166. ???????? 6/44

167. “Forget China, India and the Internet: Economic Growth Is Driven by Women.” —Headline, Economist, April 15, 2006, Leader, page 14

168. EXCELLENCE. INDIVIDUAL. BRAND YOU.

169. Core Mechanism : “Game-changing Solutions” PSF (Professional Service Firm “model”/The Organizing Principle ) + Brand You (“Distinct” or “Extinct”/The Talent ) + Wow! Projects (“Different” vs “Better”/The Work )

170. “You are the storyteller of your own life, and you can create your own legend or not.” —Isabel Allende

171. “This is the true joy of Life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one … the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.” —GB Shaw/ Man and Superman

172. EXCELLENCE. BEDROCK.

173. X.Step #1: Buy a Mirror!

174. “The First step in a ‘dramatic’ ‘organizational change program’ is obvious—dramatic personal change!” —RG

175. “ You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Gandhi

176. EXCELLENCE. REVENUE. MATTERS. MOST.

177. . “Everyone lives by selling something.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

178. Sell Sell Sell

179. C R O* *Chief Revenue Officer

180. The Irreducible209

181. 188. Handshake. (Quantity. Quality.) 189. Don’t fold your hands in front of your chest. Ever. (Never.) 190. Simplicity. Redundancy. Resilience. Bloody-mindedness. Visible optimism. (Success.) (Repeat.) 191. Employee Entrance = Guest Entrance. 192. Put the customer SECOND. (Thanks, Hal.) 193. Flowers. (Or did I say that before? No matter if I did.) 194. Big Mergers don’t work. Small acquisitions can/do work—if you don’t screw with their energy.

182. EXCELLENCE. 4/40.

183. Pathetic!

184. “Forbes100” from 1917 to 1987: 39 members of the Class of ’17 were alive in ’87; 18 in ’87 F100; 18 F100 “survivors” underperformed the market by 20%; just 2 (2%), GE & Kodak, outperformed the market 1917 to 1987. S&P 500 from 1957 to 1997: 74 members of the Class of ’57 were alive in ’97; 12 (2.4%) of 500 outperformed the market from 1957 to 1997. Source: Dick Foster & Sarah Kaplan, Creative Destruction: Why Companies That Are Built to Last Underperform the Market

185. “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

186. “When asked to name just one big merger that had lived up to expectations, Leon Cooperman, former cochairman of Goldman Sachs’ Investment Policy Committee, answered: I’m sure there are success stories out there, but at this moment I draw a blank.” —Mark Sirower, The Synergy Trap

187. “I don’t believe in economies of scale. You don’t get better by being bigger. You get worse.” —Dick Kovacevich/Wells Fargo/Forbes/08.04 (ROA: Wells, 1.7%; Citi, 1.5%; BofA, 1.3%; J.P. Morgan Chase, 0.9%)

188. 4/40

189. De-cent- ral-iz- a-tion!

190. Ex-e- cu-tion!

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

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

193. “ 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

194. “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/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

195. Ac-count- a-bil-ity!

196. “GE has set a standard of candor. … There is no puffery. … There isn’t an ounce of denial in the place.” —Kevin Sharer, CEO Amgen, on the “GE mystique” (Fortune)

197. 6:15A.M.

198. ???????? Work Hard > Work Smart

199. EXCELLENCE. LEADING.

200. Leadership 23

201. Leadership23 1. Enthusiasm. Energy. Exuberance. 2. Action. Execution. 3. Tempo. Metabolism. 4. Relentless. 5. Master of Plan B. 6. Accountability. 7. Meritocracy. 8. Leaders “do” people. Mentor. (“Success creation business.”) 9. Women. Diversity. 10. Integrity. Credibility. Humanity. Grace. 11. Realism. 12. Cause. Adventures. Quests. 13. Legacy. 14. Best story wins. 15. On the edge. (“Wildest chimera of a moonstruck mind.”) 16. “Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre successes.” 17. Different > Better. (“Only ones who do what we do.”) 18. MBWA. Customer MBWA. 19. Laughs. 20. Repot. Curiosity. Why? 21. You = Calendar. “To Don’t.” Two. 22. Excellence. Always. 23. Nelsonian! (“Other admirals more afraid of losing than anxious to win.”)

