Comments

Yes, good counsel. I would expand the private sounding board to include talking with leaders all the way down the chain of command. I believe one of the biggest threats in these times is losing the commitment and engagement of those that must be flawless in execution. A random cup of coffee with a department head, work team leader, sales manager, et al exploring ideas and getting feedback is very valuable. And on the over communication..here here! Transparency is absolutely necessary. Many deep in the organization are questioning their faith in top leadership right now. Quite frankly, they are wondering if their leadership resembles that of AIG, Lehman, etc. Show you are a connected leader acting in the best interest of the stakeholders (as opposed to only acting on the behalf of shareholders) These are times that test the big bosses leadership.

Posted by Mike Neiss at October 7, 2008 3:42 PM

Peter Drucker: "What Makes An Effective Executive."

- They asked, "What needs to be done?"

- They asked, "What's right for the enterprise?"

- They developed action plans.

- They took responsibility for decisions.

- They took responsibility for communicating.

- They were focused on opportunities rather than problems.

- They ran productive meetings.

- They thought and said "We" rather than "I."

Amen, RIP and thank you Mr. Drucker. The above quote (from an HBR article) has been at the front of my notebook for years. I don't think it's ever been more relevant. Good luck and best wishes to all fellow bloggers at TPC.

Posted by Mark JF at October 7, 2008 5:05 PM

PS: no criticism of Tom intended. Add his ideas + Mr. Drucker and you've as good an action plan as you'll ever get.

Posted by Mark JF at October 7, 2008 5:08 PM

Tom I respectfully disagree with you...

These are not weird times - these are defining times...

All the things you list are the things you should have been doing "yesterday"... Most people were doing them and unfortunately they continue to do them with the result that they are not coping well with this crisis of confidence....

Today you need to be a leader who defines the future for yourself, your family, your workplace, and your community... How can you best do that? First and foremost you must be transparent in everything you do. You must model the behaviours you seek from others. You must keep your communications short and precise. You must free-up your diary and give yourself "hang time" where you alone, or with selected colleagues, think about the future and imagine radical and practical ways to shape your collective futures.... Do not waste your time talking to people who are not focussed on the future...

Your future agenda has to include a better and a clearer understanding of digital global networks - global credit markets have seized up because those who are trying to control them do not understand them. The Fed Reserve spent time and money saving iconic banks (relics of the past) instead of pouring their time and taxpayers' funds into the bond market to ensure liquidity - they are now trying to do that but it is too little too late.

This crisis is the direct result of a lack of leadership in the US - especially from the Fed Res, Treasury, the Executive and Capitol Hill arms of government ... They are convinced we are in "weird times" and so they have been doing all the things that Tom urges us to do and guess what we are digging this hole deeper not defining and working on new beginnings!

You should ignore their example and instead find your own ways to better understand the C21st challenges facing us all. We have a combination of issues that are "complex" when taken singularly and simply "unbelievable" when taken as a whole. We have the flat world of the internet(read Thomas Friedman), we have new social networks forming on Web 2.0 and soon 3.0, we have a huge shift in economic power away from the US to Asia, Russia, Middle East, etc., we have a failure of organisational theory to keep up with the development of early C21st social, business, financial, etc networking over the web, and so on...

What can you hope to do about all this... You can strive to reduce your dependence on oil, carbon, and government assistance. You can ensure, as they do at Tesco, Wal Mart, News Corp, etc that you have a clear and present mapping of your carbon footprint and then go to work each and everyday with the purpose of reducing your footprint through the way you live, personally, and do business.

Specifically I urge you to take your lead from Google not Microsoft. Look at the ways Google does business and copy them as they are defining the future not repackaging the past. Look at Microsoft and learn about just how much they are struggling to keep their C20th business models relevant to a totally different world. Then compare and contrast Google to Microsoft to learn more about how you should think, behave, and lead in your life today and tomorrow.... I am not saying Google is perfect nor am I suggesting in anyway that Microsoft is bad - they are just symbols of a hundred year change in the ways we did thing yesterday and the way we need to do them tomorrow....

In summary. These are complex and challenging times so there is no simplistic list of things for you to do - you have to make up your own lists to suit your own circumstances. But here is a broad framework for action... Go to work today or tomorrow with a plan to "free up" time for thinking not talking or communicating per se but thinking and definitely "stretching out" your world view. Establish a key set of strategic issues to tackle alone and with colleagues. Please DO NOT attend anymore of those "talk fest" meetings that usually fill your day. Get out of the office and take your key staff with you for your 30 minute strategy meeting about the future. Some times just go to the local gallery and be together in a world of imagination and difference - soak it all up without the need to talk. Walk through the park and absorb natures' beauty. When you get back to work start thinking differently - for example think about automated processes, how to make more and better connections into global digital networks and economies, plan to do without carbon, imagine operating with fewer and fewer people (get beyond the antiquated C20th notion of people-based organisations and move onto your own notions of information-based delivery systems or services), talk to different people today than you did yesterday, do not spend a moment of your time talking about the financial crisis unless it directly affects you...

Finally, be bold be confident and be focussed on the future not the past...

Richard.

Posted by Richard Lipscombe at October 7, 2008 5:59 PM

Richard, a wonderful contribution which reminds me why I invest in this blog! Thank you!

Posted by tom peters at October 7, 2008 7:36 PM

Dear Tom,

I have been a fan of your work. And today is the best time to use it. Fabulous suggestions - when in a war do as generals do - lead from the front!

