Comments

In addition to business, your point also applies to parenting. I often think, “I’m doing the best I can” with my three teenagers, but your whack on the side of the head has shifted my mindset. Thank you.

Posted by Glenn Myers at May 6, 2009 9:56 AM

Tom,

(Most especially) on the heels of some threads yesterday, "Thank you."

Point very well made. As usual.

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 6, 2009 10:07 AM

I wonder? Is doing your best the same as being luke warm and not Hot or Cold.?
Tom, you hit it on a tough one!
In saying "I'm doing my best" is giving an excuse in case something goes wrong!
You really have to be BRAVE and CONFIDENT to Do your job and accept the consecuences!.
Thanks Tom for that slap in the Face.

Posted by Berta at May 6, 2009 10:45 AM

How does this square with your much vaunted "everybody must be allowed to make mistakes"? Or have you moved on from that since Pajaro Dunes nearly 20 years ago?

I always had a hard time squaring that admonition with an air-traffic controller's responsibilities!!!

Posted by Donal O'Shea at May 6, 2009 11:14 AM

Great story Tom, and a point well made (and understood) regarding medical errors and patient safety. However, it seems to me that executives in many industries are not exactly sure what to measure (or how) to ensure that they're "getting the job done." The linkage between short-term operational success and longer-term strategic success is loose at best, by evidence of the wave of recent bankruptcies.

Posted by Tom Asacker at May 6, 2009 11:44 AM

Great story! So very true! Thank you!

Donal - While there are definitely those fields where the consequences of mistakes are greater than others, i.e., surgery, errors happen WHETHER WE ALLOW FOR THEM OR NOT. "To err is human." My take away from the General's admonition is the Nike slogan, "JUST DO IT!" NO TRYING YOUR DARNDEST! It's an effort thing.

There is often an element of having NOT done our best when our response is, "I tried." I am always keen on this when young people use such language. The utterance of these words often implies something else. Everything needs to be taken in context. If we look at yesterday's post and say, "I thought you told us to try stuff" now you're telling us to "get the job done," we will have missed the point of yesterday and today.

Excellence is a mindset.

Posted by Judith Ellis at May 6, 2009 12:26 PM

Berta's comment reminds me of the judgement on the church in Laodicea-

You are neither hot nor cold and I spit you out of my mouth!

Seems all great leaders speak the same truths, eh?

Posted by Lois Gory at May 6, 2009 12:54 PM

Tom - if executives don't know what to measure, I suggest they should step back and stop over-complicating. Here's my take on a few objectives / measures, taking a few companies currently in the news:

GM: You're a carmaker. Make decent cars people want to buy (and a sensible profit).

UBS: Your an investment bank. Make reasonable, sustainable returns for your wealth clients (and a sensible profit).

Adidas: you're a fashion company and not an advertising hoarding. Make sportswear people want to buy (and a sensible profit).

etc etc etc

Posted by Mark JF at May 6, 2009 1:22 PM

I am a medical professional and while I agree that we are here to get the job done. However, I felt compeled to reply specifically to "We're doing our best with the resources available." and your reply. I am guessing you were involved in a meeting with mgt. type personel. Those of us at the provider level, that actually do the hands on work with patitents, must become very adapt to resource mgt. and prioritizing. Also, healthcare if very different from any other industry. We have no choice about whom we serve or if we want to be involved in a particular situation.

I have spent my entire adult life becoming a competent emergency care provider and can honestly say that when I have to face those I cared for again, I will be able to look a them and say to them " I did the best I could for you in the circumstances we were in."

Your comments may apply to the buisness side of healthcare, but no to the aspects of patient care .

By the way , in helathcare we base our practices on research and our success on patient outcomes.

I will let the bean counters and lawyers worry about the rest. My job is to take care of people.

DAN

Posted by Dan Palmer at May 6, 2009 1:32 PM

Mr. Peters: I believe you´re on the right track - lol.
I also humbly believe Excellence is very close to nutiness, to extreme effort. I think it was Picasso that said that "inspiration comes, but it has to find you working". The sense of duty from war times (which I personally have not lived directly) are very good reminders of a war - against mediocrity, corruption, Dilbert, and other life killers. Never surrender!

Posted by gerson barbosa at May 6, 2009 2:48 PM

Dan,

As a former RN/Medic that moved up into the ranks of CQI and Risk Management, I can see your point very clearly in that as the hands-on caregiver, I, too, wanted nothing more than to do anything and everything necessary to provide the patient with the highest quality and most definitive care. I did not want to be bothered with questions of "How much does that cost us to do?"

Upon taking over CQI & Risk Management, I had to adjust to living on both sides of the fence. I never -- not for one split second -- gave up my desire to provide the highest level and quality of care for patients. But the reality of it is that it costs money. And funds were not unlimited. I knew that in a perfect world we'd have one R.N. for every patient. We went from an average of one R.N. per 6-8 patients on the medical/surgical unit to a ration of 1/12 or so. L.P.N. staffing -- the right arm for the R.N.'s -- cut by similar proportions. Half as many nursing assistants. And we experienced similar cuts throughout departments. Was that what we considered "optimal care?" Absolutely not. But we had no choice.

When the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 hit, our hospital was hit especially hard. Our patient population usually averaged 80% or greater Medicare/Medicaid patients. And where did the BBA hit? Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement.

What we WANTED to do and what we were ABLE to do were two vastly different things. I knew that higher nurse and staff to patient ratios significantly increased workloads, meaning increased risks of delays and errors. Our hospital sold the timber off some adjacent land just to keep making the payroll at the reduced levels. The hospital itself was hemorrhaging money and the only alternative would have been to close the doors completely, leaving the area without the hospital that the people needed and depended on.

Few people have ever realized just how much it bothered me to watch nurses who had been giving their best now get stretched to their limits and often beyond. You could say did what HAD to be done, if you want to look at it that way. But we all knew that we were not doing what we thought SHOULD be done. A lot of our best nurses began burning out and getting out. They were tired, they were disgusted, and some of them were rightfully afraid, because they knew the risks were going up... WAY UP.

The only alternative in that situation was to give up on doing the best we could and just not do the job at all. That wasn't an option for our community.

Hospitals that have a larger proportion of private insurance and self-pay (actual PAYING) patients were not hit so hard and thus did not suffer quite as bad as we did, although they still felt the squeeze.

I'm with you, Dan. More than you realize. But ultimately the rule "No margin = No mission" holds true. If you don't manage to work within the constraints ($$$) then nobody will be working and there will be no hospital there for the patients. It wasn't as though we could say to the patients "Good medical care costs more than we're bringing in now, so we're raising our prices." Unlike utility companies that can beg the state Public Service Commission to approve a rate increase for your utilities, our hands were tied. Such is the nature of the health care business, especially in dealing heavily with government funded programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

We still measured things in terms of outcomes, as well as patient satisfaction and all the common measurements. But there was no ignoring the other measurement: "Can we afford to keep the doors open."

I wish it weren't that way. But wishes and reality aren't always the same thing, are they?

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 6, 2009 3:03 PM

Who determines 'what has to be done'? Who determines when the job is fully done? Who determines what excellence is in the context of war and politics or patient care and "political funding games" or customer service and profitability?

