Comments

So Tom why didn't you stop writing after "In Search of Excellence"? Why are you still involved in business when you could have long retired? Because we all want to last long... it's a trite premise of human nature and a company is a human orgainisation.

Posted by Brett at August 10, 2006 7:40 AM

Brett: Actually, wrong. I have never had a plan, and that is no lie. I just go from speech to speech and Post to Post and book to book--with no thought about "impact." Your question is interesting, because the idea has never crossed my mind. (Eg after every book I write I vow never to write another. Then somethiong new pisses me off--and away I go.)

Years ago I named my power boat (sold long ago) "Cromwell." It was because of a Cromwell quote I love/loved: "No one rises so high as he who knows not where he is going." (Or something close to that.) For example I get fanatic about design or women's stuff for a few years. It's not because it fits a framework--it's because some inadvertent remark/s gets me going. You must believe me about this--as you know, I am blunt and personal and truthful to the best of my ability in these Posts.

Posted by tom peters at August 10, 2006 7:58 AM

And thank God you do get fanatically about various subjects or the rest of us would be the poorer without it.

But I still don't think that diminishes the fact that we all believe we can last long producing at an "impact" level. Those pilots didn't go up with the goal of having an "impact" and then dying, they went up to have an impact AND with a great desire to live but they accepted the risk of death. If they all had lived perhaps we can hypothesize that war could have been shorter? Having a goal of lasting long is not a bad goal in any aspect of human endeavour as long as you couple that with the goal of, to use your phrase, "having an impact".

Posted by Brett at August 10, 2006 8:36 AM

I do not care about longevity for longevity's sake. Period. Amen. I would like to be around awhile--ASSUMING I AM IN GOOD HEALTH PHYSICALLY & MENTALLY--so that I can enjoy my family and farm. But for today (AND THAT IS ALL THERE IS) I will throw in my lot with Bernardo Bertalucci, who I quoted in a post a couple of days ago: "My only goal is to have no goals. The goal, every time, is that film, that very moment." It, to me, is not a "good quote"--I agree operationally

(PS This is a good debate.)

Posted by tom peters at August 10, 2006 9:37 AM

The thing is - I agree. But I also think that my definition of impact is very different from that of someone else. I define impact as "Value added per unit time"

If one added value to an organisation, society, herself or whatever at one point in time, and didn't do any more, the value added by that person per unit time falls. The others in the organisation see her as not having much impact.

So you need to keep working harder, re-imagining the world, finding ways & means and influencing people to execute on your imagination.

That's how you have impact. (long lasting impact :-)

On the flip side, you keep raising the bar for yourself, and your work life balance starts getting skewed. You then owe it to yourself to pull back perhaps?

Posted by Arun Sadhashivan at August 10, 2006 9:41 AM

Arun, I agree. 100% in fact. But my rejoinder, Zennish as it may sound, is that longevity is a nearly inadvertent effect of "living in the moment," or Bertolucci's focus on "this film." Too many only see today's project as a stepping stone to tomorrow's promotion--that to me is a guaranteed path to non-impact. I heard General Powell say that the "big two" are (1) "taking care of your troops" and (2) "applying yourself 100% to today's task, not tomorrow's probable opportunities." (I've put Powell's stuff in quotes--though actually it's from memory--but damn close.)

Plus, my own words notwithstanding, how do you "live forr impact"? Impact on what? Warren Bennis says leaders don't set out to be leaders--it's that they have something they "must say" and thence must lead to say it. That fits me to a T. I JUST GOT SOMETHING/S I GOTTA SAY!! But, per Cromwell, the message shapes itself--it's not the product of a Grand Design/strategic plan. Southwest Airlines' Herb Kelleher: "We have a 'strategic plan,' it's called 'doing things.'"

Posted by tom peters at August 10, 2006 10:30 AM

"The fighters are our salvation, but bombers alone provide our means of victory."

Winston Churchill speaking after the Battle of Britain was over in 1940.

Posted by Ross Hall at August 10, 2006 10:34 AM

Tom - reads like you have the coveted "flow" lifestyle going - living in the moment with future vision having learned from the past - 3 dimension time travel.

Posted by sean at August 10, 2006 11:03 AM

I, for one, am tired of reading about war analogies to support business tacticts/strategies. They usually prove an awkward conflation of spheres of thought.

First, there is absolutely no question that these pilots did an astounding job. But, imagine if the Germans had a good long-range heavy bomber? Or, if Spitfires were not available, and the British had to rely on Hurricanes? A very different outcome would have transpired, and had either side won, the same words could have been used!

Second, wouldn't it be better to describe this as a string of impacts? Taking this more into business-land, Supermarine didn't just build one great airplane, they had built several, and the Spitfire was based upon learnings from their Schneider-trophy winning airplane, the S.6B. (So this would be the string of great airplane design impacts.) And let's not forget the amazing Rolls-Royce engines that powered both planes. (This would argue the view of a great plane, a great power-plant, and great pilots as the string of impacts.)

But, I digress. Personally, I like your writing best when it sticks to business analogs, and because of the controversy of this topic in the business sphere, that the arguments brought forth also come from the same place.

Posted by Dave at August 10, 2006 11:19 AM

Dave - totally catch your drift - the "Slides: Guerilla Advantage" post didn't work for me - interesting to see if Tom used the Slides in presentation.

Posted by sean at August 10, 2006 12:19 PM

Well, of course Tom couldn't have taken the picture of the Spitfire -- that's him in the cockpit!