Rahul

Posted by Rahul Deodhar at October 7, 2008 10:41 PM

Richard,

Nicely summed up. We are indeed living through momentous times. But as we all know, sometimes it takes a crisis to break through deeply ingrained habits and beliefs. In this case, the crisis is so great, and reaches so many of the world's citizens that it seems unimaginable that it will not have long lasting repercussions for us all. Your input gives many recommendations that will help others to come up with their own new paths for the future. Thanks for that.

I'm delighted to see you quote Google as your 'model' for future success. I've got a wry smile on my face as I write this. For so many years Tom has been railing about the need for change of the type you recommend; his Professional Service Firm (PSF) approach has been the cornerstone of his writing since Liberation Management in 1992. In my experience many business people that I come in contact with can talk the PSF talk, but few really grapple with its implications. However, I think Google is a rare example of a big business that has adopted pretty much every characteristic of what Tom would call a PSF and what we in Tom's company would describe as the Future Shape of the Winner. As a company that began with such genius, they were smart enough to realise that they rely on continued genius to thrive. As a result, they understand that creating a context in which their people can be great is a major priority. They have somehow managed to keep the specialness of a small organisation despite having grown so quickly.

My sincere hope is that this will be a moment when many of the fundamental ideas that Tom has promoted over the years will properly be embraced, rather than paid lip service. Let's hope others can learn to apply the PSF lessons as well as Google!

Posted by Madeleine at October 8, 2008 7:13 AM

I would remind one and all that the heart of every economy is small businesses with local markets--usually privately owned. [heart = $$$$$$, not just the emotional center of things] Policy, such as the Fed's decision to get into the commercial paqper market, is essential here. (I urge you to re-read, or read, The Millionaire Next Door.)

Posted by tom peters at October 8, 2008 10:33 AM

Hi Tom,
I have a pending post commenting on your post...a bit of a cut-and-paste below:

As always, you're thought-provoking. My biggest concern is that folks like to cherry-pick from you without understanding that the points in these "lists" often build on or reinforce each other. My more substantive comments are below:

Be conscious... Think about how you project.

(Crossderry: The last is critical at these times, folks forget about how they appear to others when stressed.)

If you are a "big boss," use a private sounding board—check in daily.

(Crossderry: Interesting... hadn't thought of it in that way.)

Concoct scenarios by the bushel, test 'em, play with 'em, short-term, long-term, sane, insane.

(Crossderry: Too many leaders think that this means "just throw s*** against the wall" by rearranging everything or withdrawing to a bunker to do scenario planning. It's a prime example of a topic that gets cherry-picked from a list. If you aren't doing this w/ MBWA and working the phones, experts, customers, vendors, etc., you're missing the point.)

Exercise—encourage your leadership team to double up on their exercise.

(Crossderry: This verges on "double plus good" Motivation-speak. How about "If you don't exercise, start; if you're not exercising enough, do more; if you're already a workout warrior, don't stop.")

Underscore "excellence in every transaction."

(Crossderry: You betcha... and it's a nice loop back to point 1.)

Posted by Paul Ritchie at October 8, 2008 12:39 PM

Those nine tenets are great.

I recommend one (1) slide too. See it by clicking on my name.

Posted by Andres Agostini (Andy) at October 8, 2008 2:59 PM

Amen Tom!

Posted by Dan King at October 8, 2008 3:52 PM

I agree these aren't weird times...nor defining ones. They are examples of lessons that have should have been learned but haven't been. Look at the various "solutions" offered above. What's new, unique, or different? They are essentially variations of the same themes going back to Deming, Juran, Drucker. Themes and techniques that In Search of Excellence, A Passion for Excellence, and most of Tom's works gave one a freakin' road map on how to implement and get results with. Think there is a correlation between Google's performance and the fact their employees feedback earned them the top spot on Fortune's Best Companies to Work for List? Madeline is absolutely correct when she says that many folks can talk the PSF talk but when it comes to execution...fugedaboutit!

What's lacking in the world of business and government is the root cause of the problem...a lack of leadership, a lack of accountability, a lack of character, a lack of oversight, a lack of knowledge, a lack of vision, a lack of character, a lack of conscious, and many, many more! If the big boss was a leader before the "crisis, the items on Tom's list will work. They would have been doing them pro actively anyway not reactively. If you haven't you are going to have bank some trust and credibility before results happen, unless you come honest and correct.

The what to do and how to do it piece is easy. Pick a performance management system, be it the Future Shape of the Winner model, Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence, lose the ego and arrogance and get to work. Research shows that the reason organizational change and improvement initiatives fail isn't the process, it's leadership credibility. How simple is that? All you gotta do is make sure that what your mouth says isn't contradicted by what your ass does! That's real change...change you can believe in!

Mark JF...thanks for sharing the wisdom of Mr. Drucker.

Posted by Dave Wheeler at October 9, 2008 1:04 AM

The hardest thing to do is to not react to perceived problems. Veteran soldiers know that green soldiers will go crazy when shot, or even shot at. This behavior puts the whole team in severe danger. Anomalous times aren't a good time to start new routines. Mid-stream is the worst time to change horses.

A new soldier usually responds to being shot by standing up and shooting off all his ammo. This makes even a minor wound life threatening. Even a serious hit can be dealt with if disciplined fire is maintained.

I would suggest that additional thought and getting more self-consciousness (along with most additional work) is the last thing one would want to do in weird times. Same with over communicating.

When you find a cow in the ditch--first you get her out of the ditch, then back in the pasture, then fix the fence. Then you do what you were going to do in the first place. Then you appraise the situation and learn anything that might need to be learned (though you've likely already learned it).

Freaking out isn't ever necessary or helpful. If anything I'd take the extra time designated for all these action points and relax so I'd be calm enough to support anyone else who was freaking out.

That's managing from below.

www.whiteg.com

Posted by Eben at October 15, 2008 2:39 PM