Do what has to be done in Iraq? Do you stay the course or go? Is it over because that was George W Bush's War? Do what has to be done in Afghanistan/Swat Valley? Do you commit more troops and US dollars for community building projects to make this one Barack Obama's War? Do you fight in Swat Valley because it is deemed the right war and withdraw from Iraq because it is deemed the wrong war? Who determines what 'has to be done' in these situations?

Which patients do you "not treat" so that you can do better than your best for one - which is the chosen one in a ward of ten patients and why him or her? What criteria do you use to choose who gets Excellence in health care and who gets the very best that is left because we have too few doctors, nurses, paramedics, etc? Who do you go to see to 'get the job done' so that universal health care is provided and is Excellent throughout the US?

Lots of questions... few good answers... anyone who has been in politics knows these questions all too well... they come with every issue on your desk .... the issues keep piling up if you even try to get the job done... so you do your very very best... at least that way the guy who run you and the county stops yelling at you and you can have 4 hours of sleep that night before starting all over again.... but eventually you learn to get out ahead of the issues and start to change the questions being asked.... then and only then do you have a snowball's chance in hell of 'doing what has to be done'... doing what has to be done however does not make you popular....

Cheers, Richard.

Posted by Richard Lipscombe at May 6, 2009 5:24 PM

"... doing what has to be done however does not make you popular..."

So right, Richard. Under those conditions, it often feels like everyone sees you as a traitor and enemy. People get a case of "borderline personality disorder" of sorts -- "If you're not totally FOR me, then you're totally AGAINST me" thinking.

Regardless of the circumstances, however, there is still one thing you DON'T have to compromise on, and that is doing your personal best. You might be limited on personnel and equipment to back you up and facilitate the job at hand, but you still give it your PERSONAL best. The only person that can really prevent that is yourself.

It's sad, but a person can go from "zero to hero" in about 4.6 seconds in the health care business. If you're working for an HMO, that might actually be "4.6 Patient Days."

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 6, 2009 6:19 PM

I'll be taking an extended stay in Afghanistan very soon and this type of sentiment is at the root of everything I'll be thinking. Very inspiring.

Thanks.

Posted by Ian Duke at May 6, 2009 6:58 PM

"Yes sir I am taking care of them & we take care of each other - are we confident about the big picture sir?"

That may have been my response. In other words - I am doing my job well - how about you and "leadership"?

In other words "I am making us look excellent by all accounts - why is management so screwed up?" :>)

Posted by C Love at May 6, 2009 7:54 PM

PS - thanks Ian Duke for the heroic duty you are doing soon - inspiring! :>)

Posted by C Love at May 6, 2009 8:04 PM

I second C, Ian Duke. Thank you. All the best to you and yours.

Posted by Judith Ellis at May 6, 2009 8:11 PM

"I am doing the best I can" is often a defensive remark. When I hear that from someone who works for me my first instinct is too look inside myself. How have I just phrased the question? Clearly I have phrased it in a way that caused a defensive reaction and not a positive exploration of how the person can do better.

When I hear "I am doing the best I can" I would start looking at the attitude of the boss not the the person.

Posted by PaulH at May 7, 2009 1:42 AM

What a great discussion. My late beloved Dad told me ‘Well done is better than well said.’

Many people have great intentions that never get beyond intentions. I always think this is a great shame because I’m convinced too many of us can give up on an idea whose time will come – in fact it may be just around the corner. I’ve never believed in ‘overnight success’ and I came across this rather nice quote recently – forgive the ‘male’ emphasis. I can only assume Mr Butler was around in a less politically correct time :- )

“One man has enthusiasm for 30 minutes, another for 30 days, but it is the man who has it for 30 years who makes a success of his life” – Edward B. Butler

Posted by Trevor Gay at May 7, 2009 3:30 AM

Great legacy and history.

Posted by Andres Agostini at May 7, 2009 3:58 AM

Trevor,

How well I know the feeling. The first time I heard the name "Tom Peters" was in the 1980's. I was handed a book titled "In Search of Excellence" and told that "This guy's 20 years ahead of his time and nobody buys into this $&*#. But you'd probably like reading it." At the time, I perceived that to be a smug, belittling comment toward myself and my personality. Now, I look back on it with pride. I guess my "passion for excellence" before Tom patented the phrase was evident, but not well received.

Long story short, I eventually left that company and they are no longer in business. Like I told Tom, I guess they couldn't catch up. I'm still loving the chase. I've never stopped to look back, except perhaps with a sense of pity.

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 7, 2009 9:30 AM

I had very similar experience Dan. I recall when I was ranting to management colleagues in the mid/late 80’s about how refreshing this ‘new bloke’ Peters was, one of my veeeeeeryyyy senior management colleagues said to me ‘Oh is that the brash American bloke?” …. I didn't ‘hear’ such comments and just kept reading all Tom’s work – the thirst remained in me – and still does. Clearly we have walked a very similar path Dan :- )

Posted by Trevor Gay at May 7, 2009 9:43 AM

I'm not surprised at all, Trevor. I guess I've always figured life's too short to do mediocre work for a mediocre organization. I live for the utter thrill of seeing a customer, client, patient, coworker, whomever, say "Wow!"

Late last evening I received an email from my biggest client and he actually used the word "Wow!" in his email. And on the heels of that, he had a long list of things he'd like for me to do for him next. That "Wow!" translated to "I'm happy, and I'm ready for even more excitement." It also inspired me to think of how I can take things to an even higher level for this client. It's a virtuous cycle that has tremendous power.

That "Wow!" (and of course the latest check signed by this client doesn't hurt matters) is worth it's weight in gold ink. And then some.

I can't say that Tom "convinced me" of the importance of Excellence, because I already felt it. But he has provided me with a lot of tools, ideas (and some sleepless nights thinking and reading and listening and watching) that have positively influenced my work and my life as a whole.

At times he makes me (us?) feel "validated" and inspires us to keep pushing on (or "move on" to better venues.) I can't count how many times I've felt like giving up, as though nobody was listening or gave a crap, then I'd pull out one of the old TP cassettes or books and "recharge the batteries" so to speak. And that has given me at least that extra little push I needed at times to see something through when I was about ready to throw my hands up and say "Screw it." I can't begin to estimate how much influence that indirectly had on some other people as a result, even if they never heard the name Tom Peters (or thought him to be a totally radical lunatic.) When all else failed, I'd just slip things in under the radar, grin like a possum, and quietly watch the ripple effect kick in.

One of the maddest faces I ever saw was a C.F.O. who found out that something I implemented with great success (with the help of a team of fellow subversives) was straight out of my T.P. notes (around a filing cabinet drawer full of them at the time.) He couldn't FIND enough hot sauce to mask the taste of the crow he chewed on for months. It was, to put it mildly, HILARIOUS.

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 7, 2009 10:10 AM

Trevor, you might find this funny, but my wife-to-be hates me wearing black (which I happen to like.) But she found out pretty quickly that one thing I am very partial to is a certain black baseball cap with a bright red exclamation point on the front of it. It's just one of those crazy psychological things, but I make a point of putting it on my head whenever I go to see certain clients or do certain things that call for a little extra dose of determination and "stick-to-it-ivenes," as it has been described.

