Comments

It's a simple formula, but the secret to success really is hard (and intelligent) work.

Thanks for the reminder list. I'm going to print it out and stick it on the wall.

Posted by Amanda Cullen at April 8, 2009 10:30 AM

And along the way, sharpen the saw. Leaders who cannot see straight make poor decisions, struggle to tap into their own resourcefulness and exhibit styles under stress that move them further away from their intended outcomes.

Posted by David Porter at April 8, 2009 11:26 AM

Indeed. Yet I couldn't help but notice the "work harder" advice. Personally the "work smarter, not necessarily harder" has always worked for me better.

Posted by Csaba at April 8, 2009 11:28 AM

Csaba, respect your remark--but the "harder" has always been my trick, which is not to say I couldn't work "smarter."

Posted by tom peters at April 8, 2009 11:39 AM

Either get up earlier OR go to bed later, but not both.

Sleep deprivation is cumulative. Even an hour less than your body and brain need each night will depress your mood in just a few days, then your motivation, then your cognitive abilities.

Lack of sleep depresses the immune system, increases the risk of some cancers, impairs the cardio-vascular system, and doesn't help domestic relationships either!

Check on the hours you expect your staff to put in too, including commuting time. Chronically burned-out managers and staff aren't going to give you WOW.

Posted by Lois Gory at April 8, 2009 12:00 PM

Get up late.
Go to bed late.
Whine louder.
Explain what you are "gonna" start real soon now.
Continue being butt-ignorant.
Break a few contracts.
Tell others how you are going to help them.
Stay invisible.
Stay grumpy.

You've qualified for a government job! Congratulations.

Posted by Useless Sam Grant at April 8, 2009 2:10 PM

Simple and sweet. Thank you, TP.

I was in two government offices today, the Secretary of State and the Social Security Administration. Both experiences were very pleasant. I did not wait long and the employees were friendly, efficient and knowledgeable. I must have been in both places for 20 minutes each and there was a crowd.

Good service has not always been my experience and I came with book and IPod in hand. Sometimes things do change for the better in government offices. There was a noticeable difference in service in these two places today. I thanked them.

As someone who has consulted with large and small city governments and one who worked for a very large city for a number of years, believe me when I say that I am very keen to these things. Such service was good to see and very much appreciated.

Posted by Judith Ellis at April 8, 2009 2:34 PM

Judith, you may recall that VP Gore had a pretty high visibility program called Re-inventing Government. A good friend, Bob Stone, who'd used In Search of Excellence at DOD to start an Excellenct Installations program, was the Director. Fact is, they worked mostly below the radar, and got a lot done. Pres Bush dismantled it--but it lives on in the form of the many people who wanted it to work. One small thing, that wasn't really small, was insisting, in service delivery, that recipients be called "customers." One can laugh, but it made in many cases a real difference.

Posted by tom peters at April 8, 2009 3:12 PM

The most powerful question you could ask a personal is "How Can I help?". You make a miracle in the personal life just with this single question.

Thanks for sharing :)

Posted by Mawuna KOUTONIN at April 8, 2009 5:40 PM

Sleep in tomorrow.
Unplug.
Take a walk in the woods.
Don't try to figure out a damn thing.
Breathe.
Make a whistle from an acorn top.
Say, "You are very lucky. Be at peace." At least a dozen times.
Be invisible.
Be of open heart.
Catch a fish.
Or not.
Repeat weekly.

Posted by Tom Asacker at April 8, 2009 5:41 PM

Defile "excellence" at every opportunity - make a mockery of it.
Try easier.
REM sleep is an art & science - get the best.
Fire a lazy backside front-liner - kick her to the curb for the sport of it.
Ask "How may I defile the customer?"
Profit in up & down markets & laugh all the way to an offshore bank :>).

Posted by C Love at April 8, 2009 6:26 PM

TP - Yes, I did know of VP Gore's Re-inventing Government program and it has obviously had a positive impact. Perhaps President Obama's administration will re-initiate this program, as there is most certainly still a need for it, as it relates to spending, waste, efficiency, technology, employee expectations, and rewards.

I must say again that my experience today was very heartening. Usually, I go in such places bracing for an onslaught of negativity, let alone entering two in one day. Many thanks to Bob Stone! It is certainly not a surprise that In Search of Excellence would be the basis for such fundamental change. Anybody out there from the administration?

Working below the radar most certainly helped Bob Stone and team, something clearly advocated in ISOE. The "customer" insistence is no small initiation. It changes mindsets about the quality of service. Everything begins there and is built upon.

Posted by Judith Ellis at April 8, 2009 6:28 PM

Brilliant Tom

Posted by ujwal at April 9, 2009 4:43 AM

Tom Asacker: Brilliant! Combine both = Dynamite?

Posted by tom peters at April 9, 2009 5:59 AM

Agree 100% Tom! Thanks.

Posted by Tom Asacker at April 9, 2009 6:16 AM

I suppose it was watching my factory worker Dad putting in the overtime, taking on second jobs, doing what was necessary to insure his five kids didn't want for the necessities of life that made me a believer in hard work. Couple that with years at UPS with a culture of hard work trumps fancy planning pretty much sealed the deal for me. Yes, buckle down and do the hard stuff. However, make sure it is the right stuff. One of my newest, favorite quotes is from a Turkish proverb "No matter how far you go down the wrong road, turn back" I would like to say more, but I have work to do. :)

Posted by Mike Neiss at April 9, 2009 9:28 AM

OK, I should have written that you were then qualified for a job in the Obama administration, not generalized as "government work."

Posted by Useless Sam Grant at April 9, 2009 10:45 AM

With you Mike. Hard work is good – I would say essential for me. I am not convinced by the slogan ‘working smarter.’ We all surely want to and try to work ‘smart’ but that word can sometimes be used as a convenient ‘cop-out’ just to avoid doing the essential basic stuff, the drudgery. Throughout the year I spend countless hours inputting on a very dull excel spreadsheet every single receipt – you know the feeling I’m sure Mike :-). This is not ‘smart’ working it just time consuming, laborious, boring graft and could be described as ‘hard work.’ But it is essential foundation work as a sole trader. Sexy glamorous work is good to do of course but foundational work underpins solidity.

I started work at 16 years of age and I’ve never had a day out of work in 40 years. I’ve been lucky. When I worked in the corporate world from 1969-2004 I had a full time job of minimum 40 hours per week and I always had at least one additional part time job from the age of 20. I recall when I was struggling to find money for a deposit for our first house I had 4 jobs in addition to my full time health care job – 5 jobs and I still found time to play soccer twice every weekend. There is a saying that hard work never killed anyone. Whilst that may not be technically true I’ve always felt hard work has been very good for me and has in fact kept me healthy. Hard work is a real motivator for some people but I would never be arrogant enough to prescribe it for others. Everyone is different and that’s great.

BTW - I wish all the team at TP and all commenters a great Easter holiday. Hopefully some time to reflect on its real meaning …

Posted by Trevor Gay at April 9, 2009 11:00 AM

Thanks for that, Mike. I honor hard work. I also like the Turks. So did the brilliant novelist and essayist James Baldwin who lived in Turkey off and on for years during the 60's and 70's, completing wonderful works there. He loved the people and their culture.

Posted by Judith Ellis at April 9, 2009 11:03 AM

The antidote to exhaustion is not rest, it is wholeheartedness

I read this in one your slide months ago - when you dedicate yourself, immerse yourself in the project, and your very resting moments will bring you extra joy and a sense of self actualization - you can work a lot w/o becoming a workaholic.

Posted by gerson barbosa at April 13, 2009 12:11 PM