202. 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. 10. Avoid moderation!

203. EXCELLENCE. STRETCH.

204. 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

205. “ Beware of the tyranny of making Small Changes to Small Things. Rather, make Big Changes to Big Things.” —Roger Enrico, former Chairman, PepsiCo

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

207. EXCELLENCE. TRANSCENDENCE. THRILLS.

208. Radically Thrilling Language! “Radically Thrilling.” —BMW Z4 (ad)

209. C T O* *Chief Thrills Officer

210. Synonyms Purity Transcendence Virtue Elegance Majesty Antonyms Mediocrity

211. C T O* *Chief Transcendence Officer

212. EXCELLENCE. WOW. NOW.

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

214. C W O* *Chief WOW Officer

215. EXCELLENCE. LET. US. MARCH.

216. “In classical times when Cicero had finished speaking, the people said, ‘How well he spoke,’ but when Demosthenes had finished speaking, they said, ‘Let us march.’” —Adlai Stevenson

217. Let us march.

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

219. EXCELLE ALWAYS.

220. Bonus

221. The Irreducible209

222. A frustrated participant at a seminar for investment bankers in Mauritius listened impatiently to my explanation of differences of opinion among me, Mike Porter, Gary Hamel, Jim Collins, etc. Finally, he’d had enough. “What, if anything,” he asked, “do you believe ‘for sure’?” I mumbled something, but his query started rumbling around in my mind. Three days later, wandering on a Sunday in London, the idea of “the irreducibles” occurred to me—and I started jotting down notes on stuff I do indeed believe “for sure.” Before I knew it, a few days later, the list had grown to 209 items. Hence “The Irreducible209” that follows. Tom Peters

223. 1. Hare 1, Tortoise 0. (Hare-y times.) 2. Tempo. (O.O.D.A.) 3. MBWA. 4. Appreciation. (“Motivator” #1.) (Can’t be faked. Good.) 5. Decency. 6. Hurry. 7. Time out. 8. One matters. 9. Big change. Short time. (Alt not work.) 10. Excellence. Always. 11. Passion. Energy. Hustle. Enthusiasm. Exuberance. (Move mountains. No alt.) 12. You must care. 13. Emotion. 14. Hard is soft. (Soft is hard.)

224. 15. Men. Women. Different. Contend. Connect. 16. Women. Buy. All. (RU listening?) 17. Quality. (“Mind-blowing.” Beyond 6-Sigma.) 18. Re-invent. Re-pot. (Required.) 19. Jaywalk. 20. Big change. Small # of people. (Always.) 21. Experiment. Now. 22. Failure. Normal. 23. Most failures, most success. (Fail. Forward. Fast.) 24. “Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre successes.” 25. Women leaders. (Altered times.) 26. Extremism. (Good business. Bad politics.) 27. Innovation source. Only. Extreme irritation. 28. Smile.

225. 29. You must care. 30. Mentor. (Highest ROI.) 31. Best “roster” wins. 32. Wow. (Okay in biz.) 33. We all have customers. (Biz. Personal.) 34. All contacts = Experiences. 35. Cirque du Soleil. (Peerless.) 36. Leaders create space for growth. 37. Quests. (Only.) 38. High aspirations, “high” results. (Self-fulfilling prophecy.) 39. Attitude 1, Skills 0. (Mostly.) (Attitude 1, Skill 0.3?) 40. Sometimes: Skill 1, Attitude 0.1. 41. Must “love,” not “like.” 42. Wegman’s.” (No excuses. “Mere” groceries.) 43. Less than your best. Cheating.

226. 44. Brand You. (No alt.) 45. Self-sufficiency. (Biggest LT turn-on.) 46. In the moment. 47. The moment wins. 48. Tomorrow = Never. 49. Action 1, Plan 0.1. 50. “Execution” can be a “system.” 51. Realism. 52. Own up. Move on. 53. Accountability. 54. Work hard > Work smart. (Mostly.) 55. Feedback. Necessary. Fast. (R.F.A. in “RFA times.”) 56. Customers. Listen. Lead. (Paradox.) 57. “On stage.” Always. (GW, FDR, RG = Supreme actors.)