It is well worn, complete with the sweat stains on the brim that won't come out (despite the best dishwasher, detergent, and stain remover), is really more of a dull gray than black now, but I won't part with it. It has its own place on the upper right corner of the dresser mirror. She is so loving that she bought me another black cap as a gesture of understanding. She didn't QUITE understand but she's catching on.

Total my car. Steal my TV. Roll my yard. But don't screw with my cap. LOL.

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 7, 2009 10:25 AM

Dan - Hilarious. Humour (forgive English spelling) is healthy - Fun compulsory :-)

Posted by Trevor Gay at May 7, 2009 10:36 AM

I might be laughing, too. But it's no joke. People can have their "lucky penny," a rabbit's foot, whatever, but when you see that cap on my head, it means serious business. I'd wear it at speaking engagements (along with a black shirt and red tie) if it weren't quite so dirty, dingy, and dull. I do have SOME fashion sense. Tempered with a touch of stubbornness, of course. LOL.

A man should stand for SOMETHING... might as well be something that makes a positive difference for others, right?

I know we've digressed a little (lot?) in this thread, but it all comes back to the fact that I stand for and strive for Excellence, and I'd like to think it shows up in various areas of my work and life (and of course, on my head.)

Go ahead, poke fun at my cap. I can live with that. "As long as a man has a 'why,' he can live with any 'what'." -- Viktor Frankl. It's my cap. That's a "What" that folks will just have to deal with.

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 7, 2009 10:53 AM

Some years ago as CEO and after a particularly difficult Board meeting in which my hard fought proposals were severely trounced, I found myself helping a Board member change a flat tire in the company parking lot. After some back and forth about the meeting, I voiced my disappointment with the outcome saying "I had worked like a dog and given it my best effort". To which the Board member gently smiled and responded calmy, "well you know, sometimes your best just isn't good enough." Like yours, Tom, it was a lesson I have not forgotten to this day.

Posted by Kerry Stackpole, CAE at May 7, 2009 11:14 AM

Thanks, Tom. I remember a similar experience at a young age, although it was in the comfort of an office. Outcomes, not inputs.

Posted by Steve Yastrow at May 7, 2009 11:50 AM

What a powerful story to read in these times.

Its been a grueling first quarter in our advertising agency, with few leads turning into deals closed and a stressed team due to the financial implication of being under sales targets. So there we (client and sales team) were taking full body blows in the boardrooms of our clients - defending and motivating budgets only to bring work back and be hit with another blow that our team didn't feel that they needed to work the overtime to get the job done! Because they had forgotten that we're in the service industry and they forgot that overtime is part of a normal working day !

I realized that all the fast strategy and intuitive working style we had worked so hard to create as a team had dissolved - because as a business style we had 'protected' our team from the rigours of the current business climate - a ruthless but wonderfully challenging time. We've since ruffled up some tail feathers and i can say for now at least that the time of doing your best when your best aint good enough is over!
:)

Posted by Marjorie Hollander at May 7, 2009 2:22 PM

Marjorie,

Sounds like one of those "When times are good, prepare for when times turn bad, and when times are bad, prepare and train as though times are good because they eventually will be again" situations.

One thing I've experienced is that the current economic climate is exactly when the guy that runs the small auto repair garage, or appliance repair business, etc. needs to advertise MORE instead of less (counterintuitive as it may seem) because people are less able than ever to simply replace an automobile, refrigerator, or air conditioning system. Penny-pinching times are actually good for some smaller businesses, although they can be hell on high-ticket retailers.

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 7, 2009 3:31 PM

Tom, thanks, great story
All, brevity is best.
I have been saying this for a while!
So next time you want to write a Thesis... don't!
Get to the point.
Patrick thinking about what best is.

Posted by patrick at May 7, 2009 4:28 PM

"So next time you want to write a Thesis... don't!
Get to the point."

Oh, Patrick! But I've been giving what you have written so often some serious thought. :-)

Posted by Judith Ellis at May 7, 2009 6:45 PM

Mr. Peters... that is so right on.

Your blog was sent to me by one of my employees.

We're a small software company supporting 12 families and I can truly say that we ALL are "getting it done" during these weird times.

We all read your blog and for the past 10 years you have had a tremendous influence on our culture and success. Thank you!

Randall

Posted by Randall Farrar at May 7, 2009 8:14 PM

Advertising signs that con you
Into thinking you're the one
That can do what's never been done
That can win what's never been won
Meantime life outside goes on
All around you.

Posted by zimmy at May 7, 2009 10:38 PM

Judith,

thanks for thinking and doing :-)

patrick

Posted by patrick at May 8, 2009 3:46 AM

patrick - I can't make you any promises that I will continue to do as you have preached here so very religiously, as there remains that inescapable element of relevance relating to the sonnet and the haiku, though perhaps more than not editing will do.

Maybe ego, positively or negatively, plays its role too.

But you have my solemn promise that I will continue to think. There can be great value in brevity in certain settings--perhaps this is one, though not always. How's that for being non-committal? :-)

Posted by Judith Ellis at May 8, 2009 6:03 AM

I can relate on a less grander but no less important scale;

In 1996, first year in the property management business, I recall suggesting to my supervisor that I intended to complete a project by a said date. The date came and past with the project incomplete - my supervisor's retort - "all the good intentions in the world are worth nothing unless carried through."

To this day, I recall that statement both when I think about falling short of expectations and or humbly speaking I do fall short of expectations.

Great post Tom.

M

Posted by Mike Brewer at May 8, 2009 7:54 AM

Mike,

I have a friend who is a broker and owns a real estate company. What I hated about getting involved in project management with them was that they never seemed to have a priority project at any given time. They stayed spread so thin (time, money, and other resources included) that almost nothing got finished, and certainly never on time. Unfinished commercial property has no tenants. No tenants = no revenue. No revenue = delays in getting work done to finish even one of the projects. Vicious cycle.

The problem was ALWAYS traceable back to forgetting what it was we were trying to accomplish: create commercial space that books tenants and brings in revenue to reinvest in more commercial space. How often I would hear him tell a prospective tenant (read: angry want-to-be-tenant who's mad as hell because his business space isn't ready and it's already six months past the LAST promised completion date, holding up HIS business) the explanation (EXCUSE, actually): "We're doing the best we can."

"The best we can?" Bovine feces. You made a commitment in exchange for my commitment. You've failed. Now I'm in a bind. Don't blame it on the economy, your contractors, etc. Find the money. Fire the contractors and hire folks that come through, like I expect you to do. Your best is obviously not good enough.

They rented space from someone else in short order. Another $1,200 a month we won't be bringing in... whenever we DO finally manage to finish the building. IF we manage to finish the building.

If your best ain't good enough, you'd best be figuring out how to raise the level of your best. I might (huge MIGHT) believe you if you're taking steps to make your "best" better.

Keep doing what you've always done, and you'll get what you've always got.

If your best isn't good enough, I find someone with a better best. Capitalism and free enterprise at its finest. He with the best "best" wins. Unfailingly.

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 8, 2009 11:18 AM

COUNTERPOINT:

First, a heartfelt "Thank you" to all the folks who go the extra mile and give me useful ideas and information here on Tom's blogs. "Feed ME!" I can not thank you all enough for your contributions, as I cherish them (and often steal your ideas unabashedly.)

