The Tom Peters Weblog

Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey

2012-05-18T23:04:13Z

Tom is speaking today in El Paso for the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey. This superb technical university is currently spreading its wings in the U.S., and, in general, via online activities. There are two separate events, and a presentation associated with each one. (This is Tom's 1st speech in El Paso!)

Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey, El Paso, Morning Event

Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey, El Paso, Afternoon Event

TLBT Video #76Excellence: Tuck in the Shower Curtain

2012-05-16T12:52:52Z

A new video is available on YouTube, the latest in The Little BIG Things series. This video presents Tom's lesson from Conrad Hilton, master hotelier, which is to be certain the little things get done. In Hilton's view, you should be sure to tuck in the shower curtain.

You can find the video in the right-hand column of this page or watch it at YouTube (time: 2 minutes 34 seconds). Or, get a PDF transcript of the video's content: Excellence: Tuck in the Shower Curtain.

Today, 2:00 p.m.Office Hours with Dan Pink

2012-05-14T15:52:08Z

Ask Tom "anything you want," during his session with Dan Pink on the Pink Blog, today, Monday, 14 May, at 2:00 p.m., Eastern U.S. time. You can listen to the Office Hours podcast live, by calling in to the phone number 703.344.2171 and using passcode 203373. Directions for how to pose a question will be given during the hour-long event.

Upcoming Events

2012-05-11T14:41:16Z

Tom has a spate of events over the next two months that are open to the public. Depending on where you are in the world, you may have a chance to see him. A week from today, he'll be speaking in El Paso, Texas for the Tecnológico de Monterrey. He'll be in Leon, Mexico on May 23rd with HSM. On June 13th he'll speak for EDaily in Seoul, South Korea, and on June 26th he'll speak in Tel Aviv, Israel for the Israeli Management Center. We hope you get a chance to see him!

MOAP #11

2012-05-07T12:20:25Z

Part 11 is the next installment of Tom's "Mother of All Presentations," or MOAP, available now at ExcellenceNow.com. You can download the PowerPoint version or a PDF. We'll be releasing a section every other week throughout 2012.

The 15H Theory of Everything continues with this lesson derived in part from Tom's study of Henry Clay. The key point is that Kindness = Repeat Business = Profit. That is, courtesy, apologizing for mistakes, and appreciation of your internal and external customers are all important parts of a successful business strategy.

A Must Watch

2012-05-03T18:30:55Z

I mentioned last week that Tom was participating in the Center for Women in Business' Inaugural Forum, Moving from Conversation to Action. Tom has participated in far more than a few events about women in the workplace. This one blew him away. As I had the good fortune to attend as well, I can tell you that it moved far beyond the usual conversations about the disparity in gender percentages in executive suites.

If you are a woman, or at all interested in how to retain and advance women in the workplace, invest the time and watch these videos. The Center was kind enough to film and share the videos from the entire day.

Obviously, I'll point you to the video of the lunch discussion that Betsy Myers, founding director of the Center, had with Tom. You'll note that Tom is gobsmacked by the speech Bob Moritz, chairman and senior partner of PriceWaterhouseCoopers, gave. His insights on what women can do to move forward were simple and very practical. The executive panel discussion covered a wide range of issues, including work/life balance. Cool Friend Rosabeth Moss Kanter also gave a remarkable presentation at the event.

A few of the many useful takeaways from the day:

*Women should speak up about what they want. Unless you speak up, it's presumed that you don't want the opportunity.

*Sponsors are different than mentors. Sponsors actively put the name of the person they're sponsoring into consideration for open positions or opportunities. Look for a way to make this part of how your organization functions. On a more personal scale, take a moment to think about a woman you believe in and that you could help to move forward. Do something for her today.

*Deloitte has a flexible working track that they refer to as a lattice. Some women may not want to move straight up the corporate ladder; they may prefer more flexibility with their schedules and workloads at different times.

*Betsy Myers briefly mentioned It's Not a Glass Ceiling, It's a Sticky Floor by Rebecca Shambaugh which focuses on "common traps that hold women back in their careers." So much time has been spent focusing on external obstacles. It's beneficial to take a look at the internal obstacles.

We congratulate the Center on a terrific launch and can't wait to see what they accomplish!

It's the details...