227. 58. Master statistical analysis. 59. Excellence = Set the table. 60. Legacy. (Will it have mattered?) 61. “Great.” (Why not?) 62. Radicals rule. (Think … Olympics.) 63. !!! = Good. 64. Red 1, Brown 0. (Red times.) 65. Talk. Listen. (“Big 2.” Master.) 66. Politics. (Normal-inevitable state of affairs. Master.) 67. Student. Forever. 68. “Why?” (Question #1.) 69. Don’t belittle. 70. Respect. 71. All we have: this moment. (“Moments matter most”?) 72. Now. (Procrastination. Death.)

228. 73. Exercise. 74. Paint. (Leader. Portraits of Excellence.) 75. Best story wins. 76. “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” 77. Two “big ones.” Max. (Priorities.) 78. No “I” in Team. (“I” in Win.) 79. “I” in Win. (No “I” in Team.) 80. Different 1, Better 0. (Better = 0.1) 81. Imitation = Mistake. (Learn, from who?) 82. Choose/battle the “right” competitor. 83. Schools. Creativity. Entrepreneurship. (Not.) 84. MBAs. Creativity. Entrepreneurship. Leadership. (Not.) 85. Design. Under-rated. Wildly. (Still.) (Everything.)

229. 86. You = Calendar. (Calendar. Never. Lies.) 87. Laugh. 88. Handshake. (Quantity. Quality.) 89. Don’t fold your hands in front of your chest. Ever. (Never.) 90. Grace. (“Works” in biz.) 91. Weird. Wins. (Weird times.) 92. Crazy times. Crazy orgs. 93. Internet. All. 94. Women. Boomers-Geezers. Market. All. 95. Passion. (Repeat. So what?) 96. Energy. (Repeat. So what?) 97. Hustle. (Repeat. So what?) 98. Enthusiasm. (Repeat. So what?) 99. Exuberance. (Repeat. So what?) 100. Smile. (Repeat. So what?) 101. Care. (Repeat. So what?)

230. 102. Simplicity. Redundancy. Resilience. Bloody- mindedness. Visible optimism. (Success.) 103. Act. (Repeat. So what?) 104. Appreciate. (Repeat. So what?) 105. Fun. (Biz. Why not?) 106. Joy. (Biz. Why not?) 107. Sales = Life. 108. Marketing = Life. 109. Long-term. “Top line.” 110. Great company = Creates the most individual success stories. (RE/MAX) 111. Talent first, performance byproduct. 112. Sustained Wow* 1, “Shareholder value,” 0.2 (*Product, People.) 113. Commitment, by invitation only. 114. Creativity, by invitation only. 115. HR = #1. (Ought to.) 116. Face-to-face. (5K miles, 5 minutes.)

231. 117. Negotiation. Make all winners. (Save face.) 118. Grace makes enemies friends. 119. Network. 120. Invest in relationships. (Think ROIR. Return On Investment in Relationships.) 118. Relationship investment. Forethought. Calendar item. Intensity. 119. Innovation. Easy. (Hang out with weird.) 120. Weird = Win. (Weird times.) 121. “The bottleneck is at the top of the bottle.” 122. Good Board = Weird Board. (At least, surprising.) 123. No contention, no progress.

232. 124. “Crucial conversations.” “Crucial confrontations.” (Study. Learn. Do.) 125. Honest feedback. 126. Gaspworthy. Yes. 127. “Insanely great.” 128. “Astonish me.” 129. “Make it immortal.” 130. “Will you remember it in 20 years?” 131. No small opportunities. (Reframe.) 132. One playmate, one playpen = Enough. 133. End run. Sensible. 134. Allies are there for the finding. 135. Find successes. Build on successes. (Pos > Neg. Encourage > Fix.) 136. Somebody’s doing it today. Find ’em. 137. Someone is living 2016 in 2006. (Find ’em. Study ’em.)

