dispatches from the new world of work

Tiger Time. (And More Katie.)

Once again Tiger Woods is demonstrating a level of Excellence seldom seen in sports or elsewhere.

Is his flavor of Excellence about preparation and perfection? Of course, just as is the case for Lance Armstrong—or Cirque du Soleil. But that's but the half of it—and perhaps the less important half. The "excellence" that flows from the prep and perfection is a necessary but nowhere nearly sufficient condition for my flavor of Excellence. Mr Woods is in fact playing golf as it has not been played before. Still eighteen holes? Of course. But his variety of Mastery is unprecedented. The same, in an earlier era, could have been said of Robert Trent Jones.

I have argued, in re corporations, that Excellence is not merely stand-way-out performance but the ability—à la Wal*Mart today and IBM in the '60s and '70s—to Set the Agenda. Wal*Mart and old IBM re-invented the game to the point of unfamiliarity. Surpassed? IBM was and Wal*Mart surely will be. But for a decade or more they did-are "keeping other CEOs awake at night" worrying about where they will turn next.

Katie Couric redux: Please, please Ms Couric—don't compete with those other predictable saps. Stun us with the audacity of your effort to help us understand anew and cope with the bizarre world in which we are trying to somehow make our way.

Tom Peters posted this on 08/28/06.

Comments

TOM....Katie Couric IS the poster girl for the "predictable saps", I am afraid you will be sorely disappointed if you expect KC to take us all to some marvelous new level of understanding the news....actually, I would prefer KC to simply REPORT the FACTS, let me draw the conclusions!

Posted by J D Duncan at August 28, 2006 11:39 AM

His brilliant smile and golf game are magic ... life is easier and more fun because he's around.

Posted by sean at August 28, 2006 12:21 PM

So . . . is there anybody besides Wal-Mart re-inventing the game today? Anybody who could do it?

Posted by Wally Bock at August 28, 2006 12:26 PM

Tom...Mention golf, women, and redefining games, and I immediately think of Michelle Wie. The sports analysts speculate relentlessly on her choices-to-date: forgoing amateur events to turn pro, trying to make a cut in a PGA tournament, rather than sticking to LPGA competitions, and so on. The latest talk is about her new caddie, who for years carried the bag of a PGA player. Why, they wonder, pick a former PGA caddie who will have to adjust to working for a female player? Are they paying attention? She's not following the prescribed career plan for women golfers and joining the LPGA tour. She's following her dream of becoming a PGA member. Is she there yet? No, but she's only sixteen! Yet she has already displayed the audacity that you're hoping to see in Katie Couric--the audacity to follow her own path.

Posted by George Brymer at August 28, 2006 1:41 PM

I think you meant to say "Robert Tyre Jones" better known as Bobby Jones, the great golfer of the 1920's. Robert Trent Jones designed wonderful golf courses, but to my knowledge did not win a single championship of note.

Love the blog and site!

Posted by Paul at August 28, 2006 1:56 PM

Gary Player said â€˜The more I practice the luckier I get' - He still does 1000 sit-ups every day at age 70.

Tony Jacklin as a kid in his school holidays used to play from a bunker, morning till night, until he sunk three successive shots. He would not leave the bunker until he had done that. Sometimes he was there 10 hours!

Tiger does the business simply because he does his homework; he is focused and by the way he is turning into a great ambassador for your country. He is very well respected by all my golf friends and anyone I know who is interested in sport.

I had the pleasure of seeing Tiger in the British Open three years ago and he is an awesome golfer.

Posted by Trevor Gay at August 28, 2006 2:04 PM

Trevor - Gary Player is awesome but should NOT exercise same muscles EVERY day - science of muscle tissue rest/recovery dictates!

Posted by sean at August 28, 2006 2:11 PM

Trevor.....surprised no one called Ms. Jacklin to report "child abuse", at least she wasn't eating cheese burgers in front of him while he practiced.

Posted by J D Duncan at August 28, 2006 11:44 PM

Brilliant JD - like it :-) ..Mrs Jacklin packed his 'healthy option' sandwiches before he left for the course

Posted by Trevor Gay at August 29, 2006 2:09 AM

Preparation, practice, perfection. A striving for excellence. Do we think Katie Couric represents those values, or is she just a pretty talking head?

May I pose what I think is a bigger question? Is TV news--network or cable--relevant to our lives in ways that we can grasp the complexities of anything happening in our world?

It wasn't so many years ago that I felt a sense of understanding and security watching Cronkite, reading the "Boston Globe," and surrounding myself with books that asked and attempted to answer difficult questions.

Were those simpler times? I think not. (Anyone remember Vietnam and the Cold War and the nuclearization of our power sources?) Just a lot less noise and clutter to weed through.

Posted by Lewis Green at August 29, 2006 3:16 PM

Tiger....amazing. I am passionate about my golf and simply can't believe the physics defying things he can do with a club. There is currently a low murmur going on in the golf world that is disappointing and even frightening...The PGA has to date refused to do steroid and performance enhancing drug testing. But there is a movement openly questioning the radical redefinition of some player's bodies in a very short time...Let us hope it doesn't touch the greats like Tiger.

As far as Katie...I just want my news straight out. I used to rely on Headline News, but now they have theme shows (Beck, Grace, et al). I find myself listening to BBC and avoiding US television "journalism"

Posted by Mike Neiss at August 30, 2006 9:29 AM