EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.Tom Peters/4 “Stitched” PPs/18June 2006

#1

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

25

Manhole Cover

Madness and More ….

Chicagoland’s

Mystery Disappearances …

THREE BILLION NEW CAPITALISTS

—Clyde Prestowitz

“One Singaporean worker costs as much as …

3 … in Malaysia

8 … in Thailand 13 … in China 18 … in India.”

Source: The Straits Times/2003

“Thaksinomics” (after Thaksin Shinawatra, PM)/

“Bangkok Fashion City”:

“managed asset

reflation” (add to

brand value of Thai textiles by demonstrating flair and design excellence)

Source: The Straits Times/2004

“Forget China, India and the

Internet: Economic Growth Is Driven

by Women.” —Headline, Economist,

April 15, 2006, Leader, page 14

EXCELLENCE. THE

MANDATE.

“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

“We are in a brawl with

no rules.” —Paul Allaire

Sam’s Secret

#1!

"I think it is very important for you to do two things: act on your temporary conviction as if it was a

real conviction; and when you realize that you are

wrong, correct course very quickly.” —Andy Grove

“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

“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

“Reward excellent failures.

Punish mediocre

successes.”Phil Daniels, Sydney exec

Nelson’s secret:

“[Other] admirals more frightened of losing than

anxious to win”

EXCELLENCE. STARTERS.

Radio City Music HallSeptember 2005

Franchise Lost!

TP: “How many of you [600] really

crave a new Chevy?”

NYC/IIR/061205

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

People.Product.

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

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?”

My (Les’s) Dinner with Henri

JUSTWHATIZZITUMAKE?

My (Les’s) Dinner with Henri

JUST WHAT IS IT YOU MAKE?

EXCELLENCE. THE WORD.

Synonyms

PurityTranscendence

VirtueEleganceMajesty

Antonyms

Mediocrity

EXCELLENCE.

GAMECHANGER.

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

*Forbes/Excellence Index /Basket of 32 publicly traded stocks

A Comment on Tom Peters in the Context of the Reagan Revolution …

“Tom Peters and Steve Jobs did more to make business cool ‘for the rest of us’ than any

others.” —Rich Karlgaard, publisher, Forbes

EXCELLENCE.

CAUSES.ADVERSARIES.

Causes/1966-2006

Implementation/Small Wins (Stanford GSB/PhD thesis; 1st on implementation per se)

EXCELLENCE (as a worthy business pursuit)

Management Style/Corporate CultureSoft “Ss”/7-S (Waterman-Peters complete “business model”; waaaaay beyond Strategy & Structure)

Structure > Strategy (“We shape our structures, then they shape us …”—Churchillian paraphrase)

Soft Change Levers (> structure; symbols, patterns & settings)

Close to the Customer (novel idea, circa 1982)

MBWA (Managing By Wandering Around—courtesy a much more intimate than today HP)

Productivity through People (novel idea, circa 1982)

Chaos/Crazy Times Call for Crazy OrganizationsMiddle-sized companies are cool Re-imagine!/Innovate or Die!Small-ish/Scale & Synergy limits-delusions/anti-Big Mergers

Causes/1966-2006

Women/Market opportunityWomen/Leaders (right for the times)

Design/Design-as-soulWow! (Hot language)

Weird!Passion!/Enthusiasm!/Exuberance! (as Leader Lever #1)

Brand You (or else)

PSF = Bedrock (add value or bust—every group must demonstrate economic viability)

PSF + Brand You + WOW Projects = New Biz LogicSales/+R > -C (increasing revenue more important than cutting cost)

HealthCare/Wellness-Safety-H5N1Brand = Talent (best roster wins)

New VA Ladder/Products-Services-SOLUTIONS-EXPERIENCES-DREAMKETING (Dream Marketing)-LOVEMARKDifferent > > BetterBoomers & Geezers/marketing to new “mega-segment”

Hardball: Are You Playing to Play or Playing to Win? by George Stalk & Rob Lachenauer/HBS Press

“The winners in business have always played hardball.” “Unleash massive and overwhelming force.” “Exploit

anomalies.” “Threaten your competitor’s profit sanctuaries.” “Entice your competitor into retreat.”

Approximately 640 Index entries: Customer/s

(service, retention, loyalty), 4. People (employees, motivation, morale,

worker/s), 0. Innovation (product development, research &

development, new products), 0.