"The genius is in the details." I want to hear it all.

• I don't come to Tom Peters' blogs just to hear people jump up and down shouting "I agree... Tom, you're the greatest... misery loves company... let's all complain, moan, and whine together..."

• I visit the blogs because I want to read about what people are DOING about it. I want to hear what people have tried and are trying. I want to know the success AND the failures.

• Give me all the details (feelings included) because I would like to see some "do-ables"... some "action items"... real ideas... the kinds of things we can discuss and implement on Monday morning, or ideas that trigger other ideas, or things that we can adopt and adapt to actually put to use. Just agreeing and restating the problem as Tom describes IS a waste of my time. Giving me the full narrative, the WHOLE story gives me a chance to find those otherwise omitted pieces of information I can actually DO something with. I can not begin to put a price on the value of that kind of information. And I don't even have to drive to the bookstore.

• The mentality of "Just the facts"... "I don't have time for details"... "I don't want to dig into what worked or didn't work"... that's PRECISELY the type of "quick fix"... "give me a pill to take the pain away, but don't expect me to change my lifestyle" sort of thinking that has totally fouled up many a would-be Excellent organization.

• A useful tip for anyone into "instant gratification," forget organizational change and continuous improvement and Excellence... go get a job at a hamburger joint. Burn the meat. Slap it on a bun. Throw it in a bag. Toss in a napkin. Take their money. You're done. Instant gratification thinking leads to short cuts and "fixes that backfire," as Senge, et al so beautifully describe them.

• A "scroll mouse" is a beautiful thing to own. Personally, I can "skim" paragraphs with the best of 'em. If it seems irrelevant to the topic or I just don't have time to read a longer post that someone has gone to the time and trouble to write and share, I can scroll right on down. Maybe I'll come back and read it later. Perhaps I won't.

• I love videos of Tom, but I deplore those short, choppy little Tom Peters videos on the web. Why? Because I don't NEED Tom to tell me that business and organizations tend to suck. I already know that. I don't NEED Tom to validate my thinking. What I NEED and WANT are IDEAS and "things to do." If Tom wrote a book that only said "This sucks... that sucks... we suck..." I wouldn't spend the money to buy it or the time to read it. But he likes to throw in the "Things To Do" lists. THAT'S what I want and need. And I love it that a "50" list of Tom's constantly grows into a "100" or "200" list. Ideas and dialog beget more ideas and more dialog and... Similarly, I would not spend one penny to go into an auditorium and hear Tom rant and rave for five minutes about what's horrible and then walk out on us, leaving us going "Yeah, but then what?" But I will (and have) sat in a room for over eight hours in an uncomfortable chair listening intently to Tom tell us the stories and narratives and all the anecdotes that go home with you in your mind. And somewhere in all that I end up making at least one note on a piece of paper that ends up being underlined, circled, and creates real ideas and plans that I can actually do something with. The real value of a day like that for me almost always is finding at least one tidbit that can turn out to be priceless to me, although it might have passed by every other pair of ears in the room without a second's notice. I'm sure that someone else in the room found their own little tidbit in all of it that seems trivial to me. That's fine.

Don't just throw a bland, baked potato at this Southern boy. Make sure you include the sour cream, the butter, the cheese, the bacon, the chives... the whole dish. Don't take shortcuts... put everything on that potato. If there's something I don't like, I can always put it to the side of the plate or spit it out. But let ME decide what's good. Don't leave it off just because the guy in line before me said "People don't like olives on potatoes." I'll be the judge of what I like.

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 8, 2009 11:49 AM

Tom, Just got my copy of Coyle's "The Talent Code." Thank you so much for the recommendation. I agree with your strong endorsement of the book. Everyone wanting to master a skill should have it.

Posted by Rod at May 8, 2009 11:50 AM

"I love videos of Tom, but I deplore those short, choppy little Tom Peters videos on the web."

Dan - I'm not terribly bothered by the youtube clips. They're good. The litmus test of a great performer or writer may be the ability to "chop" any piece of their performance or work and keep its impact. Speaking of "chopping," some might suggest that you begin "chopping" some of your posts. Are others responding to various points you deem significant? Sometimes this is insignificant, but it can point to community relevance.

These are some questions I have been asking myself more lately: Do the words I write have significance and value, not only for me but for the community? What is most significant here? With some of your posts, I'm afraid I may never know as I do not read many of your posts. I see above that you have a counterpoint; I haven't even really read the first point. By the way, a bland baked potato without all of the trimmings might be good for your health and others too.

My God, help. I'm becoming patrick. :-)

Posted by Judith Ellis at May 8, 2009 1:01 PM

LOL.

I think a relevant point HAS just been made. Several perhaps. And just the right help stepped in. At least "I did my best."

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 8, 2009 1:55 PM

LOL! I like you, Dan.

Posted by Judith Ellis at May 8, 2009 2:17 PM

Thank you Mark JF and Richard for the comments to my concern.

Posted by Tom Asacker at May 8, 2009 3:48 PM

Tom:

I was incredibly surprised today.

Thank you, and thank you very much.

Some times I feel I am doing my best. However I must do what is necessary.

How companies can achieve a Competitive Advantage and ultimately a real differentiation if companies don´t do the necessary?

Best regards from Mexico

Juan Miguel Robles Vargas
COO
DEISA

Posted by Juan Miguel Robles at May 8, 2009 10:26 PM

Make sure you visit Hoi An, about a 45 minute drive south of Da Nang. There are still many, many signs of America's time in Vietnam. We found the people to be very friendly and welcoming during a 2007 visit to Hanoi, Hoi An, Mui Ne and HCMC (still called Saigon by many).

We also heard a number of very touching personal stories from older Vietnamese, particularly in the south.

A few photos:
Fascinating Hanoi Scene:
http://www.zmetro.com/archives/007610.php

Hawaii 1, near Mui Ne
http://www.zmetro.com/archives/010574.php

Temple of Literature, Hanoi
http://www.zmetro.com/archives/008986.php

Posted by Jim Zellmer at May 9, 2009 7:24 AM

Tom,

Perhaps we would be well served if Mr. President would appoint a "General Chapman" as head of Health & Human Services? Model this sort of thinking from the top-down. Save us the bureaucrats. It sounds horrible to say, but perhaps a little less political correctness and diplomacy and provide us some much needed "These are my orders. You WILL carry them out. No option." thinking is in order for health care?

I'm not saying toss customer service out the window for health care. I know -- and you quite well pointed out the significance of it to everyone here just recently -- that it counterintuitively trumps "outcomes" in the minds of patients.

I'm sure even Leland Kaiser would not expect his question of "Did you have a good time?" to be answered in the affirmative if the patient left the hospital worse than they went in. Or dead.

"Health care reform" in this country has to be about more than JUST universal access and affordable health insurance. It has to be about getting what we're all paying for, and we do need leadership that knows how to focus on the whole picture.

I think I'm catching something additional in General Chapman's words to you: he knew all too well that it takes soldier/sailors to get the JOB done. To use business terminology, he expected you to protect the most valuable assets AND accomplish your mission. There was no either/or. You were expected to do BOTH.

Maybe we all need a General Chapman to verbally slap some reality into us now and then?

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 9, 2009 7:41 AM

Wrong Question!

Posted by C Love at May 9, 2009 7:35 PM

Tom

The real problem with this whole story... as with many such "inspirational" stories is that it is based on a false premise.

The false premise is that the American military "got the job done" in Vietnam - they did not! They failed to "get the job done" due to poor leadership at the top and poor political leadership at home in DC.

My brother served two terms in Vietnam with Australian Engineers. It took him over 20 years to tell me any stories of his time there. In one sleepless three day period I know from him and reports from his mates that he "got the job done" for the Americans. They were caught behind the lines in Cambodia with broken down tanks that should not have been there at all. He did his job and went back to the Australian Camp. He was mentioned in dispatches and was subsequently told that was a hero by the American General in command at the time. My brother was awarded a medal of honour and was suppose to collect it from this American General but he refused. He saw nothing good in 'getting the job done' for them.

My brother and his crew did help local villagers build amenities - school buildings, etc - while he was "in country" as they liked to say. His work on community projects made him extremely proud of his men and the goodwill legacy they left behind in Vietnam.

My brother would not travel to America for many years after his experiences in Vietnam. I urged him to go and to see the "real Americans" as I know and love them. Finally, he did go on a business trip and he was totally won over, as I knew he would be, by the genuine American hospitality and generosity he encountered all over the US.

My brother is retired now. All he wants to do is paint. But he still has absolutely no time for the American military leadership. My brother's is a different story to yours Tom, I guess.

My brother's name is Peter and he is and always has been my hero.....

Richard.

Posted by Richard Lipscombe at May 9, 2009 7:52 PM

There are lots of things that can be said about war and military leaders, none of them relevant to the point being made. Which is not, as I read it, that Vietnam was a just or smart war, or that US generals were/are decent or capable. The story as told illustrates simply that effort is not the same as achievement, that trying is not the same as delivering. The 'job' was not the war or a battle, just that of looking after the men. The general wanted the result. Seems a fair enough story, and question, to me.

Posted by RobCH at May 10, 2009 10:10 AM

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

I just wanted to send best wishes for a great Mother's Day to all the moms that might happen to stop by Tom's site today. Hope you all have a terrific, blessed, and safe day.

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 10, 2009 10:12 AM

"I guess it was all this stuff that, about a year ago, caused me to more or less lose it during a Q&A session at a healthcare conference. We were talking about medical errors and patient safety. And people kept saying, "We're understaffed." "This is a 'caring profession'—and everybody cares despite the stress." "We're doing our best with the resources available." "The docs resist this, that, and the other." Etc. Etc. Yup, I lost it, and sang the General Chapman-Winston Churchill song: "It really doesn't matter how much everybody cares, or that you're doing your damnedest—you must get the job done and stop unnecessarily wounding and killing patients." The response gave new meaning to the term "stony silence."

OK - so Tom flies in for the day and lets loose on people who actually work for a living -
by the way, did he get his job done? was there improvement at any of the organizations peopled by the folks he unloaded on? If not, he didn't ge the job done himself.

and he tells us all about it within a story about the Vietnam War - a job that definitely did not get done - is this ironic or what?

Posted by dan at May 10, 2009 10:37 AM

"OK - so Tom flies in for the day and lets loose on people who actually work for a living -..."

Wow. I suppose constantly dealing with the rigors of travel, preparing presentations, writing... none of that constitutes "work." ?

*** "Easy reading is damn hard writing." -- Nathaniel Hawthorne. ***

"... did he get his job done? was there improvement at any of the organizations peopled by the folks he unloaded on?"

I suppose all the people I've dealt with and communicated with that have shared how Tom's (non?)WORK inspired them to do something that made a difference in their company or organization does not constitute results or "getting the job done" as they or Tom specifically saw it? My personal experience is he gets it done very effectively. He has inspired AND helped me to get positive results for teams and organizations. If he didn't, I wouldn't buy his books or even visit his website and participate in dialog herein.

On the issue of the Vietnam war: I consider myself in NO position to pass judgment on that one. The massive loss of lives -- that I will say was tragic. But the "job" I understand Tom to be referring to was that of taking care of his sailors under his command. I can't pass judgment on that point either, but if I know Tom at all, General Chapman's words to him didn't just make an impression on him last week -- it did so then and there. Otherwise, I don't think it would still be resounding in his mind today. And I'd dare say that any of his fellow sailors that made it home alive would say he got that job done for them.

Tom is quite able to let such comments as above be like the proverbial "water off a duck's back," I would imagine. But I do believe it pretty thoughtless when someone criticizes another's comments by resorting to decisions that the man had no direct influence in making while being compelled to put his life on the line daily and at the same time be in a position to be accountable for the lives of others.

Instead of whining about a war that is "history" and we can only arm-chair quarterback with no visible results (how would THAT be "getting a job done"?) why not use the time and energy to write the President, Congressmen, etc. and tell them your opinion of a war or two that is still ongoing, still subject to changes in course, and most of us aren't 100% sure (maybe not 1% sure, even) of what "the job" consists of?

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 10, 2009 11:57 AM

"... did he get his job done? was there improvement at any of the organizations peopled by the folks he unloaded on?"

Whether Tom 'got his job done' is up to the people listening to him. He tells it as it is. If we 'go back to the office' and do nothing with the information imparted by Tom whose fault is that? - the mirror test works for me. Why would we see Tom as the solver of our own problems anyway? He merely points stuff out - it’s up to the receiver to do something with it. Change begins within ourselves.

Posted by Trevor Gay at May 10, 2009 3:00 PM

I was born during World War II. Almost all the Dads had served there. Military service, if asked, was considered a duty of citizenship. I served in Vietnam. I think there is a case for that war--and against it. I never criticized those that chose not to go--other than Dick "6-deferment" Cheney. Who's to say whether we won or lost? The Cold War ended satisfactoily for the free West. I did my duty as I saw fit--and if it were 1966, I'd do it again.

I try not to criticize concerning these comments. But if you think what I do ain't work, you are one sick puppy. You may not like what I do, or indeed think it useless--which is perfectly fine--but it definitely is work, very very very hard work.

Posted by tom peters at May 10, 2009 4:12 PM

Tom,

I damn sure don't think I could do the real work you do, at least not with the expertise, dedication, and stamina you show. I've been following your work for a quarter of a century or so and can't even begin to keep up. I certainly couldn't LEAD the charge as you do.

And I salute you at heart for your military service, Tom. I say "at heart" because never having served in the armed forces, I feel it would be a disrespectful gesture on my part to physically do so. I deem that reserved for those who've earned the right.

Thank you kindly, Sir, for jobs well done. On multiple fronts.

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 10, 2009 5:18 PM

"Who's to say whether we won or lost?"

I will say you and we (Australians) LOST in Vietnam! That is not only my opinion BUT the opinion of most military historians. We all lost there because the American military and political leadership did not know what constituted "getting the job done".

The relevance of all this to 2009 is that American military leadership and American political leadership has learned "nothing" in the four decades since Tom Peters was in Vietnam.

American military and political leadership sucks! It sucks because it is incapable of finding out what it will take to "get the job done". Once the people/soldiers who have to fight the war know what is required of them they will find a way to "get the job done". Then, and only then, can the message in this story - perfectly articulated by RobCH - become meaningful.

My message from this story is that without the requisite leadership from the military and political decision makers no amount of "hard work", "courage", "team work", etc will not get the job done.

What is being planned as the new Obama approach to Afghanistan/Swat Valley is more community building work by soldiers. This was done in Vietnam by Australians and it was the great success of that War. Let's hope Obama means to deploy the forces in his New War Zone in ways that will bring some lasting benefits to the people who have to live amongst all this hate, hurt, and hubris.

I fear that it will turn out to be the "same old same old" process in Afghanistan/Swat Valley War - remember this one is Obama's War not Jack Kennedy's or LBJs or Nixon's War as was Vietnam.

Richard.

Posted by Richard Lipscombe at May 10, 2009 5:18 PM

Japan might look at it as though THEY won World War II. After the war, we helped rebuild a country, rebuild their infrastructure, rebuild their industry, and even gift wrapped and sent them some dude nobody over here would listen to -- W. Edwards Deming -- to help them figure out how to make a mockery of our management, manufacturing practices, and products. Several years ago, when I began reading about all the major real estate and buildings being bought up by the Japanese I knew that they were winning another war against us on our own soil.

At least this type of war can have more positive benefits in the long-term for everyone. It can, if we are willing to learn.

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 10, 2009 5:34 PM

First to Tom...thank you for your service!

Having attended a Tom Peters seminar I can say with some certainty the folks he unloaded on in the seminar was predominately leadership...absolutely the folks he needed to unload on. The reason the job allegedly "didn't" get done in Vietnam was the civilian leadership who allowed a demilitarized zone, limited the battlefield and basically didn't have the stones to do what was necessary to get the job done completely. The people who actually "work for a living" the front line staff know precisely what needs to be done without having to attend a seminar. You control what happens below and can influence what happens above on the org chart. Perhaps the real question is, what do we do on the front line to advocate for our customers. Rather than bitch, do something that gets result so your team becomes "the rose in the weed patch" Nothing can influence those above in leadership more effectively than results!

Posted by dave wheeler at May 10, 2009 5:34 PM

The JFK & LBJ, et al leadership did not get it done in that war - the men on the ground did - but 58K+ USA soldiers killed & 6M Asians killed - isn't that insanity?

How do you benefit me Mr. General/president - that is what matters (we pay our taxes & are outstanding citizens). How do the CEO's & Boards benefit the stakeholders - that is the bottom line - since we pay our debts & do not qualify for bailouts.

Newsweek/Time label the president's USA car deals/Afghanistan/Pakistan as "his Vietnam's" ... since there are many problem years ahead with no clear resolutions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War

Isn't it ironic that the communist Chinese seem more adept now at macro free enterprise & capitalism - and they seem to love to save/invest - what a concept?

Posted by C Love at May 10, 2009 5:39 PM

Dave,

I agree with you steadfastly. Having been to multiple TP presentations, I unfailingly leave each with several impressions.

WOW!
Dead on the money.
Energizing.
Thought provoking.
Action-inducing.
and...
Scary as hell. Because he's right. God help us.

"An optimist believes we live in the best of all possible worlds. A pessimist is afraid the optimist is right." -- Source long forgotten (sorry.)

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 10, 2009 5:48 PM

C Love, I once heard some comedian jokingly say we should let foreign spies from Japan, China, etc. sneak in and steal all our best ideas and go back and use them. Then they'd be 20 years behind America for a change.

Cute joke? Maybe. But a painful and sobering point made. It was our "best thinking" at any given point in history that put us where we are. That same best thinking that got is INTO a mess ain't likely to get us out of it. That best wasn't good enough as a whole to get keep America at the top of the business and industrial "heap." It's a new, smaller, more connected, nano-second world. We have to improve our "best thinking" if we intend to be the ones getting the job done.

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 10, 2009 5:58 PM

"I served in Vietnam."

Thank you so very much for your service there. We honor you, Tom Peters.

"You may not like what I do, or indeed think it useless--which is perfectly fine--but it definitely is work, very very very hard work."

Thank you so very much for your service here. You have taught us much.

"I never criticized those that chose not to go--other than Dick "6-deferment" Cheney."

YEAH!!! TOO FUNNY!!! LOL! LOL! LOL!

Posted by Judith Ellis at May 10, 2009 8:28 PM

"Whether Tom 'got his job done' is up to the people listening to him. He tells it as it is."

re-read what tom said to those health workers -
I read it as 'there are no excuses'
If he can't change peoples behavior, than he serves no purpose. Why pay the guy to speak if after he leaves, nothing changes? (he spoke at Microsoft and they still came up with Vista) If he can't produce results, what good is he? That's what he's telling people who have to work for a living.
Tom has to work for a living as much as David Letterman has to work for a living. If you don't have to work for a living, you don't work. If you are in that situation and do anything that resembles work, you either have a personality disorder or you love what you do and that's not work. No matter how hard it is.

Posted by dan at May 10, 2009 9:49 PM

"If he can't change peoples behavior, than he serves no purpose."

dan - You can't be serious, man. This statement is laughable. Change is up to the individual or group. Perhaps you have elevated TP to God-like status whereas others simply take what they can use and apply it or not.

The decision is ours to determine what's useful or not.

In any case, I don't think TP himself is seeking to "change people's behavior" as much as inspire and offer a perspective that will enable us to see things differently. But the "bias for action" depends on us, often enacted consistently and incrementally in small steps, enough of which will "get the job done."

People ultimately change their own behavior; no one does this for another.

Posted by Judith Ellis at May 10, 2009 11:17 PM

"Uh, oh (snort snort)... that wasn't a Marlboro!" -- Tim Wilson

"Pass the dutchie, dude. That must be some powerful shi...... " there's definitely gonna be a localized shortage of tater chips somewhere by tomorrow, y'all.

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 10, 2009 11:45 PM

"Why pay the guy to speak if after he leaves, nothing changes? (he spoke at Microsoft and they still came up with Vista)"

Hey, Tom... I didn't know they hired you to try and talk them out of creating Vista. Shame on them for not asking you for approval before creating a whole new operating system (that has actually worked better than XP for me.) Was that around the same time you forgot to "shoo" those geese out the way of a jet airliner? What's that? Oh, you were busy parting the Red Sea again that day. Now I understand. We'll let you off with just a verbal warning... this time.

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 10, 2009 11:58 PM

In any case, I don't think TP himself is seeking to "change people's behavior" as much as inspire and offer a perspective that will enable us to see things differently. But the "bias for action" depends on us, often enacted consistently and incrementally in small steps, enough of which will "get the job done."

I realize I'm asking the impossible.
But so is he when he dumped on the health care workers. He posts something 'profound' about something an Army General said to him that has all the originality of a B-movie script.
If you think what I'm saying is absurd, than what Tom is asking the health care workers is just as absurd.
He isn't inspiring anyone in any way that is worth a damn if he doesn't change their behavior.
Its like I've said before, its nothing but entertainement.

Posted by dan at May 11, 2009 12:02 AM

"Doing what you already know is possible is mediocrity at best. Aiming for what seems impossible and encouraging others to do so is how breakthroughs get triggered." Me, circa now.

Kennedy said "Man on the moon..." we'd never done it before, but we eventually got there, though he didn't live to see how far we'd go beyond that even.

Henry Ford said "Cast an 8-cylinder engine block in one piece." "Impossible... can't be done" said his engineers. He refused to give up on them and kept saying "Come back when you figure it out." Eventually they came to him and said "We did it."

I guess Tom could go on the "it's all entertainment... what he's asking is absurd..." theory. Then again, so could have Kennedy, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Gandhi...

As someone with serious roots in health care, I beg to disagree entirely about what he's asking being absurd. I don't think any of us would want him to speak to a bunch of health care workers and leaders going "Come on, face it, you GOTTA kill a few here and there... otherwise, you're not screwing around enough to call yourself 'innovative'. We need more failures in health care. Higher in-hospital mortality rates means we're gonna get better... eventually... but none of us are likely to live to see it."

The status quo isn't good enough in my book.

"The fear is not that we'll set our goals too high and fail. The fear is that we will set them too low and achieve them." (I honestly forget who said it.) Low standards breed high complacency.

Damn sure not the hospital I would want to check my Wife into. Or even be associated with.

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 11, 2009 12:55 AM

P.S... anyone that agrees that what Tom was asking of health care workers is absurd... PLEASE respond and tell me what hospital you work for. Stand tall. Heads high. Arms in the air. Shout out your pleas to achieve (yawn... cough... gasp... beeeeeeeeepppppp... click) mediocrity at its deadliest.

Look at the bright side (like there is one): we can all bookmark this comment thread and return when we need a list of hospitals that we never want to step through the entrance of, lest we exit in body bags.

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 11, 2009 1:08 AM

The talk about whether Vietnam was won or lost is irrelevant. Show me any war that has ever been "won." The best outcome is that it's less bad than it was before.

And does the fact that America lost, won or drew the war in any way change the inherent value of General Chapman's advice? Like I'd never want Dan Marino giving me tips about how to play quarterback because he never won the Superbowl...!

Dan G - the quote comes from Michelangelo.

Posted by Mark JF at May 11, 2009 4:41 AM

Mark JF,

Thanks.

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 11, 2009 5:35 AM

I don't think TP himself is seeking to "change people's behavior"

Dear God, I should hope not!
What startling-sickening-mortifying arrogance that would imply!

Here is precisely what I say I do in a seminar room, as I've said before:

"I am not here [seminar room] for all of you, or even a quarter of you--except in the most general way. I am not here to 'change minds.' I am here for those who pretty much agreed with me when you got here, in fact for the 10% or 5% or, more likely, 1% who agree with me and are trying to get the nerve to take the next step and break away. I like to resort to a football analogy [American football]: I am not here for those who are on their own 5 yard line. I am here for those who are on their opponents' five yard line, who are about to score, but who need a boost to cross the goal line. I, at my best, can give 1 or 2 or 3 of you, among the 1,000 in the room, the push you need to take the entrepreneurial leap you were on the verge of taking when you got here."

My happiest feed back is the sort that goes, "I attended a seminar of yours in 1989, I was pissed off at my work and my life; I'd had a business plan rotting in my basement for years. Your talk gave me the nerve to take it out when I got home, revise it, and 90 days later quit my job and start my [steel distribution company--or whatever]. We're now a $20-million company, and were just voted 'Best Company to Work for in Northwest Missouri.'" If that happens once or twice a year, it'll have been a helluva year.

Posted by tom peters at May 11, 2009 8:19 AM

Once a month we 2nd graders had a drill in which we "took cover" under our deasks--prep for the dropping of a Soviet atom bomb on the D.C. area. (10 miles from home, next to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, was a so-called Nike missle battetry--doubtless rather useless, but, like the TSA in airports, a calming reminder that we were at least trying to protect the nation's capitol, about 20 miles away.) It was the age of backyard Family Fallout Shelters in the U.S., by the hundreds of thousands.

In 1989 or 1991, the Long Cold War ended, and, praise God, none of the 20,000 Soviet or American nukes had been detonated.

The Cold War ended, and the right side won--make no mistake, that was & is & forever will be my view. The Cpld War "came out right" courtesy Trillons of taxpayer dollars, mostly American. Came out right despite enormous European resistance to our medium-range missles on European soil, and came out right MAYBE because of the stand we took amidst the "falling dominos" of Southeat Asia. The dominos theory was probably overstated [John LeCarre famously said the Cold War would have ended 15 years earlier had the KGB and CIA not been so good at overestimating enemy strength--ie bullshitting each other and the political bosses]; Vietnam was PROBABLY a mistake, but only "clearly a mistake" in hindsight. Make no mistake, Clauswitz (sp?) was spot on about the "fog of war." The Cold War was foggy--and the fate of human and physical freedom hung in the balance, hung by a slim thread in the balance, for FORTY LONG YEARS--1950 to 1990. I fought next to the Aussies (Australian Air Force) and built camps in the boonies for the Koreans. Alas, all war is indeed insane--but some causes are woth fighting against--Nazism in my babyhood, Soviet hegemony in my adult life. Politicians and generals make stupid mistakes that cost thousands of lives, mostly young lives; but the overall battle is at times worth it; the Cold War 40-year battle was worth it in my opinion, and the fight in Vitnam, misconceived and mis-executed, just like the Bay of Pigs, was part of the Very Foggy process.

Posted by tom peters at May 11, 2009 8:41 AM

Tom,

I guess being a "one percenter" ain't always a bad thing, huh? I don't run a huge steel company. I run a small firm with the simple intention of "Wow!ing" clients by exceeding their expectations. Gets the bills paid, and I love the work I do. I do thoroughly love "the work" but it is still "work." Sitting up until three or four in the morning getting that rush job done for a client so it can be online or on FedEx by morning isn't not always my idea of having fun.

I would say with about 99.999% certainty that had I never attended a Tom Peters seminar or read a TP book, etc., I would not be running this little firm today. And my clients would not have had their needs and expectations met and exceeded, resulting in my business growing without spending a penny on advertising beyond having a simple website, business cards, and LOTS of "thank you" cards and postage stamps.

In September 1999 I was introduced to three physically small but potentially business and life changing books:

"The Brand You 50."
"The Professional Service Firm 50."
"The Project 50."

Ten years and lots of dog-eared, highlighted, scribbled-all over pages later, I still refer to them when I need a little boost or nudge. The "things to do" lists have generated more ideas than I can count over the years.

By impacting this 1%, you've benefited businesses and organizations you've probably never heard of. Lorenz's Butterfly Effect is definitely real.

Thank you, Tom. Not for changing my mind or controlling my behavior, but for poking me in the ribs in a way that made me ask myself "Do I want to make a difference and how will I do it?" Not "CAN I make a difference?" but "How WILL I do it?"

You have made a difference. Show me someone who thinks you haven't and I'll show you someone who couldn't spell "entrepreneur" if you spotted them the first 13 letters, which would also include "!"

Sincerely,
A very appreciative friend who will give credit where credit is due.

