Comments

This is the kind of tip I find really scary

To me this is bread and butter work for a manager - the equivalent of being able to read and write and yet so little of it happens in business.

I am not perfect but I do try to do some of this every day.

What worries me is that this stuff has to be from the heart - if a bunch of managers start doing this because Tom says so and without meaning it then it's worse than not doing it at all.

Posted by PaulH at November 14, 2006 12:16 PM

That's mostly true--I've said such things myself. On the other hand I remember a friend who I convinced that thank you notes were a "good thing." I think she was highly skeptical--until she saw the impact of a little note. The response to thoughtfulness made her a more or less true believer--and the genuine-ness lept up.

Posted by tom peters at November 14, 2006 12:54 PM

" ... women do this sooooo much better—and if that’s sexist, so be it ..." And seemingly too often spend all day socializing and snacking and getting their big backsides in trouble ...

Posted by sean_success at November 14, 2006 1:25 PM

seemingly too often spend all day socializing and snacking and getting their big backsides in trouble ...

while men are busy starting wars, robbing things and performoing acts of domestic violence; maybe we should snack more

Posted by tom peters at November 14, 2006 1:49 PM

Where do you find your Coach K material, does he have a column in the NY Times Sunday magazine?

Posted by Joe at November 14, 2006 2:13 PM

Joe, interview last weeek in Investor's Business Daily. A profile a couple of months ago in the NYT Sunday Magazine. And a new book, Beyond Basketball: Coach K's Keywords for Success.

Posted by tom peters at November 14, 2006 2:29 PM

Thought I'd take a moment out of snacking and socializing to note that you don't have to be managing a team (on the basketball court or in the office) to pay attention to ever-shifting individual and group dynamics. If you're a consultant who's not "on location" every day, and who works with multiple clients, you have to pay close attention to staying in tuned and attuned. This can get especially tricky when all/most of your contact is via e-mail or on the phone.

No real magic to offer, but a couple of tips. Don't be a phone pest or stalker, but if your clients seem receptive, check in personally (with key and even not-so-key players) on occasion - even when you're not on an active project - just to see how things are going. Or use e-mails to alert them to something of interest, to follow up on a conversation, or even to offer condolences when "their team" loses. If you do a lot of phone meetings,make sure that you're the first one to dial-in. That way you can do some casual chatting with the early birds - this can be invaluable in gauging the climate. Don't underestimate the power of face-time, especially early on in a client relationship when everyone's trying to feel everyone else out. (I agree with commenter PaulH that this has to be from the heart - no fake sincerity, please. If you're not used to the personal touch, it might seem forced and artificial at first. Just find a topic - or a couple of people - you're comfortable with and take if from there.)

That's it - gotta go do a mirror check to see if my backside's gotten any bigger.

Posted by Maureen Rogers at November 14, 2006 7:12 PM

And perhaps, look for that hint of "Extraordinariness” which a surprisingly large number of people have - if one knows when, where, and how to look...

After all, if you just see and acknowledge an ordinary person, you're likely to get an ordinary person, and ordinary results.

http://ideaburger.blogspot.com/2006/11/design-lesson-1.html

Jay, from Bangalore

Posted by Jayakumar Hariharan at November 14, 2006 10:14 PM

I am down with your advice as long as it doesn't create drama. Our company went through an emotionally charged transition a few months ago and after it was over it seemed to open the door for all these mini-dramas that usually started with questions like "You seem a little bugged, is everything ok?". I'm not saying that we shouldn't be concerned about the people we work with (in fact, I think we should be). I think we should do so in a way that is positive and doesn't promote complaining.

Posted by Brandon Muth at November 15, 2006 8:57 AM

Love to work in Maureen's office - have been getting short changed in this USA government office - must '07 make it with a better female crowd.

Tom - we need more attractive slim women seducing their husbands and partners so that war becomes obsolete ... simple as that in the Free World.

The 1967 San Francisco Summer of Love as template. There was no obesity epidemic, no AIDS, no massive consumer & other debt. Summer of Love 2007.

Posted by sean_summer_of_love_2007 at November 15, 2006 9:02 AM

Let's trade Sports for War ... always fun. This idea is obvious (Life or Death!) for a Squad or Platoon Commander in Iraq or Vietnam or on Iwo Jima. Simple: On tonight's patrol you don't want on point a PFC who just got a "Dear John" letter. (Etc. Etc.)

Posted by tom peters at November 15, 2006 11:16 AM

Agree completely Jay-we often don't look hard enough or take time to listen out for the special stuff in those we work with-especially those who seem 'quiet' and 'ordinary'. How often do we have people stuck in boring, unchallenging jobs with no recognition who we find out are doing amazing things in their own communities? To quote a certain Tom Peters "I think people have more fireworks in them than we give them credit for"!

Posted by tomjam at November 15, 2006 2:02 PM

"To quote a certain Tom Peters "I think people have more fireworks in them than we give them credit for"!"

tomjam, I don't think I ever said that--but I am delighted to take full credit!!

Posted by tom peters at November 15, 2006 5:30 PM

Tom

Apologies for the misquote, but very glad it was one you would be happy to have said!! I must have been dreaming!

Posted by tomjam at November 16, 2006 1:45 AM