LONG Tom Peters’ EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS. Istanbul/17October2006.

LONG Tom Peters’ EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS. Istanbul/17October2006

tompeters.com Slides at … tompeters.com

The Irreducible209+/ Words+/ The Sales122/ 60TIBs/ Tom-A-to, Tom-ah-to

“What, if anything,” he asked, “do you believe ‘for sure’?” 209 Tom Peters 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

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.) (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.) Exuberance. (Move mountains. No alt.) 12. You must care. 13. Emotion. 14. Hard is soft. (Soft is hard.)

EXCELLENCE. ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW.

MBWA, Grameen Style! “Conventional banks ask their clients to come to their office. It’s a terrifying place for the poor and illiterate. … The entire Grameen Bank system runs on the principle that people should not come to the bank, the bank should go to the people. … If any staff member is seen in the office, it should be taken as a violation of the rules of the Grameen Bank. … It is essential that [those setting up a new village Branch] have no office and no place to stay. The reason is to make us as different as possible from government officials.” Source: MBWA, Grameen Style! “Conventional banks ask their clients to come to their office. It’s a terrifying place for the poor and illiterate. … The entire Grameen Bank system runs on the principle that people should not come to the bank, the bank should go to the people. … If any staff member is seen in the office, it should be taken as a violation of the rules of the Grameen Bank. … It is essential that [those setting up a new village Branch] have no office and no place to stay. The reason is to make us as different as possible from government officials.” Source: Muhammad Yunus, Banker to the Poor

Big That’s a Big Number ….

THREE BILLION NEW CAPITALISTS THREE BILLION NEW CAPITALISTS —Clyde Prestowitz

5 (Years) /42 (New Airports)

(500 of 900 Research) “Deutsche Bank Moves Half of Its Back-office Jobs to India”/ headline/FT/0327 (500 of 900 Research)

EXCELLENCE. EVERYWHERE. ASPIRATION. NECESSITY.

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

Spain Portugal Italy Ireland Singapore Taiwan Thailand Malaysia Poland Russia Ukraine Singapore Philippines UAE Oman Chile Botswana Romania New Zealand Australia Germany

“THE FUTURE BELONGS TO … SMALL POPULATIONS … WHO BUILD EMPIRES OF THE MIND “THE FUTURE BELONGS TO … SMALL POPULATIONS … WHO BUILD EMPIRES OF THE MIND … AND WHO IGNORE THE TEMPTATION OF—OR DO NOT HAVE THE OPTION OF—EXPLOITING NATURAL RESOURCES.” Source: Juan Enriquez/As the Future Catches You

EXCELLENCE. THE MANDATE.

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

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

Buy a very large one and just wait.” “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

39 members of the Class of ’17 were alive in ’87; 18 in ’87 F100; 18 F100 “survivors” significantly underperformed the market; just 2 (2%), GE & Kodak, outperformed the market from 1917 to 1987. 74 12 “Forbes100” from 1917 to 1987 : 39 members of the Class of ’17 were alive in ’87; 18 in ’87 F100; 18 F100 “survivors” significantly underperformed the market; just 2 (2%), GE & Kodak, outperformed the market from 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

Flat as a Pancake (Or Worse) Wal*Mart … Dell … Intel … Home Depot … Microsoft … GE

“It is generally much easier to kill an organization than change it substantially.” —Kevin Kelly, Out of Control

C.E.O. C.D.O. C.E.O. to C.D.O.

Implication “Go for it!” (Practical) Implication? “Go for it!” (Why not— alternative is slow death, at best)

EXCELLENCE. STARTERS. BASICS. K.I.S.S.

Radio City Music Hall September 2005

crave Franchise Lost! TP: “ How many of you [600] really crave a new Chevy?”

FordGM Chrysler bad “ Ford, GM and Chrysler do not just make cars expensively … they make bad cars expensively.” —Investec analyst, International Herald, 0805.06

“Wow, I wonder what unimaginable new tools, otherwise not possible, will be brought forth for my daughter Alice, age 17, because of this deal?” Did one of ’em ever turn to the other and say: “Wow, I wonder what unimaginable new tools, otherwise not possible, will be brought forth for my daughter Alice, age 17, because of this deal?”

People. Product. Clients. Execution. Enthusiasm. Excellence.

To me business isn’t about wearing suits or pleasing stockholders. It’s about being true to yourself, your ideas and focusing on the essentials.” “To me business isn’t about wearing suits or pleasing stockholders. It’s about being true to yourself, your ideas and focusing on the essentials.” —Richard Branson

BASICS K.I.S.S.

People. Product. Clients. Execution. Enthusiasm. Excellence. Resilience.

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

BASICS K.I.S.S.

People. Product. Clients. Execution. Enthusiasm. Excellence. Resilience. Relentlessness.

“Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.” “90% of success is showing up.”) “Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.” —William Feather, author* (*c.f. Woody Allen: “90% of success is showing up.”)

BASICS K.I.S.S.

People. Product. Clients. Execution. Enthusiasm. Excellence. Resilience. Relentlessness. Senility.

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

EXCELLENCE. STARTERS. BASICS. K.I.S.S.

P = R - C MBA-On-A-Single-Slide P = R - C

C R C R O* *Chief Revenue Officer

“Analysts … preferred cost cutting They said, ‘Oh my gosh, you need revenues to grow earnings over time.’ Well, Duh!” “Analysts … preferred cost cutting, as long as they could see two or three years of EPS growth. I preached revenue and the analysts’ eyes would glaze over. Now revenue is ‘in’ because so many got caught, and earnings went to hell. They said, ‘Oh my gosh, you need revenues to grow earnings over time.’ Well, Duh!” —Dick Kovacevich, Wells Fargo

EXCELLENCE. THE WORD.

Purity Transcendence Virtue Elegance Majesty Synonyms Purity Transcendence Virtue Elegance Majesty Antonyms Mediocrity

EXCELLENCE. GAMECHANGER.

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” Properties”

$85,000 $140,050 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

EXCELLENCE. ASPIRATION.

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

“excellent” An emotional, vital, audacious, innovative, joyful, frightening, risky, creative, entrepreneurial endeavor that breathes life & fire into our work & life & elicits maximum concerted human potential Business* (*at its “excellent” best) can be: An emotional, vital, audacious, innovative, joyful, frightening, risky, creative, entrepreneurial endeavor that breathes life & fire into our work & life & elicits maximum concerted human potential in the wholehearted effort to help others ** succeed & profit & imagine & reach places they’d never dreamed they could go. in the wholehearted effort to help others ** [**employees, clients, suppliers, communities, owners, temporary partners] succeed & profit & imagine & reach places they’d never dreamed they could go.

To me business isn’t about wearing suits or pleasing stockholders. It’s about being true to yourself, your ideas and focusing on the essentials.” “To me business isn’t about wearing suits or pleasing stockholders. It’s about being true to yourself, your ideas and focusing on the essentials.” —Richard Branson

“ In-sane- ly-great”

EXCELLENCE. HTSH.

Commit! Engage! Try! Fail! Get up! Try again! Fail again! Try again! But never, ever stop moving on! Progress for humanity is engendered by those who join and savor the fray by giving one hundred percent of themselves to their dreams! Not by those timid souls who remain glued to the sidelines, stifled by tradition, and fearful of losing face or giving offense to the reigning authorities. Commit! Engage! Try! Fail! Persist! HTSH/Hands That Shape Humanity: Engage!* Commit! Engage! Try! Fail! Get up! Try again! Fail again! Try again! But never, ever stop moving on! Progress for humanity is engendered by those who join and savor the fray by giving one hundred percent of themselves to their dreams! Not by those timid souls who remain glued to the sidelines, stifled by tradition, and fearful of losing face or giving offense to the reigning authorities. Key words: Commit! Engage! Try! Fail! Persist! * HTST/Hands That Shape Humanity, Tom Peters’ contribution to a Bishop Tutu Foundation exhibit

EXCELLENCE. DEFINED.

SET THE AGENDA Great Companies … SET THE AGENDA.* (PERIOD.) * “disturb the sleep of …

Netscape! TP#1*: Netscape! *Where would you rather have worked for those 5 years, Netscape or IBM-HP-Microsoft-Oracle? (Where, 25 years from now, would you rather to be able to tell someone—e.g., grandchild—that you worked?)

EXCELLENCE. ASPIRATION. YOU & ME.

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

EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS. ONE PERSON. DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE..

Muhammad Yunus: Banker to the Poor/ Father of “microlending”/ 2006 nobel peace prize winner

“It’s not people who aren’t credit-worthy. It’s banks that aren’t people worthy.” “It’s not people who aren’t credit-worthy. It’s banks that aren’t people worthy.” Muhammad Yunus

Grameen Bank/Bangladesh Typical 1 st loan: $15. 98% recovery rate 94% to women 1/3 rd out of poverty; 1/3 rd up to non-poverty threshold Grameen Bank/Bangladesh Typical 1 st loan: $15. 98% recovery rate 94% to women 1/3 rd out of poverty; 1/3 rd up to non-poverty threshold Muhammad Yunus, Banker to the Poor

94% of loans to … women

“The Grameen loan is not simply cash. It becomes a kind of ticket to self-discovery and self-exploration.” “The Grameen loan is not simply cash. It becomes a kind of ticket to self-discovery and self-exploration.” Muhammad Yunus

EXCELLENCE. INNOVATE. OR. DIE.

Only the constant pursuit of innovation can ensure long-term success.” “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

#1 More than $$$$ #1 R&D spending, last 25 years?

You don’t get better by being bigger. You get worse.” “ I don’t believe in economies of scale. You don’t get better by being bigger. You get worse.” —Dick Kovacevich/Wells Fargo

I’m sure there are success stories out there, but at this moment I draw a blank.” “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

“A” “A.” There’s “A” and then there’s “A.”

Our challenge is to create markets. “Acquisitions are about buying market share. Our challenge is to create markets. There is a big difference.” — Peter Job, former CEO, Reuters

EVERYTHING YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW ABOUT INNOVATION IS WRONG

The Mess Is the Message! Period!

An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger Tube: The Invention of Television Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World The Soul of a New Machine Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA The Blitzkrieg Myth The Mess Is the Message! Period! An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States —Charles Beard (1913) The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger —Marc Levinson Tube: The Invention of Television —David & Marshall Fisher Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World —Jill Jonnes The Soul of a New Machine —Tracy Kidder Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA —Brenda Maddox The Blitzkrieg Myth —John Mosier

Get mad. Do something about it. Now.

Big mergers [by & large] don’t work Scale is over-rated Strategic planning is the last refuge of scoundrels Focus groups are counter-productive “Built to last” is a chimera (stupid) Success kills “Forgetting” is impossible Re-imagine is a charming idea “Orderly innovation process” is an oxymoronic phrase (= Believed only by morons with ox-like brains) “Tipping points” are easy to identify … long after they will do you any good “Facts” aren’t All information making it to the top is filtered to the point of danger and hilarity “Success stories” are the illusions of egomaniacs (and “gurus”) If you believe the memoirs of CEOs you should be institutionalized “Herd behavior” (XYZ is “hot”) is ubiquitous … and amusing “Top teams” are “Dittoheads” CEOs have little effect on performance “Expert” prediction is rarely better than rolling the dice What “We” Know “For Sure” About Innovation Big mergers [by & large] don’t work Scale is over-rated Strategic planning is the last refuge of scoundrels Focus groups are counter-productive “Built to last” is a chimera (stupid) Success kills “Forgetting” is impossible Re-imagine is a charming idea “Orderly innovation process” is an oxymoronic phrase (= Believed only by morons with ox-like brains) “Tipping points” are easy to identify … long after they will do you any good “Facts” aren’t All information making it to the top is filtered to the point of danger and hilarity “Success stories” are the illusions of egomaniacs (and “gurus”) If you believe the memoirs of CEOs you should be institutionalized “Herd behavior” (XYZ is “hot”) is ubiquitous … and amusing “Top teams” are “Dittoheads” CEOs have little effect on performance “Expert” prediction is rarely better than rolling the dice

InnoTacs

We become who we hang out with!

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

Why Do I love Freaks? (1) Because when Anything Interesting happens … it was a freak who did it. (Period.) (2) Freaks are fun. (Freaks are also a pain.) (Freaks are never boring.) (3) We need freaks. Especially in freaky times. (Hint: These are freaky times, for you & me & the CIA & the Army & Avon.) (4) A critical mass of freaks-in-our-midst automatically make us-who-are-not-so-freaky at least somewhat more freaky. (Which is a Good Thing in freaky times—see immediately above.) (5) Freaks are the only (ONLY) ones who succeed—as in, make it into the history books. (6) Freaks keep us from falling into ruts. (If we listen to them.) (We seldom listen to them.) (Which is why most organizations are in ruts. Make that chasms.)

C fa O freaks acquisition C fa O* *Chief freaks acquisition Officer

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 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

The Bottleneck Is at the Top of the Bottle” At the top!” “ 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

“ To grow, companies need to break out of a vicious cycle of competitive benchmarking and imitation.” “ To grow, companies need to break out of a vicious cycle of competitive benchmarking and imitation.” —W. Chan Kim & Renée Mauborgne, “Think for Yourself —Stop Copying a Rival,” Financial Times/2003

Find ’em!

“ Some people look for things that went wrong and try to fix them. I look for things that went right, and try to build off them.” “ Some people look for things that went wrong and try to fix them. I look for things that went right, and try to build off them.” —Bob Stone (Mr ReGo)

Demos! Heroes! Stories!

invite ’em!

invites “In the end, management doesn’t change culture. Management invites the workforce itself to change the culture.” —Lou Gerstner

send ’em on a quest!

become more than they’ve ever been before, more than they’ve dreamed of being.” “ 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

is free to do his or her absolute best.” allow its members to discover their greatness.” 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.”

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

Concoct a Parallel universe!

1% “SkunkWorks”/ “ParallelUniverse” “the 1% solution” Source: Scott Bedbury (Others: 3M, Google, Shell, NAVFAC)

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.

you only find oil if you drill wells. “ 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

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

drill.

80 percent wildcatters “While many people big oil finds with big companies, over the years about 80 percent of the oil found in the United States has been brought in by wildcatters such as Mr Findley, says Larry Nation, spokesman for the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.” —WSJ, “Wildcat Producer Sparks Oil Boom in Montana,” 0405.2006

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

do things.

“Experiment fearlessly” “Experiment fearlessly” Source: BW0821.06, Type A Organization Strategies/ “How to Hit a Moving Target”— Tactic #1

No. 5 “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

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

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

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”

tolerate [encourage?] failure

“FAIL, FAIL AGAIN. FAIL BETTER.” “FAIL, FAIL AGAIN. FAIL BETTER.” —Samuel Beckett

“Fail. Forward. Fast.” “Fail faster. Succeed Sooner.” “Fail. Forward. Fast.” High Tech CEO, Pennsylvania “Fail faster. Succeed Sooner.” David Kelley/IDEO

Sam’s Secret #1!

Speed/ Tempo

We sell speed.” “We don’t sell insurance anymore. We sell speed.” Peter Lewis, Progressive

FedEx Economy “the FedEx Economy” —headline/New York Times/10.08.05

Anything/ Anywhere/ Anytime “Any3”: Anything/ Anywhere/ Anytime

bet the farm

“I don’t intend to be known as the ‘King of the Tinkerers.’ ” CEO, large financial services company

systematically set out to build entirely new industries” “[Immelt] is now identifying technologies with which GE will … systematically set out to build entirely new industries” —Strategy+Business, Fall 2005

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

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

Conscious measurement

Innovation Index: Top 5 8 or higher “Weird”/ “Profound”/ “Wow”/“Game- changer” Innovation Index: How many of your Top 5 Strategic Initiatives/Key Projects score 8 or higher [out of 10] on a “Weird”/ “Profound”/ “Wow”/“Game- changer” Scale?

EXCELLENCE. INNOVATION. REVOLUTION. ORGANIZATION.

ORIGINS OF SUSTAINABLE ENTREPRENEURSHIP Excellence: The SE22: ORIGINS OF SUSTAINABLE ENTREPRENEURSHIP

EXCELLENCE. VALUE ADDED. UP THE LADDER.

EXCELLENCE. VALUE-ADDED LADDER I. SOLVE IT.

“Turnkey security solutions” “Security ‘devices’” to “Turnkey security solutions” (A/C, elevators, DIY, photo shops, etc, etc)

Satisfaction Success Huge: Customer Satisfaction versus Customer Success

Up, Up, Up, Up Up, Up, Up, Up the Value-added Ladder.

STUFF ‘N’ THINGS Goods Raw Materials The Value-added Ladder/ STUFF ‘N’ THINGS Goods Raw Materials

TRANSACTIONS Services The Value-added Ladder/Stuff & TRANSACTIONS Services Goods Raw Materials

OPPORTUNITY-SEEKING Gamechanging Solutions The Value-added Ladder/ OPPORTUNITY-SEEKING Gamechanging Solutions Services Goods Raw Materials

EXCELLENCE. NECESSITY. OPPORTUNITY.

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

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

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

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

PSF Brand You Wow! Projects 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 )

Mega-PSF “Solutions World”: The Mega-PSF

“Corporation” as Mega-“PSF” (Professional Service Firm*) Big Idea: “Corporation” as Mega-“PSF” (Professional Service Firm*) * “Virtual” Collection of Entrepreneurially-minded Professionals (“Talent”/“Roster”) Creating/Applying Intellectual Capital (“Work Product”)

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

Pointed Point of View!

EXCELLENCE. ATTITUDE. TRANSFORMATION. PSF.

Full Partner- Leader in Lifetime Value-added Maximization “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)

EXCELLENCE. VALUE-ADDED LADDER II. EXPERIENCE IT.

“ 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

“What we sell is the ability for a 43- year-old accountant to dress in black leather, ride through small towns and have people be afraid of him.” Harley Experience: “Rebel Lifestyle!” “What we sell is the ability for a 43- year-old accountant to dress in black leather, ride through small towns and have people be afraid of him.” Harley exec, quoted in Results-Based Leadership

MEMORABLE CONNECTION Spellbinding Experiences The Value-added Ladder/ MEMORABLE CONNECTION Spellbinding Experiences Gamechanging Solutions Services Goods Raw Materials

EXCELLENCE. EXPERIENCE. BONUS.

“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

blanket at outside table And You? Stockholm: blanket at outside table (August)

EXCELLENCE. DRAMATIC. DIFFERENCE. DOABLE.

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

#1/100 #1/100 “ Best Companies to Work for” /2005

Wegmans

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

EXCELLENCE. #1.

Jim’s Group Jim’s Group Jim Penman/“Empire Builders”/MT / Jan/Feb 2006/Australia

Jim’s Group : Jim Penman.* 1984: Jim’s Mowing. 2006: Jim’s Group. 2,600 franchisees (Australia, NZ, UK). Cleaning. Dog washing. Handyman. Fencing. Paving. Pool care. Etc. “People first.” Private. Small staff. Franchisees can leave at will. 0-1 complaint per year is norm; cut bad ones quickly. Jim’s Group : Jim Penman.* 1984: Jim’s Mowing. 2006: Jim’s Group. 2,600 franchisees (Australia, NZ, UK). Cleaning. Dog washing. Handyman. Fencing. Paving. Pool care. Etc. “People first.” Private. Small staff. Franchisees can leave at will. 0-1 complaint per year is norm; cut bad ones quickly. *Ph.D. cross-cultural anthropology; mowing on the side Source: MT/Management Today (Australia), Jan-Feb 2006

The “Missing 900M” Will the Boat Sink the Water: The Life of China’s Peasants —Chen Guidi and Wu Chuntao

EXCELLENCE. NO EXCUSES.

WallopWal*Mart16* ABSURDLY EASY BEAT GIANT WallopWal*Mart16* *Or: Why it’s so ABSURDLY EASY to BEAT a GIANT Company

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!!)

Small Giants: Companies That Choose To Be Great Instead Of Big Small Giants: Companies That Choose To Be Great Instead Of Big —by Bo Burlingham

EXCELLENCE. VALUE-ADDED LADDER III. DREAM IT.

We sell dreams 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

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

“Dreams Come True”: IBM

Dreams Come True Spellbinding Experiences Gamechanging Solutions The (NEW) Value-added Ladder Dreams Come True Spellbinding Experiences Gamechanging Solutions Services Goods Raw Materials

EXCELLENCE. SOUL. DESIGN.

Design is the only thing that differentiates one product from another in the marketplace.” All Equal Except … “At Sony we assume that all products of our competitors have basically the same technology, price, performance and features. Design is the only thing that differentiates one product from another in the marketplace.” —Norio Ohga

treated like a religion “Design is treated like a religion at BMW.” —Fortune

EXCELLENCE. SYSTEMS. DESIGN. K.I.S.S.

“One bank is currently claiming to … ‘ leverage its global footprint to provide effective financial solutions for its customers by providing a gateway to diverse markets.” —Charles Handy

help its customers wherever they are’.” “I assume that it is just saying that it is there to ‘help its customers wherever they are’.” —Charles Handy

EXCELLENCE. SYSTEMS. DESIGN. K.I.S.S.

Its essence should be describable in one page... If you can't describe your strategy in twenty minutes, simply and in plain language, you haven't got a plan.” "A business unit strategy should be less than fifty pages long and should be easy to understand. Its essence should be describable in one page... If you can't describe your strategy in twenty minutes, simply and in plain language, you haven't got a plan.” —Larry Bossidy

EXCELLENCE. NEW MARKETS. ENORMOUS. OPPORTUNITIES.

EXCELLENCE. OPPORTUNITY. ENORMOUS. WOMEN.

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

The Model The Model Selling to men: The TRANSACTION Model Selling to Women: The RELATIONAL Model Source: Selling to Men, Selling to Women, Jeffery Tobias Halter

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.

WOMEN. DOMINATE. ECONOMIC. GROWTH.

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

“Since 1970, women have held two out of every three new jobs created.” “Since 1970, women have held two out of every three new jobs created.” —FT, 10.03.2006

Primary markets/Everything Greater global workforce participation rate Higher wages Business “decision makers” Women-owned businesses Impact! Add It Up! Primary markets/Everything (“Men buy things that other men will buy for women. I buy things that women want.”— successful jeweler/F. “Women are the majority market” —Fara Warner/The Power of the Purse. Women as Purchasing Officers, CIOs, etc.) Greater global workforce participation rate (“bigger contributor to GDP growth than technology, China, India”—Economist) Higher wages (more seniority, promotions—even if not to CEO; greater pay equity—even if not equal) Business “decision makers” (more seniority, promotions—even if not to CEO) Women-owned businesses (answer to the Glass Ceiling—10.6M in USA; recipients of “micro-lending”—developing world)

10 UNASSAILABLE REASONS WOMEN RULE Women make [all] the financial decisions. Women control [all] the wealth. Women [substantially] outlive men. Women start most of the new businesses. Women’s work force participation rates have soared worldwide. soared worldwide. Women are closing in on “same pay for same job.” job.” Women are penetrating senior ranks rapidly [even if the pace is slow for the corner [even if the pace is slow for the corner office per se]. office per se]. Women’s leadership strengths are exceptionally well aligned with new organizational effectiveness & aligned with new organizational effectiveness & value-added imperatives. value-added imperatives. Women are better salespersons than men. Women buy [almost] everything—commercial as well as consumer goods. as well as consumer goods. So what exactly is … the point of men?

94% of loans to … women* *M icrolending; “Banker to the poor”; Grameen Bank; Muhammad Yunus; 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner

For a number of observers, we have already entered the age of ‘womenomics,’ the economy as thought out and practiced by a woman.” “One thing is certain: Women’s rise to power, which is linked to the increase in wealth per capita, is happening in all domains and at all levels of society. Women are no longer content to provide efficient labor or to be consumers with rising budgets and more autonomy to spend. … This is just the beginning. The phenomenon will only grow as girls prove to be more successful than boys in the school system. For a number of observers, we have already entered the age of ‘womenomics,’ the economy as thought out and practiced by a woman.” —Aude Zieseniss de Thuin, Financial Times, 10.03.2006

EXCELLENCE. OPPORTUNITY. ENORMOUS. BOOMERS. GEEZERS.

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

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

“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.” “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

EXCELLENCE. ACTION.

“Ninety percent of what we call ‘management’ consists of making it difficult for people to get things done.” “Ninety percent of what we call ‘management’ consists of making it difficult for people to get things done.” – Peter Drucker

“too much talk, too little do” TP/BW on BigCo Sin #1: “too much talk, too little do”

Excellence1982: The Bedrock “Eight Basics” A Bias for Action 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”

implementation missing 98 percent’ “Never forget implementation boys. In our work it’s what I call the ‘missing 98 percent’ of the client puzzle.” —Al McDonald, former Managing Director, McKinsey & Co, to a project team that included TP

EXCELLENCE. ACTION. ROOTS.

EXCELLENCE. 4/40.

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

“If if feels painful and scary—that’s real delegation” “If if feels painful and scary—that’s real delegation” —Caspian Woods, small biz owner

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” 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

Ex-e- cu-tion!

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

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

Ac-count- a-bil-ity!

“GE has set a standard of candor. … There is no puffery. … There isn’t an ounce of denial in the place.” “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)

6:15A.M.

EXCELLENCE. BEDROCK. TALENT.

Hire very good people!

20 40 $25$802 “We believe companies can increase their market cap 50 percent in 3 years. Steve Macadam at Georgia- Pacific … changed 20 of his 40 box plant managers to put more talented, higher paid managers in charge. He increased profitability from $25 million to $80 million in 2 years.” —Ed Michaels, War for Talent

INVITE THEM TO JOIN US IN A JOURNEY TO EXCELLENCE!

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

become more than they’ve ever been before, more than they’ve dreamed of being.” “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

EMPHASIZE THE “SOFT SKILLS.”

PUT HR AT THE HEAD OF THE HEAD TABLE. BEST PEOPLE. NOBLEST MISSION.

DD$21M

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; i.e., 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. Putting HR on a par with finance and marketing. Second: Putting HR on a par with finance and marketing.

SO YOU’RE A “PEOPLE PERSON”? PROVE IT.

“Connoisseur of Talent” PARC’s Bob Taylor: “Connoisseur of Talent”

“The leaders of Great Groups love talent and know where to find it. They revel in the talent of others.” “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

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

LIVE FOR TALENT!

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. 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

Brand = Talent.

EXCELLENCE. INDIVIDUAL. BRAND YOU.

“ If there is nothing very special about your work, no matter how hard you apply yourself you won’t get noticed, and that increasingly means you won’t get paid much either.” “ If there is nothing very special about your work, no matter how hard you apply yourself you won’t get noticed, and that increasingly means you won’t get paid much either.” —Michael Goldhaber, Wired

New Work SurvivalKit.2006 MASTERY! “Manage” to Legacy 1. MASTERY! (Best/Absurdly Good at Something!) 2. “Manage” to Legacy (All Work = “Memorable”/“Braggable” WOW Projects!) A “USP”/UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITIONRolodex Obsession 3. A “USP”/UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION 4. Rolodex Obsession (From vertical/hierarchy/“suck up” loyalty to ENTREPRENEURIAL INSTINCT CEO/LEADER/BUSINESSPERSON/CLOSER Master of Improv horizontal/“colleague”/“mate” loyalty) 5. ENTREPRENEURIAL INSTINCT (A sleepless … Eye for Opportunity! 6. CEO/LEADER/BUSINESSPERSON/CLOSER (CEO, Me Inc. 24/7!) 7. Master of Improv (Play a dozen parts simultaneously, from Sense of Humor Chief Strategist to Chief Toilet Scrubber) 8. Sense of Humor (A willingness to Screw Up & Move On) Comfortable with Your Skin Intense Appetite for Technology 9. Comfortable with Your Skin (Bring “interesting you” to work!) 10. Intense Appetite for Technology (E.g.: How Cool-Active is your EMBRACE “MARKETING” PASSION FOR RENEWAL Web site? Do you Blog?) 11. EMBRACE “MARKETING” (Your own CSO/Chief Storytelling Officer) 12. PASSION FOR RENEWAL (Your own CLO/Chief Learning Officer) EXECUTION EXCELLENCE! 13. EXECUTION EXCELLENCE! (Show up on time! Leave last!)

Distinct Extinct Distinct … or … Extinct

EXCELLENCE. BEDROCK. LEADERSHIP.

EXCELLENCE. BEDROCK. PURPOSE.

“I never, ever thought of myself as a businessman. I was interested in creating things I would be proud of.” “I never, ever thought of myself as a businessman. I was interested in creating things I would be proud of.” —Richard Branson

“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.” “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)

“What is your vision for the future?” “What have you accomplished since your first book?” “Close your eyes and imagine me immediately doing something about what you’ve just said. What would it be?” “Do you feel you have an obligation to ‘Make the world a better place’?” Ah, kids: “What is your vision for the future?” “What have you accomplished since your first book?” “Close your eyes and imagine me immediately doing something about what you’ve just said. What would it be?” “Do you feel you have an obligation to ‘Make the world a better place’?”

EXCELLENCE. BY INVITATION.

EXCELLENCE. ENTHUSIASM. ENERGY. PASSION.

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

“Whenever anything is being accomplished, I have learned, it is being done by a monomaniac with a mission.” “Whenever anything is being accomplished, I have learned, it is being done by a monomaniac with a mission.” —Peter Drucker

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

EXCELLENCE. RELENTLESSNESS.

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends upon the unreasonable man.” "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends upon the unreasonable man.” —GB Shaw, Man and Superman: The Revolutionists' Handbook.

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

EXCELLENCE. SHOWING UP.

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

EXCELLENCE. STRETCH.

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. 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

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! 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!

Follow your passions. Keep it simple. Get the best people to help you. Re-create yourself. Play. Sir Richard’s Rules: Follow your passions. Keep it simple. Get the best people to help you. Re-create yourself. Play. Source: Fortune on Branson

EXCELLENCE. KABOOM.

“Incrementalism is innovation’s worst enemy.” No Wiggle Room! “Incrementalism is innovation’s worst enemy.” —Nicholas Negroponte

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

EXCELLENCE. THE 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 Leadership23/ML 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. 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 Leadership23/ML 13. Legacy. 14. Best story wins. 15. On the edge. (“Wildest chimera of a moonstruck mind.”) moonstruck mind.”) 16. “Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre successes.” 17. Different > Better. (“Only ones who do 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. 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.”) of losing than anxious to win.”)

Leaders: gotta say it!

but rather to express him- or herself freely and fully. That “No leader sets out to be a leader per se, but rather to express him- or herself freely and fully. That is, leaders have no interest in proving themselves, but an abiding interest in expressing themselves.” — Warren Bennis, On Becoming a Leader

“Everyone lives by selling something.” —Robert Louis Stevenson

You only find oil if you drill wells. You only find oil if you drill wells. —The Hunters, by John Masters, Canadian O & G wildcatter

EXCELLE ALWAYS.

Tom Peters’ EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS. Lists. XAlways.LISTS.17October2006

The Irreducible209+ One Word+ The Sales122 60TIBs Tom-A-to,Tom-ah-to

The Irreducible209

“What, if anything,” he asked, “do you believe ‘for sure’?” 209 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

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.) (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.) Exuberance. (Move mountains. No alt.) 12. You must care. 13. Emotion. 14. Hard is soft. (Soft is hard.)

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.) (Fail. Forward. Fast.) 24. “Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre successes.” mediocre successes.” 25. Women leaders. (Altered times.) 26. Extremism. (Good business. Bad politics.) 27. Innovation source. Only. Extreme irritation. 28. Smile.

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.) (Self-fulfilling prophecy.) 39. Attitude 1, Skills 0. (Mostly.) (Attitude 1, Skill 0.3?) (Attitude 1, Skill 0.3?) 40. Sometimes: Skill 1, Attitude 0.1. 41. Must “love,” not “like.” 42. Wegmans.” (No excuses. “Mere” groceries.) 43. Less than your best. Cheating.

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.”) “RFA times.”) 56. Customers. Listen. Lead. (Paradox.) 57. “On stage.” Always. (GW, FDR, RG = Supreme actors.) Supreme actors.)

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.) 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”?) (“Moments matter most”?) 72. Now. (Procrastination. Death.)

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.” 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.) (Not.) 84. MBAs. Creativity. Entrepreneurship. Leadership. (Not.) Leadership. (Not.) 85. Design. Under-rated. Wildly. (Still.) (Everything.) (Still.) (Everything.)

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?)

102. Simplicity. Redundancy. Resilience. Bloody- mindedness. Visible optimism. (Success.) 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.” c.r.o. 110. Great company = Creates the most individual success stories. (RE/MAX) individual success stories. (RE/MAX) 111. Talent first, performance byproduct. 112. Sustained Wow* 1, “Shareholder value,” 0.2 (*Product, People.) 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.) 117. Negotiation. Make all winners. (Save face.) (Save face.) 118. Grace makes enemies friends. 119. Network. 120. Invest in relationships. (Think ROIR. Return On Investment in Relationships.) Return On Investment in Relationships.) 118. Relationship investment. Forethought. Calendar item. Intensity. Calendar item. Intensity. 119. Innovation. Easy. (Hang out with weird.) with weird.) 120. Weird = Win. (Weird times.) 121. “The bottleneck is at the top of the bottle.” of the bottle.” 122. Good Board = Weird Board. (At least, surprising.) (At least, surprising.) 123. No contention, no progress.

R.O.I.R. R.O.I.R.* *Return On Investment In Relationships

124. “Crucial conversations.” “Crucial confrontations.” (Study. Learn. Do.) 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.) (Pos > Neg. Encourage > Fix.) 136. Somebody’s doing it today. Find ’em. 137. Someone is living 2016 in 2006. (Find ’em. Study ’em.) (Find ’em. Study ’em.)

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

151. Resilience. 152. Relentless-ness. 153. None. Above. Comeuppance. No. “ultimate.” “business model.” No. “ultimate.” “business model.” (GM. Sears. U.S. Steel. DEC.) (GM. Sears. U.S. Steel. DEC.) 154. Be yourself. Period. 155. Never work with jerks. Including customers. (Life. Too short.) customers. (Life. Too short.) 156. Under-promise, over-deliver. 157. Talent. (Powerful word.) 158. “Customer = Anyone whose actions affect your results.” affect your results.” 159. Competition stinks. (Seek the soft spots where you can dominate.) 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.) (Go. Ray.)

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.) 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.)

177. Today. Now. My Project. Am. Is. I. Period. 178. “Beautiful” systems. (Good biz phrase. Not oxymoron.) Not oxymoron.) 179. Build on strengths > Fix weaknesses. 180. “To don’t” = “To do.” (“To don’t” > “To do” ?) “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?) (3 “Priorities” = 0 Priorities?) 186. People. First. Last. Always. 187. It. Is. Always. The. People.

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. 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.

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

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.

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

XXX. One size fits. One. Only. (Evaluations. Period.) XXX. Teaching. Individualized. Only. (6 billion people = 6 billion learning trajectories.) (Montessori.) XXX. First impression. Matters. Shapes all that comes. Hard to overcome. (Understatement.) XXX. Jerks. Don’t work with. (Life = Too short.) XXX. Manage [the hell out of] first impressions. XXX. Last impression. Matters. Dominates memory. Hard to overcome. (Understatement.) XXX. Manage [the hell out of] last impressions. XXX. Plain English. XXX. K.I.S.S. (450/8.) XXX. $798. $55,000,000,000. 3,000,000,000. 7AM-7PM. 6:15AM. XXX. Donnelly Weatherstrip rules. XXX. Managers do things right. Leaders do the right thing. NOT. Work In Progress XXX. One size fits. One. Only. (Evaluations. Period.) XXX. Teaching. Individualized. Only. (6 billion people = 6 billion learning trajectories.) (Montessori.) XXX. First impression. Matters. Shapes all that comes. Hard to overcome. (Understatement.) XXX. Jerks. Don’t work with. (Life = Too short.) XXX. Manage [the hell out of] first impressions. XXX. Last impression. Matters. Dominates memory. Hard to overcome. (Understatement.) XXX. Manage [the hell out of] last impressions. XXX. Plain English. XXX. K.I.S.S. (450/8.) XXX. $798. $55,000,000,000. 3,000,000,000. 7AM-7PM. 6:15AM. XXX. Donnelly Weatherstrip rules. XXX. Managers do things right. Leaders do the right thing. NOT.

ONE WORD+

Drill more wells R.F.A.AccountabilityRealismDecentralizationExecution Action bias Most mistakes wins 6:15amEnergyEnthusiasmDo>PlanAct>ThinkBehavior>AttitudePassion

ONE WORD+ 5 min/5,000 miles WomenDecencyGrace Innovate or Die Re-imagine Fight irrelevance Just Do It Care (You Must) Flowers (Say It With) I’m sorry Thank You Insanely Great Silence 2-cent candy

ONE WORD+EmotionIntuitionSellO.O.D.A.IntegrityWeirdAppreciateCelebrateRespectListenWander Calendar rules Calendar doesn’t lie “To don’t Max priorities = 3

ONE WORD+Gasp-worthy Insanely great Different>betterImpact>longevity Dramatic Difference Only ones do what we do Smile$7987-7-7 Design rules Beautiful Systems 450/8 VP S.O.U.B. Women buy all Women lead better

ONE WORD+MBWAWhy?PSFWow! ! (red) Buy a Mirror Know thyself InviteQuestAdventureTalent Brand You LovemarkExperienceDreamketing

ONE WORD+ Boomers-geezers own all 2.6/2125253,000,000,000(900,000,000) 26 minutes 43 hours Perception Is All There Is Enthusiasm: The Ultimate Virus

The Sales122: 122 Ridiculously Obvious Thoughts About Selling Stuff GE (more or less) : The Sales122: 122 Ridiculously Obvious Thoughts About Selling Stuff Tom Peters/0402.2006

This list was first prepared for GE Energy sales & marketing people in January. It started with a half-dozen items, and grew like Topsy. Possibly, given its origins, it’s a little tilted toward complex, engineering- based sales. In any event, it makes a perfect companion to “The Irreducibles209.” This, too, is effectively a list of “irreducibles.” Tom Peters

1. “Strategy” overrated, simply “doin’ stuff” underrated. See Kelleher and Bossidy: “We have a ‘strategic plan,’ it’s called doing things.”—Herb Kelleher. “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. Action has its own logic—ask Genghis Khan, Rommel, COL John Boyd, U.S. Grant, Patton, W.T. Sherman. 2. What are you personally great at? (Key word: “great.”) Play to strengths! “Distinct or Extinct.” You should aim to be “outrageously good”/B.I.W. at a niche area (or more). 3. Are you a “personality,” a de facto “brand” in the industry? The Dr Phil of... 4. Opportunism (with a little forethought) mostly wins. (“Successful people are the ones who are good at Plan B.”) 5. Little starts can lead to big wins. Most true winners—think search & Google—start as something small. Many big deals— Disney & Pixar—could have been done as little-er deals if you’d had the guts to jump before the value became obvious.

Everyone lives by selling something.” “Everyone lives by selling something.” —Robert Louis Stevenson

6. Non-obvious targets have great potential. Among many other things, everybody goes after the obvious ones. Also, the “non-obvious” are often good Partners for technology experiments. 7. The best relationships are often (usually?) not “top to top”! (Often the best: hungry division GMs eager to make a mark.) 8. IT’S RELATIONSHIPS, STUPID—DEEP AND FROM MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS. 9. In any public-sector business, you must become an avid student of “the politics,” the incentives and constraints, mostly non-economic, facing all of the players. Politicians are usually incredibly logical—if you (deeply!) understand the matrix in which they exist. 10. Relationships from within our firm are as important— often more important—as those from outside—again broad is as important as deep. Allies—avid supporters!—within and from non-obvious places may be more important than relationships at the Client organization. Goal: an “insanely unfair ‘market share’” of insiders’ time devoted to your projects!

C(I)>C(X)

11. Interesting outsiders are essential to innovative proposal and sales teams. An “exciting” sales-proposal team is as important as a prestigious one. 12. Is the proposal-sales team weird enough—weirdos come up with the most interesting, game-changer ideas. Period. 13. Lunch with at least one weirdo per month. (Goal: always on the prowl for interesting new stuff.) 14. Gratuitous comment: Lunches with good friends are typically a waste of (professional) time. 15. Don’t short-change (time, money, depth) the proposal process. Miss one tiny nuance, one potential incentive that “makes my day” for a key Client player—and watch the whole gig be torpedoed. 16. “Sticking with it” sometimes pays, sometimes not—it takes a lot of tries to forge the best path in. Sometimes you never do, after a literal lifetime. (Ah, life.) 17. WOMEN ARE SIMPLY BETTER AT RELATIONSHIPS—don’t get hung up—particularly in tech firms—on what industries- countries “ women can’t do.” (Or some such bullshit.)

18. Work incessantly on your “story”—most economic value springs from a good story (think Perrier)! In sensitive public or quasi-public negotiations, a compelling story is of immense value—politics is about the tension among competing stories. (If you don’t believe me, ask Karl Rove or James Carville.) (“Storytelling is the core of culture.” —Branded Nation: The Marketing of Megachurch, College Inc., and Museumworld, James Twitchell) 19. Call this 18A, or 18 repeat: Become a first-rate Storyteller! (“A key – perhaps the key – to leadership is the effective communication of a story.”—Howard Gardner, Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership) 20. Risk Assessment & Risk Management is more about stories than advanced math—i.e., brilliant scenario construction. 21. Good listeners are good sales people. Period. 22. Lousy listeners are lousy sales people. Period. 23. GREAT LISTENERS ARE GREAT SALES PEOPLE. (Listening “skills” are hard to learn and subject to immense effort in pursuit of Mastery. A virtuoso “listener” is as rare as a virtuoso cello player.) (“If you don’t listen, you don’t sell anything.”—Carolyn Marland/MD/Guardian Group)

24. Things that are funny to me (American) are often-mostly not funny to those in other cultures. (Humor is as fine-edged as it gets, and rarely travels.) 25. You don’t know Jack Squat about other peoples’ cultures— especially if you are a typically myopic American. (Like me.) 26. Are you a great interviewer? It’s a make or break skill. (Think Barbara Walters’ skill at extracting unwanted truths from pros in persona-protection... in front of 10s of millions of people. 27. Are you a great (not merely “good”) presenter? Mastering presentation skills is a life’s work—with stupendous payoff. 28. Work like hell on the Big 2: LISTENING/INTERVIEWING, PRESENTING. These are “the essence of [sales] life”—and usually picked-up in an amateurish fashion. Mistake! (Become a “professional student” of these two areas, achieve Mastery.) 29. Are you good at flowers? Think: FLOWER POWER ! (see Harvey Mackay’s “Mackay 66”—what you should know about a Client; e.g., birthdays & anniversaries.) (My “flowers budget” is out of control. Hooray for me.) 30. You can’t do it all—be clear at what you are good at, bad at, indifferent at. Hubris sucks.

FLOWERPOWERFLOWERPOWERFLOWERPOWERFLOWERPOWER

31. The point is not to “prove yourself.” (That’s ego-talk.) Let the best person present to the Client—perhaps a “lower level” geek. (“Control freaks” get their just desserts in the long haul— or sooner.) 32. The numbers will more or less take care of themselves over the long haul—if the relationship/s is/are solid gold. 33. The Gold Standard in selling: INDISPENSABLE to the Client. No other goal is worthy. 34. Never stop growing-broadening-deepening the relationship. The key to “indispensability” is to get the Client more and more … and more … and then more … imbedded in “our” web. Hence the so-called “selling process” is only the first step! 35. USE THE WORD “WE” … CONSTANTLY & RELIGIOUSLY! (E.g.: “We”—the Client & me—“are going to change the world with this service.”) 36. Don’t waste your time on jerks—it’ll rarely work out in the mid- to long-term. 37. Genius is walking away from lousy “scores” (deals)—and accepting the attendant heat. Big Business is the premier home to Big Egos overpaying by a factor of 2 to 22 with billion$$$$ at stake. (Think Jerry Levin and AOL Time Warner.)

“If you don’t listen, you don’t sell you don’t sell anything.” anything.” —Carolyn Marland/ Managing Director/ Guardian Group

38. You haven’t a clue as to how this situation will actually play out—be prepared to move fast in a different direction. 39. Keep your word. 40. KEEP YOUR WORD. 41. Underpromise (i.e., don’t over-promise; i.e., cut yourself a little slack) even if it costs you business—winning is a long-term affair. Over-promising is Sign #1 of a lack of integrity. You will pay the piper. 42. There is such a thing as a “good loss”—if you’ve tested something new and developed good relationships. A half-dozen honorable, ingenious losses over a two-year period can pave the way for a Big Victory in a New Space in year 3. 43. It’s a competitive world out there. New, innovative products are harder to sell than old stand-bys. Nonetheless, you will be a long-term star to the extent that you are willing to push the harder-to-sell-at-the-moment Innovative Products that cement long-term Client success (Indispensability!) —even if it means a #s hit this quarter. PART OF YOUR JOB: TAKE CLIENTS ON AN ADVENTURE THAT PUTS THEM AHEAD OF THE GAME CALLED (GAMECHANGING—hopefully) COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE!

“ You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” “ You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” —Dale Carnegie

44. Think “legacy”—what the hell is all this really about for you and the world? (“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” —Mary Oliver) 45. THERE ARE NO “MODERATES” IN THE HISTORY BOOKS! 46. Keep it simple! (Damn it!) No matter how “sophisticated” the product. If you can’t explain it in a phrase, a page, or to your 14- year-old... you haven’t got it right yet. 47. Know more than the next guy. Homework pays. (of course it’s obvious—but in my work it is too often honored in the breach.) 48. Regardless of project size, winning or losing invariably hinges on a raft of “little stuff.” Little stuff is and always has been everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!—or, “one man’s little stuff is another man’s 7.6 Richter deal-breaker.” 49. In public settings in particular, face saving is all. When something changes, allow the other guy to come out looking like a winner, especially if he has lost. (Even if you must accept the egg on your face—he will always remember you!) 50. Don’t hold grudges. (It is the ultimate in small mindedness— and incredibly wasteful and ineffective. There’s always tomorrow.)

51. IT’S ALWAYS “THE POLITICS”—wee private-sector deal or giant public sector deal. (Every player, small or large, is angling for something. Master the calculus of advantage.) 52. To beat the “turnover problem” in key Client posts amidst long negotiations, invest outrageous amounts of time building a wide & deep set of relationships with mid-level (& lower!!) “plodding” “careerists.” The invisible careerists are the bedrock upon which repeated success is built! (My “Capitol Hill Axiom”: It’s the 24-year-old LA who in the end briefs the Senator right before she goes to the Floor to vote.) 53. Speaking of “she”: Gender differences are Enormous— dealing with a woman and dealing with a man are different kettles of fish—you must become an A+ student of gender differences. (E.g.: Men are typically more interested in the short-term “score.” Women are more interested in the long- term consequences.) 54. “LITTLE PEOPLE” OFTEN HAVE BIG FRIENDS. 55. This is not war, damn it. All parties can win (or not lose, anyway). And losing bidders can walk away from a deal with increased respect for you and your team.

56. Never, ever dump on a competitor—the Tom Watson IBM glory-days mantra. 57. Never forget the “Law of Cousins!” In developing nations in particular, power brokers at all levels are at least cousins! Consideration for a second cousin can pay off big time. 58. Speaking of “favors,” jail sucks. 59. Work hard beats work smart. (Mostly.) 60. REPEAT: HE/SHE WHO HAS THE MOST-BEST RELATIONSHIPS WINS. RELATIONSHIPS ARE THE ESSENCE OF THE WORK OF THE SALESPERSON. THE HARD... AND LONG... WORK OF THE SALESPERSON. 61. Mano v mano “hardball” is seldom the answer—end runs based and patient multi-level relationship building via deeper- wider networks win. 62. If the deal is wired from below, truly wired, than the so- called “big negotiations” are essentially irrelevant. 63. If every quarter is a “little better” than the prior quarter— then you are not taking any serious risks. 64. Phones beat email.

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

65. A THREE-MINUTE CALL TODAY CAN AVOID A GAME-LOSER OF A FIASCO NEXT MONTH. There was always a time when a little thing could have been addressed that headed off a subsequent big thing. As to avoiding that call, didn’t someone say, “Pride goeth before the fall”? 66. Be hyper-organized about relationship management—you are in the anthropology business. Study the great pols! Brilliant NRM (network relationship management) is not accidental! It is not catch-as-catch can. (Football analogies are cute—but deep political understanding pays the private-school tuition.) 67. Obsess on ROIR (Return On Investment In Relationships). 68. “THANK YOU” NOTES: World’s highest-return investment!! 69. The way to anyone’s heart: Doing a nice thing for their kid. (But, gawd, does this take a gentle touch.) 70. Scoring off other people is stupid. Winners are always in the business of creating the maximum # of winners—among adversaries at least as much as among “partners.” 71. Your colleagues’ successes are your successes. Period. (Trust me, my greatest personal success—financially as well as artistically—has been creating a bigger pond in which everyone wins, even if my “market share” is down.)

72. Lend a helping hand, especially when you don’t have the time. E.g. share relationships—the more you give away the more you get in return (just like they say in church). 73. Listen up: “It was much later that I realized Dad’s secret. He gained respect by giving it. He talked and listened to the fourth-grade kids in Spring Valley who shined shoes the same way he talked and listened to a bishop or a college president. He was seriously interested in who you were and what you had to say.” —Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Respect. (I.e., Respect is Cool.) 74. Mentoring is a thrill—and the practical payoff is enormous. The best mentors have the whole world working its buns off for them! 75. Hire for enthusiasm. Promote for enthusiasm. Cherish enthusiasm. REMOVE NON-ENTHUSIASTS—THEY ARE CANCERS. (“Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm.”— Samuel Taylor Coleridge. “A man without a smiling face must not open a shop.”—Chinese Proverb.) 76. IT’S ALWAYS YOUR PROBLEM—you sold it to them.

77. It’s never over: While there may be an excellent service activity in your company, the “relationship” belongs to You! Hence the “aftersales” “moments of truth” are at least as—if not more than*--important to the Continuing Relationship as the sale “transaction” itself. (*I vote for “more than.”) You’ll get your biggest “points” with the Client for being an effective after-the-fact go-between with your company. 78. Don’t get too hung up on “systems integration”—first & foremost, the individual bits have got to work. 79. For God’s sake don’t over promise on “systems integration”—it’s nigh on impossible to deliver. 80. On the other hand … winners clamber Up the Value-added Ladder, and offer ever so much more than “mere” product. ALL SUCCESSFUL SALES PEOPLE ARE IN THE “SOLUTIONS BUSINESS”—no matter how jargony that may sound.

81. “Systems” / “Solutions” selling means grappling directly with “culture change” in Client organizations. (“The business of selling is not just about matching viable solutions to the customers that require them. It’s equally about managing the change process the customer will need to go through to implement the solution and achieve the value promised by the solution”—Jeff Thull, The Prime Solution: Close the Value Gap, Increase Margins, and Win the Complex Sale) 82. Shit happens. That’s what they pay you for. 83. This is not a “GE” or “Ben & Jerry’s” sale—it is a Joe Jones/Jane Jones sale. YOU ARE THE “BRAND” THE CLIENT BUYS—especially over the long haul. 84. Duh: You make money, the company makes money—on repeat business. 85. Master—yes, you—the “PR” Game. “Word of Mouth” is not accidental! You want Word of Mouth? Make it happen! 86. GOAL #1: MAKE YOUR CLIENT A HERO—YOU ARE NOT THERE TO GET CREDIT. (“Taking credit” is for egomaniacs. And losers.) 87. “Decent margins,” over the mid- to long-term, are a product of better relationships, not better “negotiating skill.” (Mostly.)

“You can’t behave in a calm, rational manner. You’ve got to be out there on to be out there on the lunatic fringe.” the lunatic fringe.” —Jack Welch

88. In the immortal words of ex-GE Vice Chairman Larry Bossidy, more or less, “Realism rocks.” (“Bullshit artist” and “great salesperson,” contrary to conventional wisdom, are Diametric Opposites. “Truthteller” and Great Salesperson is more like it.) 89. Be the first to tell the Client bad news (e.g., slipped delivery); his intelligence sources will tell him fast—you want to be there first with your story and to enhance your rep as Truthteller! 90. Work like hell to get a reputation as a valued industry expert, to become an industry resource. 91. Work the Trade Association angle for all its worth—it may take a decade to pay off—e.g., when you become an officer or are on an important panel or testify Before Congress. 92. PAY YOUR DUES IN THE CLIENT ORG AND IN YOUR OWN ORG! 93. It’s all bloody tactics. 94. You must... LOVE.... the product! (Period.) 95. YOU MUST LOVE THE PRODUCT! 96. Don’t over-schedule. “Running late” is inexcusable at any level of seniority; it is the ultimate mark of self-importance mixed with contempt.

97. Women are better salespeople. (See Addendum.) 98. Women alone understand Women. 99. Actually, Women by and large understand Men better than Men understand Men. 100.Women purchasers buy Stories and recommendations. 101. Women take longer to become Loyal purchasers, but then stay Loyal. 102. Men buy Stats. 103. Men decide fast, but are fickle. 104. Men & Women are … VERY, VERY … Different. 105. Women buy most things. Consumer. Increasingly, professional goods and services. 106. Women’s Market is Opportunity #1. 107. Boomers. Many, many. Lots & lots & lots of … $$$. 108. Boomers-Geezers are very different purchasers than those in other categories.

Women Rock … as Salespersons (From Item #97.) Women Rock … as Salespersons (From Item #97.) And the answers are? “TAKE THIS QUICK QUIZ: Who manages more things at once? Who puts more effort into their appearance? Who usually takes care of the details? Who finds it easier to meet new people? Who asks more questions in a conversation? Who is a better listener? Who has more interest in communication skills? Who is more inclined to get involved? Who encourages harmony and agreement? Who has better intuition? Who works with a longer ‘to do’ list? Who enjoys a recap to the day’s events? Who is better at keeping in touch with others?” Source: Selling Is a Woman’s Game: 15 Powerful Reasons Why Women Can Outsell Men, Nicki Joy & Susan Kane-Benson

109. It takes time to get to know people. (DUH.) 110. The very idea of “efficiency” in relationship development is... STUPID. 111. MBWA (still) rules. 112. “Preparing the soil” is the “first 98 percent.” (Or more.) 113. WORK THE PHONES! 114. Rule 5K-5M: 5K miles for a 5-Minute meeting often makes sense. (Yes, often.) (Even with constrained travel budgets.) (Thanks, super-agent Mark McCormack.) 115. Become a student! Study great salespeople! (Including Presidents.) (“Natural” is a little bit true—but then Naturals are always the ones who study hardest— e.g., Jerry Rice.) 116. Become a student! Yes, you can study Relationship Building. So, study … 117. Beware complexifiers and complicators. (Truly “smart people”... Simplify things.)

118. The smartest guy in the room rarely wins—alas, he usually is aware he’s the smartest guy. (And needn’t waste his time on that “soft relationship crap.”) 119. Be kind. It works. 120. Be especially kind when there are screw-ups. (There’s plenty of time later to Play the Great Accountability Game.) 121. Presidents never tire of being treated like Presidents. 122. Luck matters. Good luck! Good luck!

Tom’s 60TIB s * Tom’s 60TIB s * *TIB = This I Believe

Sixty for Sixty: Tom’s 60TIB s The architect Bill Caudill was a contrarian. He pioneered the idea of working intimately with clients to create spaces that met their needs; this flew in the face of conventional wisdom, which held that the architect was pure artist, barely deigning to make client contact. Caudill’s approach was wildly successful—so much so that today it’s become conventional wisdom. wildly successful—so much so that today it’s become conventional wisdom. Over the years Bill jotted notes on this and that, and began to organize them for his children. The title of his musings: This I Believe. After Caudill’s death, his colleagues collected the notes and published them. That is, The TIB s of Bill Caudill. A sixtieth birthday is a monumental occasion, and I chose, among other things, to give myself a present to mark the/my date in November 2002. I sat on a hill overlooking my farm in Vermont, and scribbled down 60 thoughts, one for each year, that seemed to capture my professional and, to some extent, my personal journey. Those thoughts—Tom’s 60TIBs—herewith.

1. TECHNICOLOR RULES! (Passion Moves Mountains!) 2. Audacity Matters! 3. Revolution Now! 4. Question Authority! (& Hire Disrespectful People.) 5. Disorganization Wins! (LOVE THE MESS!)

6. Think 3M: Markets Matter Most. ONLY EXTREME COMPETITION STAVES OFF STALENESS. (You can take the boy out of Silicon Valley, but you can’t take Silicon Valley out of the boy!) 7. Three Hearty Cheers for Weirdos. (Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison, Scott McNealy, Craig Venter et al.) 8. Message 2003: Technology Change (Info-sciences, Biosciences) Is in Its Infancy! (WE AIN’T SEEN NOTHIN’ YET!) 9. Everything Is Up For Grabs! Volatility Is Thy Name! (Forever & Ever. Amen.) RE-INVENT … OR DIE! 10. Big Sucks. (Mostly.) (VERY Mostly.)

11. “Permanence” Is a Snare & a Delusion. (Forget “Built to Last.” It’s Yesterday’s Idea.) 12. Kaizen” (Continuous Improvement) Is … Dangerous. 13. DESTRUCTION RULES! 14. Forget It! (“Learning” = Easy. “Forgetting” = Nigh on Impossible.) 15. Innovation Is Easy: Hang Out with Freaks. (Employees, Board Members, Customers, Suppliers, Alliance Partners, Consultants.)

16. Boring Begets Boring. (Cool Begets Cool.) 17. Think “Portfolio.” (We’re All V.C.s.) 18. Perception Is All There Is. (“Insiders” … ALWAYS … overestimate the Radicalism of What They’re Up To.) 19. Action … ALWAYS … Takes Precedence. Think: R.F!A./Ready. Fire! Aim. (REWARD SUCCESS. REWARD FAILURE. PUNISH … INACTION.) 20. He Who Makes & Tests the Quickest & Coolest Prototypes Reigns!

21. Haste Makes Waste. (SO GO WASTE!) 22. Screw-ups are … the … Mark of Excellence. (“Do It Right the First Time” Is a Very Stupid Idea.) 23. Play Hard! Play Now! (Cherish Play!) 24. TALENT TIME! (He/She Who Has the Best “Roster” Rules!) 25. Re-do Education. Totally. (FOSTER CREATIVITY … NOT UNIFORMITY.) (THE NOISIEST CLASSROOM WINS.)

26. Diversity’s Hour Is Now! 27. SHE … Is the Best Leader! 28. MARKETING MANTRA: Embrace the “BIG THREE” Demographics. (1) SHE … is the Customer. (For everything.) (2) Rapidly Aging Boomers Have … ALL THE MONEY. (3) Green … Matters. (TRILLIONS OF $$$$$ Are at Stake.) (NOBODY … Gets It.) (Mere “Programs” Will Not Suffice.) 29. Re-boot Healthcare. (UNDERSTATEMENT.) 30. WHAT ARE WE SELLING? “Experiences” & “Solutions” > “Quality” & “Satisfaction.” (The Traditional Value-added Equation Is Being Set on Its Ear.)

31. DESIGN = New Seat of the Soul. 32. Branding Is for … EVERYONE. He Who Has the … BEST STORY … Takes Home the Marbles. 33. DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE = Only Difference. 34. WORDS/Language Matters … a Lot. (E.g.: Three Hearty Cheers for “Wow”!) 35. WHAT MATTERS IS STUFF THAT MATTERS. (Query #1: “Are You Proud of It?”)

36. eALL. (IS/IT: Half-way = No Way.) 37. DREAM … Big! DREAM … Enormous. DREAM … Gargantuan. (These Are XXXL Times.) 38. THINK MIKE! (Michelangelo: “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.”) 39. There Is Only … ONE BIG ISSUE. Cross- functional Communication. 40. Stop Doing Dumb Shit. (SYSTEMATIZE THE PROCESS OF “UN-DUMBING.”)

41. Beautiful Systems Are … BEAUTIFUL. 42. The … WHITE-COLLAR REVOLUTION … Will Devour Everything in Its Path. 43. Take Charge of Your Destiny! BrandYou Moment! DISTINCT … OR EXTINCT! 44. “Powerlessness” Is a State of Mind! Think: King. Gandhi. De Gaulle. 45. Pursue Adventure … in Every Task.

46. EXCELLENCE … Is a State of Mind. (Excellence Takes a Minute.) (No Bull.) 47. SHOW UP! (If You Care, You’re There.) 48. YOUR CALENDAR KNOWS ALL. (You = Calendar.) (Mind Your “TO DON’T” List.) 49. LIFE IS SALES. (The Rest Is Details.) 50. Boss Mantra #1: “I DON’T KNOW.” (“I Don’t Know” = Permission to Explore.)

51. Management Role 1: GET OUT OF THE WAY. (Clear the Way.) (“Manager” = Hurdle Removal Professional.) 52. Epitaph from Hell: “He Woulda Done Some Truly Cool Stuff … But His Boss Wouldn’t Let Him.” 53. Change Takes However Long You Think It Takes. (Eschew … “Incrementalism.”) 54. Respect! (Rule 1: Don’t Belittle!) 55. “Thank You” Trumps All!

56. Integrity Matters! Integrity = Credibility. (Dennis K. Is a Jerk.) 57. SOFT IS HARD. HARD IS SOFT. (Numbers Are Soft. People Are Not.) 58. Try Sunny! (Sunny Begets Sunny. Gloomy Begets Gloomy.) 59. DISPENSE ENTHUSIASM! 60. FUN …Is Not a 4-Letter Word. So, too … JOY. (And … GRACE.)

Tom Peters’ to-m A -to to-mah-to

New Delhi. Thirteen September 2004. I awoke, jetlagged and sweaty, at 3A.M. I’d had a nightmare. Stark realism. I was, as usual, accused of overstatement and a few (or more) too many exclamation marks (!!!!!). Only this time I’d acceded to “They.” The “They” who believe in “The Plan” and “Built to Last” and “Continuous Improvement” and “Quiet, Humble Leaders.” No! No! I had failed, in my dream, to live up to my Fervent Beliefs! This must not pass! In a sweat, fearful that the time would not come ‘round again, I turned on the light, picked up a pad of paper, and began to scribble frantically. Herewith the result.

Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto! They say … my (Tom) language is extreme. I say … the times are extreme. They say I’m extreme. I say I’m a realist. They say I demand too much. I say they accept mediocrity & continuous improvement too readily. too readily. They say “We can’t handle this much change.” I say “Your job and career are in jeopardy; what other options do you have?” options do you have?” They say Brand You is not for everyone. I say the alternative is unemployment. They say “What’s wrong with a ‘good product’?” I say Wal*Mart or China or both are about to eat your lunch. Why can’t you provide instead a Fabulous lunch. Why can’t you provide instead a Fabulous Experience? Experience?

Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto! They say “Take a deep breath. Be calm.” I say “Tell it to Wal*Mart. Tell it to China. Tell it to India. Tell it to Dell. Tell it to Microsoft.” to India. Tell it to Dell. Tell it to Microsoft.” They say the Web is a “useful tool.” I say the Web changes everything. Now. They say “We need an Initiative.” I say “We need a Dream. And Dreamers.” They say Great Design is “nice.” I say Great Design is “necessary.” They say I “overplay” the “women’s thing.” I say the share of Women in Senior Leadership Positions is a Waste and a Disgrace and a Positions is a Waste and a Disgrace and a Strategic Marketing Error. Strategic Marketing Error.

Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto! They say the Women’s Market Opportunity I harp on is “doubtless important.” I say 9 out of 10, make that 99 out of 100, companies aren’t within striking distance of accurately estimating the potential within striking distance of accurately estimating the potential of the Women’s Market … let alone exploiting it. of the Women’s Market … let alone exploiting it. They say the boomer-geezer market is also “doubtless important.” I say the boomer-geezer market amounts to a Redefining Moment. Moment. They say we need a “project” to exploit the women-boomer-geezer market. I say we need Total Strategic Realignment to exploit the Women-Boomer-Geezer Opportunity. Women-Boomer-Geezer Opportunity. They say “Wow” is “typical Tom.” I say “WOW” is a Minimum Survival Requirement. They say “effective governance” is important. I say bold-brash Boards that are representative of the market served—more than a token woman or two and an empty seat served—more than a token woman or two and an empty seat for the “forthcoming Hispanic”—are an Imperative. Now. for the “forthcoming Hispanic”—are an Imperative. Now.

I say “Different!” They say “Better.” I say “Different!”

Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto! They say “Plan it.” I say “DO IT.” They say “We need more steady, loyal employees.” I say “WE NEED MORE FREAKS WHO ROUTINELY TELL THOSE ‘IN CHARGE’ TO TAKE A FLYING LEAP … THOSE ‘IN CHARGE’ TO TAKE A FLYING LEAP … BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.” BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.” They say “We need Good People.” I say “We need Quirky Talent.” They say “We like people who, with steely determination, say, “I can make it better.’” I say “I love people who, with a certain maniacal gleam in their eye, perhaps even a giggle, say, ‘I can turn in their eye, perhaps even a giggle, say, ‘I can turn the world upside down. Watch me!’” the world upside down. Watch me!’” They say “We must speed things up.” I say “We must Radically change the Corporate Metabolism until Insane Urgency becomes Metabolism until Insane Urgency becomes a Sacrament.” a Sacrament.”

Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto! They say, “Sure, we need ‘Change.’” I say we need “REVOLUTION NOW.” They say (acknowledge), “Okay, we need revolution.” I say, “REVOLUTION.” They say “fast follower.” I say “battered and bruised leader.” They say “Conglomerate & Imitate!” I say “Create & Innovate!” They say “Market share.” I say “Market CREATION.” They say “Improve & Maintain.” I say “DESTROY & RE-IMAGINE.”

Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto! They say “We like words such as ‘calm’ … ‘certainty’ … ‘is.’” I say “I like words/phrases such as ‘turbulent’ ‘opportunity’ … ‘might be’.” ‘opportunity’ … ‘might be’.” They vote for Republicans and Democrats. I vote for Independents and Libertarians. They say “Normal.” I say “Weird.” They say “Happy balance.” I say “Creative Tension.” They say they favor a “team” that works & lives in “harmony.” I say “give me a raucous brawl among the most creative people imaginable.” creative people imaginable.” They say “Peace, brother.” I say “Bruise my feelings. Flatten my ego. SAVE MY JOB.” SAVE MY JOB.”

Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto! They say “Vanilla.” I say “Cherry Garcia.” They say “Basic Black.” I say “TECHNICOLOR RULES!” They say “Branding is for the likes of Nike.” I say “Branding is for Everyone & Anyone with the Passion & Tenacity to foist their Wonderful & Weird Passion & Tenacity to foist their Wonderful & Weird Point of View on the world … and the New World’s Point of View on the world … and the New World’s (read: Web’s) power allows-encourages such “silly” (read: Web’s) power allows-encourages such “silly” (until recently) visions-of-ubiquity to become reality, (until recently) visions-of-ubiquity to become reality, perhaps overnight.” perhaps overnight.” They say we need “happy customers.” I say “Give me pushy, needy, nasty, provocative customers who will drag me down Innovation customers who will drag me down Innovation Boulevard.” Boulevard.” They say they want to partner with “best of breed.” I say “Give me Coolest of Breed.”

Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto! They say we need “supply chain harmony.” I say we need “supply chain Innovation.” They say “We seek Harvard MBAs.” I say I seek Certificate-free “PhDs” from the School of Hard Knocks. of Hard Knocks. They say they want recruits with a “spotless records.” I say “the Spots are what matter most.” They say “Integrity is important.” I say “Tell the Unvarnished Truth, All the Time … or take a Long Hike.” or take a Long Hike.” They read Jim Collins and grok on “quiet, humble leaders.” I say “Give me the Bold, the Brash, the Brassy, the Egocentric Dreamers who, like Steve Jobs, Egocentric Dreamers who, like Steve Jobs, ‘Dent the Universe.’” ‘Dent the Universe.’”

I say “Re-imagine!” They say “Improve.” I say “Re-imagine!”

Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto! They say they need a “vision” born of McKinsey. I say we need a “Grandiose Dream” born of a Passionate & Intemperate Belief that the world can be a different, & Intemperate Belief that the world can be a different, better place. better place. They say healthcare, our biggest industry, is “a mess.” I say our hospitals, which kill over 100,000 patients a year, are part of a system that is “a disgrace.” year, are part of a system that is “a disgrace.” They say “obesity is a problem” … “lose some weight.” I say Re-imagine the entire healthcare system … NOW … to focus on Prevention & Wellness. NOW … to focus on Prevention & Wellness. They say “no child left behind.” I say “education” is leaving ALL our children behind, as it is totally mis-aligned to deal with tomorrow’s as it is totally mis-aligned to deal with tomorrow’s (this afternoon’s) uncertain, ambiguous, creativity- (this afternoon’s) uncertain, ambiguous, creativity- driven economy. driven economy.

Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto! They say, “Of course we believe in marketing.” I say “Is the CMO [Chief Marketing Officer] on the Board of Directors?” of Directors?” They say “Of course we believe in marketing.” I say “Has your customer data base won numerous major industry awards?” They say “Of course we believe in marketing.” I say “Is your Web site Sooooo Cool, Sooooo Fresh, Sooooo Friendly to Use that it gives you goose pimples just to e-visit, Friendly to Use that it gives you goose pimples just to e-visit, even though you’ve seen it 1000 times?” even though you’ve seen it 1000 times?” They say “Of course we believe in marketing.” I say “How many in-depth customer visits did the CEO make last month?” last month?” They say “Yes, the ‘Women’s thing’ is important.” I say “Do women hold at least 1/3rd of your Board seats?” They say “We’re coming around on the design bit.” I say “Is, as at Braun, your Chief Design Officer on the Board of Directors?” of Directors?”

Tom’ Re-imagine Manifesto! They say “Of course we think the ‘experiences thing’ is important.” I say “Is there an ‘EVP Experiences’?” They say “Of course innovation is important.” I say “Is your percentage of revenue devoted to R&D at least 1.5 (2.0? 2.5?) times the industry average?” at least 1.5 (2.0? 2.5?) times the industry average?” They say “Of course we believe in IS/IT.” I say “Is the CIO on the Board of Directors?” (Only 5% of Fortune500 CIOs are on the Board. One example: Wal*Mart.) They say “Of course we believe in IS/IT.” I say “How many members of your Board are under 35 years old?” years old?” They say “We believe in having a ‘flat organization.’” I say “Is your headquarters in a Tower?”

Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto ! They say we need to “bring effectiveness to the supply chain.” I say we need an IS/IT/Best Sourcing revolution based on nothing less than an Entirely Original Vision of what on nothing less than an Entirely Original Vision of what organizations are and how they interact. organizations are and how they interact. They say “Globalization is a bumpy road.” I say India and China and Asia in general are within two decades of running the show: Get ready or get decades of running the show: Get ready or get trounced. trounced. They say “defense” and “consolidation” are musts for a global game. I say encourage Offense, nurture a Generation (or 10) of Entrepreneurs, cherish Creativity & Risk-taking from Entrepreneurs, cherish Creativity & Risk-taking from primary school onwards … and don’t expect to be primary school onwards … and don’t expect to be saved by a bunch of bulky, retro behemoth commanded saved by a bunch of bulky, retro behemoth commanded by a phalanx of Old White Guys who think 30 minutes a by a phalanx of Old White Guys who think 30 minutes a day on the corporate treadmill and 27 holes on the day on the corporate treadmill and 27 holes on the links are a fit defense against Revolution. links are a fit defense against Revolution.

Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto! They say “Get an MBA.” I say “Get an MFA.” They say “If it can’t be precisely measured then it isn’t real.” (And I suppose if it can be measured it is real? Think Enron? Adelphia? WorldCom?) I say “If it can be precisely measured it isn’t real.” (Think Age of Intangibles & Relationships.) (Think: “He knew Age of Intangibles & Relationships.) (Think: “He knew the price of everything and the value of nothing.”) the price of everything and the value of nothing.”) They say “Rationality is the Bedrock of Modern Society.” I say “Irrationality [irrational exuberance?] is the Mother of all True Entrepreneurial Pilgrimages.” of all True Entrepreneurial Pilgrimages.” They say “Order is the necessary precursor to measured, sustainable success.” I say “Dis-order is the precursor to Opportunistic Sorties, Market Creation, Quantum Leaps, and Entrepreneurial Market Creation, Quantum Leaps, and Entrepreneurial Adventure. Adventure.

Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto! They say “To get anywhere, you have to know exactly where the hell you’re headed.” I say “If you know precisely where you’re headed and exactly how you’re gonna get there, then you clearly exactly how you’re gonna get there, then you clearly suffer from Advanced Shrivelus Imaginationus.” suffer from Advanced Shrivelus Imaginationus.” (This disease is fatal.) They say “Employees need Well-defined Structure.” I say “Talent should be encouraged to embark on Quests to the Unknown.” to the Unknown.” They say “I’m here to maximize shareholder value.” I say “I’m here to inflame each & every member of my Awesome Staff to embark with Vigor & Determination Awesome Staff to embark with Vigor & Determination & Passion & Enthusiasm on a Quest of Monumental & Passion & Enthusiasm on a Quest of Monumental Consequence.” (And if I come even close to succeeding, Consequence.” (And if I come even close to succeeding, it will, in fact, dramatically up the odds of Thriving it will, in fact, dramatically up the odds of Thriving Amidst Today’s Chaos—and creating untold shareholder Amidst Today’s Chaos—and creating untold shareholder value in the process.) value in the process.)

Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto! They say “men.” I say “WOMEN.” They say Diversity is a “good thing.” I say Diversity is a Fresh Breath of Creative Air … Absolutely Necessary for Economic Salvation in perilous times. Necessary for Economic Salvation in perilous times. They say “Wait your turn, honor those who have marched these corridors before you.” I say Get Off Your Butt & Go for the Gold … TODAY … or sign the transfer papers willing your job in perpetuity to a the transfer papers willing your job in perpetuity to a Chinese or Indian who Gives a Shit and Gets Up Chinese or Indian who Gives a Shit and Gets Up (VERY) Early and works Saturdays & Sundays. (VERY) Early and works Saturdays & Sundays. They say “offshoring” is a “blight.” I say the Earth proved not to be the center of the Solar System … and the USA is not the epicenter-in-perpetuity System … and the USA is not the epicenter-in-perpetuity of the Earth … and that we had best learn … NOW … to of the Earth … and that we had best learn … NOW … to prosper and take pleasure in a dynamic, exciting, creative, prosper and take pleasure in a dynamic, exciting, creative, multi-polar economic environment. (Damn it.) multi-polar economic environment. (Damn it.)

Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto! They say “It’s a fright.” I say “It’s a Helluva Ride.” They say it’s “daunting.” I say it’s “a bronco-bustin’ day at the rodeo.” They say “Life is a marathon; husband your strength.” I say “Life is a sprint. Begin planning your World-beating Me Inc. start-up … TODAY.” Me Inc. start-up … TODAY.” They say lifetime employment was a boon. I say lifetime employment was Indentured Servitude, modern-day Slavery. modern-day Slavery. They say “safety net.” I say “I am my safety net; give me some version of the ‘Ownership Society.’” ‘Ownership Society.’” They say “zero defects.” I say “A day without a screwup or two is a day pissed away.” away.”

Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto! They say “Think about it.” I say “Try it.” They say “Plan it.” I say “Test it.” They say “continuous improvement.” I say “Bold Leaps.” They say “Keep on Improvin’.” I say “Keep on Leapin’.” They say “Built to last.” I say “Built to Soar. We’re all dead in the long run … live your Insane Fantasy. Devil take the hindmost.” live your Insane Fantasy. Devil take the hindmost.” They (Jim Collins) say “Walgreens is Cool.” I say “I love Larry Ellison.” (Oracle rules … at least for the next ten minutes.) for the next ten minutes.)

Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto! They say “Play the odds.” I say “Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre successes.” (Thanks, Phil Daniels.) They say “Eighty-hour weeks will kill you.” I say “Work 35-hour weeks, and the Chinese will kill you.” kill you.” They say “Install cost controls with teeth.” I say “Ha. Ha. Ha. Blow Up the existing enterprise and start with a Clean Sheet of Paper.” start with a Clean Sheet of Paper.” They say “Install cost controls with teeth.” I say “Grow the Top Line.” They say “Radical change takes a decade.” I say “Radical change takes a Minute.” (See AA.) They say “Times are changing.” I say “Everything has already changed. Tomorrow is the First Day of Your Revolution … or you’re Toast.” First Day of Your Revolution … or you’re Toast.”

Tom’s Re-imagine Manifesto! They say “We can’t all be Anita Roddick or Maxine Clark or Stan Shih or Les Wexner or Jerry Yang.” I say “Why not?” They say “We can’t all be Revolutionaries.” I say “Why not?” They say “We can’t all be a Brand.” I say “Why not?” They say “Beware the Hype.” I say “Been to China lately? Visited Infosys in Bangalore lately?” Bangalore lately?” They say this is just a Rant. I say this is just Reality. They say “The man is not nice.” I say “The times are not forgiving.”

EXCELLE ALWAYS.

LONG Tom Peters’ EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS. Istanbul/17October2006.

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LONG Tom Peters’ EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS. Istanbul/17October2006.

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