2012-05-01T13:49:14Z

Spring has sprung and Tom has made his return from New Zealand. This called for a new banner here at tompeters.com. Joy at Stauber Design Studio has done a beautiful job depicting a focus on fresh starts while keeping priorities and aspirations to the fore. For a very personal touch, she has included a photo that Tom took on a misty morning on his farm, a photo Tom's wife Susan took of Tom rowing, and one Tom took of Susan's lilacs budding. This banner communicates the importance of attention to detail, whether to observe natural beauty or to allow for more precise execution of a task, while reminding us of our continued pursuit of Excellence. We hope you enjoy it.

Center for Women in Business

2012-04-26T19:57:58Z

The Center for Women in Business at Bentley College is holding its inaugural event, Moving from Conversation to Action, tomorrow. Tom will be there to have a lunch discussion with founder and leader, Betsy Myers. The event will be webcast live, to join in, visit this link and click on Join Webcast. The most exciting part of this event is that it features organizations who are already working to intentionally advance women in the workforce. They'll be sharing best practices as well as the challenges involved. Hope you can listen in.

25 April: End Malaria Day

2012-04-25T09:55:10Z

We add our voice to the effort to raise awareness of malaria, and, more importantly, its prevention. Malaria No More is an organization committed to ending malaria in Africa by 2015. You can go to their website to donate now. There's also a booklet titled End Malaria, available at amazon.com, from which Malaria No More gets $20 with every book purchase. See its promo at YouTube.

MOAP #10

2012-04-23T13:09:07Z

The next installment of Tom's "Mother of All Presentations," or MOAP, is Part 10, available now at ExcellenceNow.com. You can download the PowerPoint version or a PDF. We'll be releasing a section every other week throughout 2012.

Part 10 brings us the third "H," in Tom's "15H Theory of Everything." This presentation, which sprouted from a habit of Starbuck's Howard Schultz, is also titled "You ARE Your Calendar."

Best of the Cool FriendsTom Kelley

2012-04-20T11:17:08Z

One of Tom's favorite topics is innovation, and you'd have a hard time finding a more expert person on the subject than Tom Kelley, General Manager of IDEO. His business is innovation, and we spoke to him twice, following publication of his first and second books. By reading his two interviews (links below) at tompeters.com, you get a very good overview of an innovative organization, and perhaps some tips on making your own organization more so. Best quote: "So part of the message of my book and the message from people like Tom [Peters] is that it's okay to act differently."

Tom Kelley Interview No. 1, following his first book, The Art of Innovation.

Tom Kelley Interview No. 2, following his second book, The Ten Faces of Innovation. Feedback from readers of the first book prompted him to write the second.

If you would like to learn more, we also have an interview with Tom Kelley's brother David Kelley, CEO of IDEO, who describes some of the history of that very cool innovation factory.

Off the Cuff #4

2012-04-16T16:40:18Z

Our Off the Cuff video series is a direct response from Tom to your questions. This is the fourth video in the series, which poses a question from Keith Clark, "Where do you find your inspiration on your most difficult days?"

eBook News

2012-04-12T13:58:06Z

Almost all of Tom's books are available as ebooks now. If there's a particular title you're looking for, you can check the Tom's Books page to find out how to get it. Our friends at New Word City have been very busy lately working on Tom's short form ebooks. Two new titles have recently been released, Excellence Now: Purpose and Really First Things First. Apple has also been kind enough to group all the short form ebooks in one location in the iBookstore on iTunes. An Excellence Now room, if you will. Check it out.

MOAP #9

2012-04-09T16:25:17Z

The next installment of Tom's "Mother of All Presentations," or MOAP, Part 9, is available now at ExcellenceNow.com. You can download the PowerPoint version or a PDF. We'll be releasing a section every other week throughout 2012.

In Part 9, Tom presents lessons from two of his heroes, U.S. Grant and Horatio Nelson, to emphasize his message to leaders: keep moving, forward, relentlessly.

TLBT Video #75Strategy: Personalization Is Important

2012-04-06T12:10:09Z

Now available on YouTube, a new video in The Little BIG Things series. In this clip, Tom relates a personal experience to highlight his message—put a personal touch into any presentation to form that all-important connection with your audience, whether it be a roomful or a lone listener.

You can find the video in the right-hand column of this page or watch it at YouTube (time: 2 minutes 30 seconds). Or, get a PDF transcript of the video's content: Strategy: Personalization Is Important.