M.I.A.*: Talk. (Present.) Listen. (Interview.) Sell. (Life = Sales.) Do. (Execution-

Implementation.) Talent. (Recruit-Develop-Retain.) Project Management. (Create. Solicit

support. Execution. Adoption-Client “Culture Change.”) Product. (“It.”) Innovation. (Design.

Creativity. “Buzz-building.” Politics.) Leadership. (USMA, etc.) E.Q. (Connect.) “Culture”

Change. (Lasting impact.) Diversity. (Cross-

cultural Effectiveness.) Career Creation. (Brand You life-lifestyle.) Wellness. (Life.)

*B.Schools (“M.I.A.” or at most “B.I.A.”—barely in action)

Adversaries

B-schools (crappy at soft skills, implementation, leadership)

Strategy-is-allBy-the-numbers managementDis-passionate managementFocus groupsIntuition discountedLeading as an intellectual taskLeading without passionCool language in Hot timesDilbert (accepting cubicle slavery)

Bigness per se (severe scale limitations—even at Microsoft)

White guys! (not really, but enough already)

18-44 emphasis in marketing (geezers > youth for foreseeable future)

-Cost > +Revenue (cost cutting more important than organic revenue growth)

CI (continuous improvement in an age of discontinuous world)

LESS THAN THE NO-HOLDS-BARRED PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE

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

Business: The Ultimate Creative

Endeavor.

Business: The Ultimate Personal

Development-Growth

Experience.

Business: The Ultimate

Transcendent Service

Opportunity.

EXCELLENCE.

YOU & ME.

“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

“This is the true joy of Life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one … the being a

force of Nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of

ailments and grievances complaining

that the world will not devote itself

to making you happy.” —GB Shaw/Man and Superman

“My only goal is to have no goals. The goal, every time, is that film, that very moment.” —Bernardo Bertolucci

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the

intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body—but

rather a skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and

loudly proclaiming, ‘Wow, what

a ride!’ ” —anon.

#2

Action:

“You Only Find Oil If You Drill

Wells”

CONTEXT

“It is not the strongest of the

species that survives, nor the most

intelligent, but the one most

responsive to change.” —Charles

Darwin

Pathetic!

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

do”

“Ninety percent of what we call

‘management’ consists of making it difficult for people to get things done.” – Peter

Drucker

“Forbes100” from 1917 to 1987: 39 members of the Class of ’17 were

alive in ’87; 18 in ’87 F100; 18 F100 “survivors” underperformed the

market by 20%; just 2 (2%), GE &

Kodak, outperformed the market 1917 to 1987.

S&P 500 from 1957 to 1997: 74 members of the Class of ’57 were alive in ’97; 12 (2.4%) of 500 outperformed the market from

1957 to 1997.

Source: Dick Foster & Sarah Kaplan, Creative Destruction: Why Companies That Are Built to Last Underperform the Market

“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

A BIAS FOR ACTION

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”

“Never forget implementation

boys. In our work it’s what I call the ‘missing 98

percent’ of the client puzzle.” —Al

McDonald/McKinsey

“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 (80%)

“We made mistakes. 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

"I think it is very important for you to do two things: act on your temporary conviction as if it was a

real conviction; and when you realize that you are

wrong, correct course very quickly.” —Andy Grove

S.A.V.

Screw Around Vigorously

Sam’s Secret

#1!

“Fail faster. Succeed sooner.”

David Kelley/IDEO

Fail. Forward.

Fast.

–High-tech Exec/PA

“Reward excellent failures.

Punish mediocre

successes.”Phil Daniels, Sydney exec

Boyd on TEMPO

“The most successful

people are those who

are good at plan B.”

—James Yorke, mathematician, on chaos theory in The New Scientist

He who has the quickest

O.O.D.A. Loops* wins!