And Dave, I hate to disagree with you, but I find military analogies to be quite applicable in the context of litigation [as anyone who has visited my blog can see]. Although in litigation, lives are not on the line and the Sun Tzu advice to rely on deception doesn't work very well (judges definitely do not approve of this), many of the intelligent concepts and strategies adopted by generals when lives were actually on the line [and many of the boneheaded mistakes which others made that got young men killed] can still provide instruction and guidance in more civilized "conflicts."

Posted by Richard Cauley at August 10, 2006 1:40 PM

Tom,

Your rejoinder isn't just Zennish, the idea is the central theme of a 3500 year old ancient religious/social/execution oriented Hindu text called the Bhagwad Gita.

The Lord Krishna tells the soldier Arjuna
"Do what you're expected to do - your duty. Do not worry about the rewards, for I will reward you for it."

This is basically you're theme of "work on the job at hand and don't think of it as a means to a reward/promotion/money"

I think if you put your heart mind soul and passion into something, you'll automatically learn something new about it. Like the character Jonathan Livingston Seagull in the eponymous book by Richard Bach, you elevate your own abilities to new levels and gain fresh insights.

These insights give you something to say, which others agree to (eventually) and they in turn execute on it.

Everyone who's part of this then has a shared impact on the world.

But one key thing I've learnt is this - you need to keep learning - not just from books, but from any and every person you meet or interact with. But I guess that's where Passion plays a role in getting that motivation to put in that kind of effort.

Posted by Arun Sadhashivan at August 10, 2006 3:00 PM

Long lasting impact? ... we should do our best - try like hell to make a diference - and then relax at 100 years of age letting history and others judge the impact we made or not.

I want to be around till I'm at least 95 and still learning ... and as long as my kids say 'he was a good Dad' that impact is enough.

Posted by Trevor Gay at August 10, 2006 5:45 PM

Back to the Spitfire....

an innovation in its time as a competitive combat fighter....

and, holy &%$#@, the pilots knew exactly what they were entering just like those in the early Normandy landings: for the most part, death.

So, what are we ready to sacrifice in today's world given the events of August 10?

So far, we 're just a tad soft (i.e. anyting inconvenient is out).

Posted by Jeff at August 10, 2006 8:28 PM

Talking about Built to Last...Tom, have you seen the new book by Jerry Porras's Success Built to Last? See the book website at
http://www.successbtl.com/
HERB KELLEHER, said it well “If you’re crazy enough to do what you love for a living, then you’re bound to create a life that matters. The book Success Built to Last wisely counsels you to go nuts about something meaningful. That’s what you’re here to do, for heaven’s sake. If you do that, then you won’t need to finish this book!"

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Posted by Dmitri ivanov at August 10, 2006 10:12 PM

Talking about Built to Last...Tom, have you seen the new book by Jerry Porras's Success Built to Last? See the book website at
http://www.successbtl.com/
HERB KELLEHER, said it well “If you’re crazy enough to do what you love for a living, then you’re bound to create a life that matters. The book Success Built to Last wisely counsels you to go nuts about something meaningful. That’s what you’re here to do, for heaven’s sake. If you do that, then you won’t need to finish this book!"

What are your thoughts?

Posted by Dmitri ivanov at August 10, 2006 10:12 PM

Talking of passion and impact what about the Spitfire's designer R J Mitchell who didn't give up his passion for building great aircraft and life despite fighting cancer

Posted by PaulH at August 11, 2006 2:08 AM

If Britain hadn't had the Spitfire and had to depend on the Hurricane it wouldn't have been that bad. Hurricanes were by far the more effective fighter at that time - shooting down (if memory serves me correct) more enemy aircraft than the ack-ack and Spitfires combined, and for lower percentage losses! It was a stable gun platform, robust under fire and in many ways ideal for the task of shooting down bombers. It just wasn't sexy, looking more like an old bi-plane with the top wing removed.

So here's the analogy....

You can have the fancy fly boy Spitfires hurtling around the sky pulling high-g turns and capturing the spirit of the endeavour. They're the ones everyone will remember when you look back on the good ol' days. But without the less glamourous, more utilitarian Hurricanes to plug away at the dirty work it will be the ME109 that every kid wants to fly!

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Posted by Ross Hall at August 11, 2006 9:31 AM

Ross, you're right, but even the Germans thought the Spitfires were their biggest problem. When asked by Luftwaffe commander Hermann Goering what he needed to win the Battle of Britain, Adolf Galland, a noted Luftwaffe fighter ace, is said to have replied "a squadron of Spitfires."

Posted by Erik Hansen at August 11, 2006 10:46 AM

Ross

You raise an interesting point. The Hurri did shoot down more planes than the Spit. Mainly because they went for the bombers while the Spitfires kept the 109s off their backs. You are absolutely right the Hurricane was a great aircraft (good stable shooting platform).

What also gave the spitfire a lasting edge was it's flexibility in being improved. The monocoque body construction (very little internal framework) allowed more stuff to put inside such as camaras to convert to photo recce work.

purchase viagra soft tabs Posted by PaulH at August 11, 2006 11:33 AM

What about Toyota or Honda?
They seem to be built to last.
They also act like they have plans.

Now, when it comes to our little problem in Iraq - it seems like there were no plans for what happened after the invasion.
And so far, the results could'nt be better.

Posted by pete stafford at August 12, 2006 12:11 PM

Everyone do yourselves a favorite and take a couple nights a week for a few nights and watch "Band of Brothers" - truly life changing. And gives this Gen X-er a renewed appreciation for those who have given all for something much bigger than any of us can imagine.

Posted by Drew at August 14, 2006 9:45 AM

Watch the start of Enemy at the Gates, a much underrated film.

The opening fifteen minutes is heart stopping in its horror.

Ross

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