dispatches from the new world of work

"Welcome" Back!

Election is done.
(As I write this I don't know the result—and it's irrelevant to this Post.)
Time to get on with it.
Perhaps a tiny bit of stability in the financial markets.
Perhaps not.
In any event, recessionary pressure accelerating as we race toward the cliff.
GM sales down 45% October-to-October.
Japanese car sales as bad or worse.
Wallets clamped shut.
Consumer spending DOA.
Commercial spending DOA.

My advice:

**Put "clever" on hold.
**Basics rule!
**Execution rules!
(**Opportunism—and there may be some or a lot of room for it—is pulled off through excellence in execution, not ingenuity.)
**The game is won or lost at the front line! (More than ever, if that's possible.)
**Showing up rules!
**Excellence rules!
**MBWA rules!
**Keep it simple!
**Transparency rules: Shoot straighter than straight!
**Go for "small wins"!
**"Thoughtful in all we do"—regardless of how much yogurt (shit) is hitting the fan.
**In tough times, those who play the blame game in any way, shape, or form get the first pink slips!
(**Special for BigCo CEOs: "Opportunistically" bulking up by buying big pieces of crap at bargain prices is tempting but truly a sign of advanced brain damage.)

Managers:

**Banish gloomy from your personal demeanor—if it kills you!
(**"Sunny" is pretty stupid, too: Who do you think you're kidding.)
(**"Determined"-"Gettin' on with gettin' on" is best.)
**The great juggling act: PMA while preparing for the worst. (Positive Mental Attitude—but know the drill if the recession goes 24 months, which it easily might.)

[You'll find a PowerPoint of this list attached: "Advice for tough times. Win with the '2Es.' Execution. Excellence."]

Tom Peters posted this on 11/05/08.

Comments

Tom
Lifelong fan.
I've read all your books.
You inspired me to write a book entitled
"Get Your Business To Work!
It will be in the bookstore next June.

Your comments ae great after the election.
Small business owners are waiting for soemthing to happen and stuck doing nothing.
Thanks.

Posted by George Hedley at November 5, 2008 2:02 PM

Tom,

You told us welcome back the election is over and then you begin to ramble on about having an African American President again in the blog above.

Stick to biz man...even though capitalism will likely die on the vine in the United States over the next decade and we won't be able to blog about separating ourselves from the pack, it just won't matter at that point.

Posted by Scott at November 5, 2008 8:59 PM

The auto industry's crashing and burning over the past year is gruesome. It is especially unfortunate if you consider how intensely Detroit lobbied against legislation increasing fuel efficiency standards during the last Congress--standards that would have made GM, Chrysler and Ford all much more competitive in today's marketplace.

Managing a successful business in today's increasingly globalized, complex world is a collaborative process. That means working with all stakeholders, including the government, to generate socially responsible, viable strategies that all add to the bottom line. The American auto industry's pain is in no small part derived from clinging to archaic business models where Congress and society are viewed as threats to competitive advantage. It will be the task of the world's business schools to start endowowing students with the skills and knowledge to effectively navigate these new challenges: environmental sustainability, international competitors and a rapidly changing regulatory landscape.

Let's not make America the land of Detroits in the 21st century. Do you agree Tom?

Posted by Natalya at November 9, 2008 4:16 PM

Hello Tom!

It's been a few hours only after I've read your book on Talent, but I have developed great connectivity with your ideas (and hopefully your persona!). I think that you are giving me more ideas for a Peaceful Social Revolution that I am now starting here in the Philippines. No big deal, and it's been so silent, except for the rumblings and mumblings in my heart and mind that has kept going for the past two years, plus the little fiasco created when a poor man starts to gather and work with disadvantaged people (women, children, youth) so that they can create opportunities for themselves and for others, completely using his meager monthly salary!!! Of course, it has never failed to bring amusement and perhaps some interest in the mind of a few friends to whom I have revealed the secret. In return, I'm enjoying my peace of mind and the inner joy of knowing that you are doing something that will make a difference in the lives of people you touch everyday, and who knows maybe somehow, somewhere create some spark in this bedraggled world of ours!!!

Without asking your permission I think I'm already beginning to test and apply your ideas in this Peaceful Revolution of Love, and am thinking of making you as one of my mentors together with Jesus the Carpenter, Mohammad, and Gautama Buddha.

I hope that this weird idea will elicit some response from you.

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Posted by Rodolfo Dewara at November 11, 2008 2:26 AM

Fantastic Rodolfo - you are actually doing something practical while many people watch from the sidelines and talk a good fight. Keep up your excellent work and good luck to you. I have seen Tom as my Mentor for the last 25 years - there is no better mentor in business.

I share another of your mentors - Jesus.

Best

Trevor from England

Posted by Trevor Gay at November 11, 2008 4:31 AM

Tom,

The more you blog, the more we learn. Don't hold back. Talk about anything you want.

Thanks for putting your emotions on your sleeve. buy viagra in sydney

Posted by Rob L at November 13, 2008 7:23 AM