*Observe. Orient. Decide. Act./Col. John Boyd

OODA Loop/Boyd Cycle

“Unraveling the competition” Quick Transients/Quick Tempo (NOT JUST

SPEED!) Agility “So quick it is disconcerting” [adversary over-reacts

or under-reacts] “Winners used tactics that caused the enemy to unravel before the fight” (NEVER

HEAD TO HEAD)

BOYD: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War (Robert Coram)

“The stuff has got to be implicit. If it

is explicit, you can’t do it fast enough.” —John Boyd

BOYD: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War (Robert Coram)

Tempo!*

70-10

*Boyd/O.O.D.A. Loops/Mike Leach/Texas Tech

70-10/Nebraska/Unk QB 643 yards K.State/ Linemen spread wide/All legals go out for pass/Defenders confused & tire (Boyd/Tempo is not speed/“Re-arrange the mind of the enemy”—T.E.

Lawrence)/ “By changing the geometry of the game, and pushing the limits of

space and time on the gridiron, Mike Leach is taking Texas Tech to some far out places.” —Michael Lewis (NY Times

Magazine, 12.04.05, on Mike Leach/Texas Tech)

“In war, delay is fatal.” —Napoleon “The only way to whip an

army is to go out and fight it.” —Grant “ … demonstrating the tactic

that would become his hallmark: the immediate

move to seek out the enemy and attack him” —John Mosier,

on Grant “A good plan executed right now is far preferable to a ‘perfect’ plan executed next

week.” —Patton

Relentless!*

*Churchill, Grant, Patton, Welch, Bossidy, Nardelli (GE execs), UPS, FedEx, Microsoft/Gates-Ballmer, Eisner, Weill, eBay, Nixon-

Kissinger, Gerstner, Rice, Jordan, Armstrong

“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

“METABOLIC MANAGEMENT”

The Leadership11

1. Talent Management2. Metabolic Management3. Technology Management4. Barrier Management5. Forgetful Management6. Metaphysical Management7. Opportunity Management8. Portfolio Management9. Failure Management10. Cause Management11. Passion Management

“The secret of fast progress is

inefficiency, fast and furious and

numerous failures.”

—Kevin Kelly

“Active mutators in placid times tend to die off. They are selected

against. Reluctant mutators in quickly

changing times are also selected against.”

—Carl Sagan & Ann Druyan, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors

“How we feel about the evolving future tells us who we are as individuals and as a civilization:

Do we search for stasis—a regulated, engineered world? Or do we embrace

dynamism—a world of constant creation, discovery and competition? Do we value

stability and control or evolution and learning? Do we think that progress requires a central blueprint, or do we see it as a decentralized,

evolutionary process?? Do we see mistakes as permanent disasters, or the correctable

byproducts of experimentation? Do we crave predictability or relish surprise? These two poles, stasis and dynamism, increasingly

define our political, intellectual and cultural landscape.”

—Virginia Postrel, The Future and Its Enemies

“If things seem under control, you’re just not

going fast enough.” —Mario Andretti

“I’m not comfortable unless I’m

uncomfortable.”—Jay Chiat

“If it works, it’s

obsolete.”

—Marshall McLuhan

Bossidy on EXECUTION

“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

“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

“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)

“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

Duct Tape Rules!

“Andrew Higgins, who built landing craft in WWII, refused to hire

graduates of engineering schools. He believed that they only teach

you what you can’t do in engineering school. He started off

with 20 employees, and by the middle of the war had 30,000

working for him. He turned out 20,000 landing craft. D.D.

Eisenhower told me, ‘Andrew Higgins won the war for us. He did

it without engineers.’ ”

—Stephen Ambrose/Fast Company

The Leader’s Seven Essential Behaviors

*Know your people and your business*Insist on realism*Set clear goals and priorities*Follow through*Reward the doers*Expand people’s capabilities*Know yourself

Source: Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan, Execution:

The Discipline of Getting Things Done

Action8/VPMR+/Peters on Bossidy*External Focus (Competitors/Customers)

*Realism/Truth-telling*Vision *Projects (Must add up to Vision) *Milestones*Commitment/Energy*RapidReview*Consequences (+/-)

M + P = V

TACTIC #1

Culture of Prototyping

“Effective prototyping may

be the most valuable core competence an

innovative organization can hope to have.”

Michael Schrage

EXCELLENCE.

4/40.

4/40

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

Ex-e-cu-

tion!

Ac-count-a-bil-ity!

6:15A.M.

K.I.S.S.

450/8

“I wanted GE to operate with the speed, informality,

and open communication of a corner store. Corner

stores often have strategy right. With their limited resources, they have to

rely on laser-like focus on doing one thing very well.”