233. 138. Don’t “benchmark,” “futuremark.” (2016. Happening. Somewhere.) 139. “PMA.” It works. 140. There are no experts. (You are the expert.) 141. Life is short. 142. “Sustained success.” Fat chance. Make today matter. (“Sustained.” Ha.) 143. Collaborate. (Networked world.) 144. Go solo. (Individual. Unit of Intellectual Capital.) 145. There are no “perfect” plans. (Do. Wins.) 146. Plans motivate. (Right or wrong. Sense of purpose.) 147. Never rest. 148. Get some sleep. 149. Winning = Embracing paradox. 150. Ambiguity = Opportunity.

234. 151. Resilience. 152. Relentless-ness. 153. None. Above. Comeuppance. (GM. Sears. U.S. Steel. DEC.) 154. Be yourself. Period. 155. Never work with jerks. Including customers. (Life. Too short.) 156. Under-promise, over-deliver. 157. Talent. (Powerful word.) 158. “Customer = Anyone whose actions affect your results.” 159. Competition stinks. (Seek the soft spots where you can dominate.) 160. K.I.S.S./Keep It Simple, Stupid. 161. Beauty. (Good biz word.) 162. “See the beauty in a hamburger bun.” (Go. Ray.)

235. 163. Own up. Quick. ( Denial. Cancer.) 164. Celebrate. Often. 165. 78 people = 78 approaches. (Each. Unique.) 166. Weed. Ceaselessly. (Prune. Stupid. Rules. Non-stop.) 167. Get out of the way. (You = The problem.) 168. Smile. Sunny. Optimism. (If it kills you.) 169. Flowers. (Cheery workplace.) 170. Enjoy. (Or get the hell.) 171. Be intolerant of “sour.” (1 = Major pollution) 172. No “quick trigger” on promotion. (Too important.) 173. Evaluation = Lots of study-time. 174. Evaluation = “Life or death” to evaluee. 175. “360” evaluation. No fad. 176. Exit when you’re done. (Done. Sooner than you think.)

236. 177. Today. Now. My Project. Am. Is. I. Period. 178. “Beautiful” systems. (Good biz phrase. Not oxymoron.) 179. Build on strengths > Fix weaknesses. 180. “To don’t” = “To do.” (“To don’t” > “To do” ?) 181. Leaders “Do” People. (Period.) 182. Leaders enjoy leading. 183. Serious leadership training = Serious. 184. Priorities. Obvious. (Or else.) 185. 5 “Priorities” = 0 Priorities. (3 “Priorities” = 0 Priorities?) 186. People. First. Last. Always. 187. It. Is. Always. The. People.

237. 188. Handshake. (Quantity. Quality.) 189. Don’t fold your hands in front of your chest. Ever. (Never.) 190. Simplicity. Redundancy. Resilience. Bloody-mindedness. Visible optimism. (Success.) (Repeat.) 191. Employee Entrance = Guest Entrance. 192. Put the customer SECOND. (Thanks, Hal.) 193. Flowers. (Or did I say that before? No matter if I did.) 194. Big Mergers don’t work. Small acquisitions can/do work—if you don’t screw with their energy.

238. 195. Instinctively “head for the front line.” (In all contexts.) 196. Success = DDMMPR/"D-squared, M-squared, PR” = DramDiff + Money-Financial Acumen + Good “Marketing” Instincts + Stellar People + Resilience (The “fab five”: What. Every. Small. Biz. Needs.) (Big too.) 197. Core Mechanism (“Game-changing Solutions”): PSF (Professional Service Firm “model”) + Wow! Projects (“Different” vs “Better”) + Brand You (“Distinct” or “Extinct”) 198. 2011/2016 has already happened. Find it.

239. 199. Kids “know” kids. Oldies “know” oldies. Women “know” women. (Staff accordingly.) 200. Everybody is my customer. 201. Cosset “vendors.” 202. I want to run a Housekeeping department. (And you?) 203. The military doesn’t follow the “military model.” (Initiative = Excellence.) 204. No such thing as “going to absurd lengths” to serve the Customer. (HSM & Lefties.) 205. Forget the “customer.” All = “Clients.” 206. It takes decades to get over “sleights.” (So don’t sleight.) 207. Don’t “dumb down.” Ever.

240. 208. NO LESS THAN EXCELLENCE. EVER. 209. EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS.

241. EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS.