EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS. Tom Peters/The Luminary Series/ Phoenix/26April2006 LONG

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.Tom Peters/The Luminary Series/

Phoenix/26April2006

LONG

Bonus

Happy 50!

26April2006

Malcom McLean

Containerization

LessonsNeed-driven

A thousand “parents”Messy

Evolutionary“Trivial”

Experimentation

trial & ERRORLoooong time for systemic adaptation/s

(many innovations) (bill of lading, standard time)

Not …

“Plan-driven”The product of “Strategic Thinking/Planning”

The product of “focus groups”

“Consultants have drained a good deal of

the life from our democracy. Specialists in caution,

they fear anything they haven’t tested.” —Joe

Klein, Politics Lost

Get mad. Do something

about it. Now.

Related Addendum

First-level Scientific Success

The “smartest guy in the room wins”

Or …

First-level Scientific Success

FanaticismPersistence-Dogged Tenacity

Patience (long haul/decades)-Impatience (in a hurry/”do it yesterday”)

PassionEnergy

Relentlessness (Grant-ian)

EnthusiasmDriven (nuts!)

(Brutal?) CompetitivenessEntrepreneurialPragmatic (R.F!A.)

Scrounge (“gets” the logistics-infrastructure bit)

Master of Politics (internal-external)Tactical Genius

Pursuit of (Oceanic) Excellence!High EQ/Skillful in Attracting + Keeping Talent/Magnetic

Prolific (“ground up more pig brains”)

Egocentric

Sense of History-DestinyFuturistic-In the Moment

Mono-dimensional (“Work-life balance”? Ha!)

Exceptionally IntelligentExceptionally Clever (methodological shortcuts/methodological genius)

Luck

Manhole Cover

Madness and More ….

Chicagoland’s

Mystery Disappearances …

New Economy?!

Sergey + Larry >

Harvard/370

New Economy?!

Genentech09, Amgen09

> Merck09 (70K-3/394B-5)

“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.” —Charles Darwin

“In Tom’s world, it’s always better to try a

swan dive and deliver a

colossal belly flop than to step timidly off the board while holding your nose.” —Fast Company

/October2003

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.Tom Peters/The Luminary

Series/Phoenix/26April2006LONG

Slides at …

tompeters.com

The Irreducible20

9

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

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

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

People.Product.

Execution.Enthusiasm.Relentless.Re-invent.Excellence.

EXCELLENCE.

1982.

Excellence1982: The Bedrock “Eight Basics”

1. A Bias for Action2. Close to the Customer3. Autonomy and Entrepreneurship4. Productivity Through People5. Hands On, Value-Driven6. Stick to the Knitting7. Simple Form, Lean Staff8. Simultaneous Loose-Tight Properties”

What is In Search of Excellence all about:

People. Emotion. Engagement. Exuberance. Action-Execution. Empowerment. Independence. Initiative. Imagination. Great

Stories. Incredible Adventures. Trust. Caring. Fun. Joy.

Customer-centrism. Profit. Growth. “Brand You.” “Dramatic Differences.” Experiences that Make You “Gasp.” Excellence.

Always.

ExIn*: 1982-2002/Forbes.com

DJIA: $10,000 yields $85,500 EI: $10,000 yields $140,050

*Excellence Index /Basket of 32 publicly traded stocks

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

Synonyms

PurityTranscendence

VirtueEleganceMajesty

Antonyms

Mediocrity

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

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

The Peters Principles: Enthusiasm.

Emotion. Excellence. Energy. Excitement. Service. Growth.

Creativity. Imagination. Vitality. Joy. Surprise. Independence. Spirit. Community. Limitless human potential. Diversity. Profit. Innovation. Design.

Quality. Entrepreneurialism. Wow.

Business* ** (*at its best): An emotional, vital, innovative, joyful,

creative, entrepreneurial endeavor that elicits

maximum concerted human potential in the

wholehearted service of others.***

**Excellence. Always.***Employees, Customers, Suppliers, Communities, Owners, Temporary partners

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

People.Product.

Execution.Enthusiasm.Relentless.Re-invent.Excellence.

Biz Bonanza Success = DDMMSTERL/

"D-squared, M-squared, STERL” = DramaticDifference + “Business”

Acumen/Money + Good “Marketing” Instinct/“Ice-to-

Eskimos” Sales Skills + Stellar Talent + Aim for Excellence +

Resilience/Tenacity/Adaptability + Luck (The “Necessary Nine”: What Every Small Biz

Requires to Excel.) (Big, too.)

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

Summary:

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!!)

$798

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

Foods

EXCELLENCE?

ALWAYS?

This is not a “mature

category.”

This is an “undistinguishe

d category.”

Franchise Lost!

TP: “How many of you [600] really

crave a new Chevy?”

NYC/IIR/061205


*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!!)


*Hands-on, emotional leadership. (“We are a great & cool & intimate & joyful & dramatically different team working to transform our Clients lives via Consistently Incredible Experiences!”)

*A community star! (“Sell” local-ness per se. Sell the hell out of it!)

*An incredible experience, from the first to last moment—and then in the follow-up! (“These guys are cool! They ‘get’ me! They love me!”)

*DESIGN DRIVEN! (“Design” is a premier weapon-in-pursuit-of-the sublime for small-ish enterprises, including the professional services.)


*Employer of choice. (A very cool, well-paid place to work/learning and growth experience in at least the short term … marked by notably progressive policies.) (THIS IS EMINENTLY DO-ABLE!!)

*Sophisticated use of information technology. (Small-“ish” is no excuse for “small aims”/execution in IS/IT!)

*Web-power! (The Web can make very small very big … if the product-service is super-cool and one purposefully masters buzz/viral marketing.)

*Innovative! (Must keep renewing and expanding and revising and re-imagining “the promise” to employees, the customer, the community.)


*Brand-Lovemark* (*Kevin Roberts) Maniacs! (“Branding” is not just for big folks with big budgets. And modest size is actually a Big Advantage in becoming a local-regional-niche “lovemark.”)

*Focus on women-as-clients. (Most don’t. How stupid.)

*Excellence! (A small player …

per me … has no right or reason to exist unless they are in Relentless Pursuit of Excellence. One earns the right—one damn day and client experience at a time!—to beat the Big Guys in your chosen niche!)

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

Donnelly’s Weatherstrip

Service

Weymouth MA

7X. 730A-800P.

F12A.**’93-’03/10 yr annual return: CB: 29%; WM: 17%;

HD: 16%. Mkt Cap: 48% p.a.

“It’s simple, really, Tom. Hire for s,

and, above all, promote for s.”

—Starbucks middle manager/field

$798

#1/100

“Best Companies to

Work for”/2005

Wegmans

Cirque du Soleil!

And the Winner is …

1. Audacity of Vision2. Innovation/R&D/Design3. Talent Acquisition & Development4. Resultant “Experience”5. Strategic Alliances6. Operations7. Financial Management8. Overall/Sustaining Excellence9. “Wow!”10. Lovemark!

Tattoo Brand: What % of users would tattoo the brand name on their

body?

Top 10 “Tattoo Brands”*

Harley .… 18.9%Disney .... 14.8

Coke …. 7.7Google .... 6.6Pepsi .... 6.1Rolex …. 5.6Nike …. 4.6

Adidas …. 3.1Absolut …. 2.6

Nintendo …. 1.5

*BRANDsense: Build Powerful Brands through Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight, and Sound, Martin Lindstrom

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

Bonus.

?????

Weenie of the year,

2006 …

????????

6/44

P&G

The Irreducible20

9

73. Exercise.74. Paint. (Leader. Portraits of Excellence.)

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

“Storytelling

is the core of culture.”

—Branded Nation: The Marketing of Megachurch, College Inc., and Museumworld, James Twitchell

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

$55B

And the “M” Stands for … ?

Gerstner’s IBM: “Systems Integrator of choice.”/BW

(“Lou, help us turn ‘all this’ into that long-promised ‘revolution.’ ” )

IBM Global Services* (*Integrated Systems

Services Corp.): $55B

“Big Brown’s New Bag: UPS

Aims to Be the Traffic Manager for Corporate

America” —Headline/BW/2004

MasterCard Advisors

Huge: Customer Satisfaction versus

Customer

Success

EXCELLENCE?

ALWAYS?

“ ‘Disintermediation’ is overrated. Those who fear disintermediation should in fact be afraid of

irrelevance—disintermediation is just another way

of saying that … you’ve become

irrelevant to your

customers.”

—John Battelle/Point/Advertising Age/07.05

Chicago:

HRMAC

“support function” / “cost

center”/ “overhead”

or …

Are you … “Rock Stars of the

Age of Talent”

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; ie it’s about how you actually do in the context of what happened in the real world, not as compared to a gamed-abstract plan developed last year.

Second: Putting HR on a par with finance and marketing.

Are you the …

“Principal Engine of

Value Added”*Eg: Your R&D budget as robust as the New Products team?

The Irreducible20

9

117. Negotiation. Make all winners. (Save face.)118. Grace makes enemies friends.119. Network.

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

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

“support function” / “cost

center”/ “overhead”

or …

Answer:

PSF

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)

The “PSF35”: Thirty-Five

Professional Service Firm Marks of Excellence

The PSF35: The Work & The Legacy

1. CRYSTAL CLEAR POINT OF VIEW (E very Practice Group: “If you can’t explain your position in eight words or less, you don’t have a position”—Seth Godin)2. DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE (“We are the only ones who do what we do”—Jerry Garcia)3. Stretch Is Routine (“Never bite off less than you can chew”—anon.)4. Eye-Appetite for Game-changer Projects (Excellence at Assembling “Best Team”—Fast) 5. “Playful” Clients (Adventurous folks who unfailingly Aim to Change the World)6. Small “Uneconomic” Clients with Big Aims7. Life Is Too Short to Work with Jerks (Fire lousy clients)8. OBSESSED WITH LEGACY (Practice Group and Individual: “Dent the Universe”—Steve Jobs)9. Fire-on-the-spot Anyone Who Says, “Law/Architecture/Consulting/ I-banking/ Accounting/PR/Etc. has become a ‘commodity’ ”10. Consistent with #9 above … DO NOT SHY AWAY FROM THE WORD (IDEA) “RADICAL”

?????

Do good (excellent?!) work

Make a lot of money

Point of

View!

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

Trapper: <$20 per beaver pelt.

Source: WSJ

WDCP*: $150 to remove

“problem beaver”; $750-$1,000 for flood-control piping … so that beavers can

stay.

* “Wildlife Damage-control Professional”

Source: WSJ

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

Fleet Manager

Rolling Stock Cost Minimization Officer

vs/or

Chief of Fleet Lifetime Value Maximization

Strategic Supply-chain Executive

Customer Experience Director (via drivers)

“Big Brown’s New Bag: UPS

Aims to Be the Traffic Manager for Corporate

America” —Headline/BW/2004

“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)

HCare CIO: “Technology Executive” (workin’ in a hospital)

Or/to: Full-scale, Accountable (life or death)

Member-Partner of XYZ Hospital’s Senior Healing-Services Team (who happens to be a techie)

PSF Transformation: Credit Department/Trek

Was Is

Credit Dept Financial Services

Hammer on dealers until Make dealers successful so theythey pay CAN pay

AR sold to 3rd party Trek is the commercial financialcommercial co. Company

23 employees 12 employees

Oversee peak AR of $70M Oversee peak AR of $160M

Identify risky dealers Identify opportunities

Cost Center Profit Center

No products Products: Consulting, MC/Visa, Stored value of gift cards, Gift card peripherals, Online payments

Source: John Burke/03.30.06

Answer:

PSF

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

Better By Design: A National Strategy

NZ = Design

Excellence

The Irreducible20

9

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.)

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

“Management has a lot to do with answers. Leadership is a function of questions. And the

first question for a leader always

is: ‘Who do we intend to be?’ Not ‘What are we going to do?’

but ‘Who do we intend to be?’” —Max De Pree, Herman Miller

“In 1933, Thomas J. Watson Sr. gave a speech at the World’s

Fair, ‘World Peace through

World Trade.’ We stood for

something, right?” —Sam Palmisano

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.

ALWAYS.

Brand =

Talent.

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.”

Leadership’s Mt Everest/Mt Excellence

“free to do his or her absolute best” …

“allow its members to discover their

greatness.”

“We are a ‘Life

Success’ Company”

Dave Liniger, founder, RE/MAX

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

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

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)

“You are the storyteller of your own life, and you can create your own legend or

not.” —Isabel Allende

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

“The First step in a ‘dramatic’

‘organizational change program’ is obvious—

dramatic personal change!” —RG

“You must

be the

change you wish to see in the

world.”Gandhi

MBWA**HS/25+

25

You = Your calendar*

*Calendars NEVER lie!!

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

Bonus

Health:Century21.Job # 1

(HC21.J1)

Tom Peters/0426.2006

Quality!Prevention!Wellness!

Chronic care!Childhood obesity!

H5N1!

Quality!Prevention!Wellness!

Chronic care!Childhood obesity!

H5N1!

22mm3838ss

Welcome to the Homer Simpson Hospital

a/k/a

The Killing Fields

“When I climb Mount Rainier I face less

risk of death than I’ll face on the

operating table.” —Don Berwick, “Six Keys to Safer Hospitals: A Set of Simple Precautions Could Prevent 100,000 Needless Deaths Every Year,” Newsweek (1212.2005)

The Ultimate “Culture Change”

“Healthcare” vs.

“Health”

Quality (100K+ deaths)

“Evidence/Outcomes-based” medicineIS/IT-in-health(care) revolution

Wellness/PreventionHealth“care” to Health “culture” transformation

Wash your hands!Home-care (as the population rapidly ages)

Med-school re-orientation “Public health” emphasisChildhood Obesity

Mind-boggling (15 years?) social-moral-technological impact of life sciences (“the Singularity”?)

H5N1/WMDs/Environmental degradationRisk assessment (private, public)

Market opportunityPublic vs/+ Private responsibilities & partnerships

Africa! (Unconscionable failure to attend to/staggering Health consequences for all)

Re-imagine Healthcare: Reportcard2006

Evidence-based/Outcomes-based ……………….………...... DPay-for-performance ………………………………………….… DIS/IT (general) ………………………………..………………..…. C-Use of information (for decisionmaking-measurement) .… C-EMR (Electronic Medical Records) ……………………..….... C-/DCPOE (Computerized Physician Order Entry) ……….……. C-/DQuality/100K+ unnecessary deaths …………..……… D-(kind)Acute care to chronic care-home care shift ………….….... D/D-Acute-care to Prevention/Wellness Obsession…..… D/D-Patient-centric/Client-centric………………………………….. DDocs’ acceptance of “evidence-based” …………............… D/D-“Revolutionary”-intensity Incentives re evidence …..……. D-Childhood obesity epidemic …………………………….. D-H5N1 preparedness ………………………………….…….. D

Corporate focus on Prevention/Wellness…………..…..…..... C-/DIndividual focus on Prevention/Wellness…………………..… DIndividuals’ health education/self-management …….…...…. C-

Workforce acceptance of self-responsibility ….…….…...….. C-Workforce transition to “Brand You” attitude……..……..….. C-/D

3 March 2006/Tom Peters

“If God spoke to me by saying, ‘Mark, you’re down to your last three words: What would you want to say to

your fellow humans that would make the most positive impact?’ It would be a close call between Love Thy

Neighbor and Wash Your Hands . A close third would be Move,

Move, Move.” —Mark Pettus, M.D., The Savvy Patient

“The most important thing you can do to keep

from getting sick is to wash your hands. ” —CDC/National Center for Infectious Diseases

The Irreducible20

9

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.

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

4/40Tom Peters/Novosibirsk/14 April 2006

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

Ex-e-cu-

tion!

Ac-count-a-bil-ity!

6:15A.M.

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

“‘Decentralization’ is not a piece of paper. It’s not me. It’s either in

your heart, or not.”

—Brian Joffe/BIDvest

“HOW THE COAST GUARD GETS IT RIGHT” —Headline, Time, 10.31.2005

*Autonomy*Flexibility*“Perhaps the most important distinction of the Coast Guard is that it trusts itself”

Ex-e-cu-

tion!

“Ninety percent of what we call

‘management’ consists of making

it difficult for people to get

things done.” – Peter Drucker

TP/BW on BigCo Sin #1:

“too much talk, too little do”

“Execution is the job of

the business leader.” —Larry Bossidy & Ram

Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

“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

“We have a ‘strategic plan.’ It’s

called doing things.” — Herb Kelleher

“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

“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

A man approached JP Morgan, held up an envelope, and said, “Sir, in my hand I hold a guaranteed formula for success, which I will

gladly sell you for $25,000.”

“Sir,” JP Morgan replied, “I do not know what is in the envelope, however if you show me, and I like it, I give you my word as a

gentleman that I will pay you what you ask.”

The man agreed to the terms, and handed over the envelope.JP Morgan opened it, and extracted a single sheet of paper.

He gave it one look, a mere glance, then handed the piece of paper back to the gent.

And paid him the agreed-upon $25,000 …

1. Every morning, write a list of the things that need to be done that day.

2. Do them. Source: Hugh MacLeod/tompeters.com/NPR

Ex-e-cu-

tion!

“I saw that leaders placed too much emphasis on what some call ‘high-level strategy,’ on

intellectualizing and philosophizing, and not enough

on implementation. People would agree on a project or initiative—and then nothing

would come of it.” —Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

“The person who is a little less conceptual but is absolutely determined to succeed will usually find the

right people and get them together to achieve objectives. I’m not knocking education or looking for

dumb people. But if you have to choose between someone with a

staggering IQ and an elite education who’s gliding along,

and someone with a lower IQ but who is absolutely determined to succeed, you’ll always do better with the second person.” —Larry

Bossidy/Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

“You only find oil if

you drill wells.”

Source: The Hunters, by John Masters, Canadian O & G wildcatter

Ac-count-a-bil-ity!

“Realism is the heart of execution.”

—Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

“robust dialogue”

—Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

“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.

ALWAYS.

“Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm.”

—Samuel Taylor Coleridge

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

Insanely Great Language!

“Insanely Great.”

—Steve Jobs

Radically Thrilling Language!

“Radically Thrilling.”

—BMW Z4 (ad)

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

The greatest dangerfor most of us

is not that our aim istoo high

and we miss it,but that it is

too lowand we reach it.

Michelangelo

Stay Hungry.

Stay Foolish.

Steve Jobs

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

“It’s always

showtime.”

—David D’Alessandro, Career Warfare

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

The Irreducible20

9

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.)5. Decency.6. Hurry.7. Time out.8. One matters. 9. Big change. Short time. (Alt not work.)10. Excellence. Always.11. Passion. Energy. Hustle. Enthusiasm. Exuberance. (Move mountains. No alt.)12. You must care.13. Emotion.14. Hard is soft. (Soft is hard.)

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

29. You must care.30. Mentor. (Highest ROI.)31. Best “roster” wins.32. Wow. (Okay in biz.)33. We all have customers. (Biz. Personal.)34. All contacts = Experiences.35. Cirque du Soleil. (Peerless.)36. Leaders create space for growth.37. Quests. (Only.)38. High aspirations, “high” results. (Self-fulfilling prophecy.)39. Attitude 1, Skills 0. (Mostly.) (Attitude 1, Skill 0.3?)40. Sometimes: Skill 1, Attitude 0.1.41. Must “love,” not “like.”42. Wegman’s.” (No excuses. “Mere” groceries.)43. Less than your best. Cheating.

44. Brand You. (No alt.)45. Self-sufficiency. (Biggest LT turn-on.)46. In the moment.47. The moment wins.48. Tomorrow = Never. 49. Action 1, Plan 0.1.50. “Execution” can be a “system.”51. Realism.52. Own up. Move on.53. Accountability.54. Work hard > Work smart. (Mostly.)55. Feedback. Necessary. Fast. (R.F.A. in “RFA times.”)56. Customers. Listen. Lead. (Paradox.)57. “On stage.” Always. (GW, FDR, RG = Supreme actors.)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.)179. Build on strengths > Fix weaknesses.180. “To don’t” = “To do.” (“To don’t” > “To do” ?)181. Leaders “Do” People. (Period.)182. Leaders enjoy leading.183. Serious leadership training = Serious.184. Priorities. Obvious. (Or else.)185. 5 “Priorities” = 0 Priorities. (3 “Priorities” = 0 Priorities?)186. People. First. Last. Always.187. It. Is. Always. The. People.

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 + Money-Financial Acumen + Good “Marketing” Instincts + Stellar People + Resilience (The “fab five”: What. Every. Small. Biz. Needs.) (Big too.)197. Core Mechanism (“Game-changing Solutions”): PSF (Professional Service Firm “model”) + Wow! Projects (“Different” vs “Better”) + Brand You (“Distinct” or “Extinct”)198. 2011/2016 has already happened. Find it.

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.

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

Documents

EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS. Tom Peters/The Luminary Series/ Phoenix/26April2006 LONG