—Jack Welch/Fortune/04.05

Lee’s Rule: Run It off a

Blackberry!

“The art of war does not require complicated maneuvers; the simplest are the best, and

common sense is fundamental. From which one might wonder

how it is generals make blunders; it is because they try to be clever.” —Napoleon on Simplicity, from Napoleon on Project Management by Jerry

Manas.

BIAS

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”

Importance of Success Factors by Various “Gurus”/

Estimates (Unreliable) by Tom Peters

Strategy Systems Passion/ Execution

Leadership

Porter 45% 20 20 15

Drucker 35% 30 15 20

Bennis 20% 20 35 25

Peters 15% 20 30 35

MBWA

MBWA

25

Mark McCormack: 5,000 miles for a 5

min. meeting!

“The first and greatest imperative of command is to be present in person. Those who impose

risk must be seen to share it.”

—John Keegan, The Mask of Command

LET US MARCH

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

Do them!

“In classical times when Cicero had finished

speaking, the people said, ‘How well he spoke,’ but when Demosthenes had finished speaking,

they said, ‘Let us march.’” —Adlai Stevenson

Let us march.

Nelson’s secret:

“[Other] admirals more frightened of losing than

anxious to win”

“A year from now you may wish

You had started today.”

—Karen Lamb

You only find oil if you drill

wells. —T he Hunters, by John Masters,

Canadian O & G wildcatter

TP/Chile: “I don’t know

if ‘it’ is possible.’ I do know it’s ‘necessary.’”

#3

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW*

*more or less

Cause

“Create a ‘cause,’ not a ‘business.’’

—Gary Hamel

“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

“We are a ‘life

Success Company”’

—Dave Linegar, founder, RE/MAX

Artist

Leader Job 1

Paint Portraits of

Excellence!

“I never, ever thought of myself as a businessman.

I was interested in creating things

I would be proud of.” —Richard Branson

People

Brand = Talent.

“Leaders

‘do’ people.” —Anon.

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

Decency

“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

Grace

“Thank you”

“The two most powerful things in existence: a kind

word and a thoughtful gesture.”

—Ken Langone

Rodale’s on “Grace” …

elegance … charm … loveliness … poetry in motion … kindliness ..

benevolence … benefaction … compassion … beauty

Intangibles

“Hard is soft. Soft is

hard.”**In Search of Excellence

Self-management

“The First step in a ‘dramatic’ ‘organizational

change program’ is obvious—dramatic

personal change!” —RG

You = Your

Calendar

“You must be the change you

wish to see in the world.”

Gandhi

“Before you can inspire with emotion, you must be swamped with it yourself. Before you can move their tears, your own must flow.

To convince them, you must yourself believe.” —

Winston Churchill

MBWA

“The first and greatest imperative of command

is to be present in person. Those who

impose risk must be seen to share it.”

—John Keegan, The Mask of Command

“A body can pretend to

care, but they can’t pretend

to be there.” — Texas

Bix Bender

“You can’t lead a cavalry charge if

you think you look funny on a horse.”

—John Peers, President, Logical Machine Corporation

Curiosity

“Why?”

Ears

“If you don’t listen, you don’t sell

anything.”

—Carolyn Marland/MD/Guardian Group

Conformity

“Companies have defined so much

‘best practice’ that they are now more or less identical.”

Jesper Kunde, Unique Now ... or Never

“To grow, companies need to break out of a

vicious cycle of competitive

benchmarking and imitation.” —W. Chan Kim & René Mauborgne,

“Think for Yourself —Stop Copying a Rival,” Financial Times/08.11.03

“The short road

to ruin is to emulate the methods of

your adversary.” — Winston

Churchill

Action

“We have a ‘strategic’ plan. It’s

called doing things.” — Herb Kelleher

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

Focus

“Dennis, you need a ‘To-don’t ’

List !”

“I used to have a rule for myself that at any point in time I wanted to have in mind — as it so happens, also in

writing, on a little card I carried around with me — the three big things I was trying to get done.

Three. Not two.

Not four. Not five. Not ten. Three.”

— Richard Haass, The Power to Persuade

Change

“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like

irrelevance even less.” —General Eric Shinseki, Chief of Staff. U. S. Army

“I’m not comfortable

unless I’m uncomfortable.”

—Jay Chiat

“The most successful

people are those who

are good at ‘plan B.’” —James Yorke,

mathematician, on chaos theory in The New Scientist

Relentless

“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

Richard & Kevin

Sir Richard’s Rules:

Follow your passions.Keep it simple.

Get the best people to help you.Re-create yourself.

Play.

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!

Passion & Enthusiasm

I am a dispenser of

enthusiasm.”

—Ben Zander

“Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm.”

—Samuel Taylor Coleridge

“A man without a smiling face

must not open a shop.” —Chinese Proverb*

*Courtesy Tom Morris, The Art of Achievement

Hustle

“Most important,

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

Sunny

“Ronald Reagan radiated an

almost transcendent

happiness.” —Lou Cannon

“A leader is a dealer in

hope.”Napoleon

Aim High

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

“Beware of the tyranny of making Small

Changes to Small Things.

Rather, make Big Changes to Big

Things.” —Roger Enrico, former Chairman, PepsiCo

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Steve Jobs

Dream

“the wildest chimera of a moonstruck mind” —The Federalist on TJ’s

Louisiana Purchase

“Tell me, what is it you plan to

do with your one wild and

precious life?” —Mary Oliver

Sell

. “Everyone lives by selling

something.”

– Robert Louis Stevenson

Value-added

$798

$415/SqFt$798/SqFt

Experience

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

No Limits

“You do not merely want to

be the best of the best. You want to be considered the

only ones who do what you do.”

Jerry Garcia

!

#4

The Irreducible209+/Sales122/60TIBs

Tom Peters/0607.2006

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.

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.

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.

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!

“Everyone lives by

selling something.”

—Robert Louis Stevenson

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.

“If you don’t listen,

you don’t sellanything.”

—Carolyn Marland/Managing Director/

Guardian Group

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.)

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!

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 asenthusiasm.”

—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 behavein a calm, rationalmanner. You’ve

got to be out there on

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.

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. So: Good luck!

ADDENDUM: Women Rock … as Salespersons (From Item #98.)

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

Bonus

Stating the Obvious: THE PROBLEM IS RARELY THE

PROBLEM.

THE PROBLEM IS RARELY/NEVER THE

PROBLEM. THE RESPONSE TO THE

PROBLEM INVARIABLY ENDS UP BEING THE REAL PROBLEM.* **

*Watergate, M Stewart, 90% of “scandals”**And: PERCEPTION IS ALL THERE IS!

OFTEN AS NOT/MORE OFTEN

THAN NOT THE UNDERLYING

PROBLEM IS IN FACT NOT MUCH OF

A PROBLEM.

PERCEPTION IS ALL THERE

IS. PERIOD.*

*From Whole Foods to IBM to the corner deli

POWER WORDS!

“I’m sorry.”

Relationships (of all varieties): THERE ONCE WAS A TIME WHEN A THREE-MINUTE PHONE

CALL WOULD HAVE AVOIDED SETTING OFF

THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL THAT RESULTED IN A COMPLETE RUPTURE.

Stating the Obvious: MORE POWER WORDS/IDEAS

Thank You!

MBWA**5,000 miles for a 5-minute face-to

-face meeting (courtesy super-agent Mark McCormack)

Say it with …

FLOWERS

POWER IDEAS!

You must care.—General Melvin Zais

Tom’s

60TIBs**TIB = This I Believe

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.

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 2006: Technology Change (Info-sciences, Biosciences) Is in Its Infancy! (WE AIN’T

SEE NOTHIN’ YET!)

9. Everything Is Up For Grabs! Volatility Is Thy Name! (Forever & Ever. Amen.) RE-INVENT …

OR DIE!

10. Big Stinks. (Mostly.) (VERY

Mostly.)

11. “Permanence” Is a Snare & a Delusion.

(Forget “Built to Last.” It’s Yesterday’s

Idea.) (Try “Built for Impact.”)

12. “Kaizen” (Continuous

Improvement) Is VDS/ Very … Dangerous

… Stuff.

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. Screwups are … the … Mark of Excellence. (“Do It

Right the First Time” Is a Very Stupi 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 XXX 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: (Crappy) Cross-

functional Communication.

40. Stop Doing Dumb Stuff. (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. DeGaulle.

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.)

The End.

EXCELLENCE.

ALWAYS.