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 11, 2009 8:50 AM

Vietnam was mis-conceived.
Vietnam was mis-executed.
A thousand other mistakes were made by NATO members and others among the Good Guys in the Cold War.
Mistakes notwithstanding, the right side prevailed.
(Incidentally, mostly a victory for Capitalism; we out-produced the buggers into the ground.)
I lost a college roomate in Vietnam.
(He wanted to go to grad school, but thought it was wrong to seek a readily available deferment to do so.)
One of my closest high school chums was a Navy pilot who lived next door to John McCain in Hanoi for several years.
(He didn't seek a gettable deferment either.)
We may have been wrong about the Vietnam war.
We were right about the Cold War.
And we won following a 40 year struggle--and it was a struggle, EVERY day, 15,000 consecutive days, more or less.
And now, God help us, humans being f%^&ed up as we are, we're on to the next one.
And, alas, maybe a few rogue nukes won't stay in their holsters this time.
Only in my garden can I avoid this.
I'm off to work in my garden.
(Though first I need to take my daily depression meds.)

Posted by tom peters at May 11, 2009 9:05 AM

dan - Everything that we do, this include you, has an element of performance, though perhaps more or less demonstrative. But either does not inherently devalue the work or essence being delivered. Performance is simply HOW we do what we do and is largely based on personality types. It does not negate the brilliance of the performer or the work itself. Leonard Bernstein, for example, was a great conductor and performer. He was a very passionate conductor that jumped around on the podium and perspired a river. This had no barring on his brilliant performance and what he got the orchestra to do.

Though others such as Lorin Maazel are more sedate with the baton does this negate the brilliance of Bernstein? Does the performance element of his delivery make his work of lesser or non-affect? Or, did the orchestra not perform well, although often not after the first, second or third rehearsal? Tom is like a guest conductor to corporations. While there, I'm certain he gets his job done. The rest is up to those in attendance. His job is not that of the music director, but more of a guest conductor who inspires and enlightens, but does not stay, even though he may return repeatedly. It's all about the role being played, dan.

Tom Peters is like a brilliant guest conductor that has much to give. Besides the performance factor, he has written some 15 brilliant books which is a great legacy to leave for generations to come long after we are not here, as Bernstein left many recordings that inspire and enlighten. Also, most brilliant people such as Peters, Bernstein or Maazel can do more than one thing that does not negate the other. All are conductors, performers and composers, though the medium vary. It is often not an either/or situation or which is more or less relevant; we are inspired and enlightened by all of their accomplishments to get our jobs done in various ways. By the way, how do you know that people are not getting the job after hearing Tom's presentations?

Inspiration too must not ever be looked upon as a negative. Without it there is nothing. It is how things get done.

Posted by Judith Ellis at May 11, 2009 9:16 AM

"I am not here [seminar room] for all of you, or even a quarter of you--except in the most general way. I am not here to 'change minds.' I am here for those who pretty much agreed with me when you got here, in fact for the 10% or 5% or, more likely, 1% who agree with me and are trying to get the nerve to take the next step and break away. I like to resort to a football analogy [American football]: I am not here for those who are on their own 5 yard line. I am here for those who are on their opponents' five yard line, who are about to score, but who need a boost to cross the goal line. I, at my best, can give 1 or 2 or 3 of you, among the 1,000 in the room, the push you need to take the entrepreneurial leap you were on the verge of taking when you got here."

YEP! RECEIVED!

Posted by Judith Ellis at May 11, 2009 9:26 AM

This thing we call "life" I am convinced is a rehearsal for something bigger and better. It is but a mere parenthetical expression in the story of time infinite. I doubt history will ever make any significant note of me. But that does not mean I don't intend to leave my impression on it -- my mark. I also know that what I do and how I do it affects someone else. Several "someones."

Like everyone else in this adventure, I need something to aspire to. I want to get "the job" done. I want to do it to the best of my ability. I am thankful for those who have challenged me, supported me, and given me that push I occasionally need. Even if it is in the form of a friendly "dare." Nobody can do "the work" for me. Nobody can make me do "the work." But a few can truly inspire me.

If I refuse to do my part, then "inspiration" isn't inspiration at all... it's just hot air. I make the decision and difference via my decisions and actions. My failure to "do" doesn't make someone else a failure, only me.

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 11, 2009 9:36 AM

Judith/Dan

Been celebrating my daughters 9th Birtday, now that is emotion, lots and lots....so been away from this.

Good effort on brevity !!!! Not?

Just try it next time, I get the "stuff" thing Dan all of it, but just keep doing the right stuff, that which feels right to you.

Judith, its not too bad being a Patrick every now and then! :-)

Take care I have birthday cake to eat and brevity to remember!

Patrick

Posted by patrick at May 11, 2009 9:39 AM

Happy Birthday to your daughter, patrick! Enjoy the festivities.

With regards to brevity, I shall think of it, but there remains sometimes the necessity to do otherwise.

Let's just see how it rolls! By the way, do you like being the keeper of all things brief? Long johns are necessary too. :-)

Posted by Judith Ellis at May 11, 2009 9:46 AM

Brevity is waaaaaaaaay overrated. The fact that we demand that our politicians reduce astonishingly complex ideas to soundbites is a troublesome part of modern politics. Bring back the Lincoln-Douglas debates!

Posted by tom peters at May 11, 2009 10:06 AM

OOOOOH YEAAAAAAH!!! BRING IT ON!!! OF COURSE, IT HAD ALL TO DO WITH THE BRILLANCE OF THOSE TWO!

Posted by Judith Ellis at May 11, 2009 10:16 AM

With all due respect to all, I can't be, have no desire to be, nor will I ever be a Judith, a patrick, a Tom Peters, or anyone other than me.

What "I" am is passionate, determined, outspoken, and a mind that is constantly in motion. All of that comes out in my speaking, my writing, and (thankfully) the extents to which I will go to make sure a client is happy with my work.

If anyone falls asleep during a thesis, dissertation, or epistle of mine, it's quite okay. I feel sure Tom will "leave the light on for you."

Good day, all. Feeling physically ill today, so I'm taking the rest of the day off.

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 11, 2009 11:17 AM

"Bring back the Lincoln-Douglas debates!"

Yes! Imagine what it would have been like if they'd had access to the internet and blogs? Totally different times. A day and age when people took time to speak their minds fully. And the people they were generous enough to share with were not in too big a hurry to listen.

I'm glad they didn't have the internet. Would probably mean they also had cell phones. The Gettysburg Address would have been a mess if punctuated by ringtones.

In the words of Paul Harvey, "Good day!"

Posted by Dan Gunter at May 11, 2009 11:35 AM

TOm

I agree that brevity is way over-rated. Verbosity is never a good thing though. I am more often guilty of the latter than the former.

Australians owe Americans a debt that can never be paid. US forces saved Australia from the Imperial Japanese forces in WWII. We all remember that debt. We also remember that when our Prime Minister requested the release of Australian troops from the African and European Campaigns Churchill refused. Churchill dismissed the request while saying let the Japanese take Australia and we will get it back after we defeat Hilter. Like many Australians I not a big fan of Churchill or his oft quoted speeches - for me they have a hollow ring to them. Churchill was the grand ideas man behind our WW1 ANZAC losses at Gallipoli on 25th April 1915. When will we ever learn not to listen to these people?

Australia went "all the way with LBJ" into the Vietnam War - I believe it was a huge mistake. Our government conscripted 19 year old youths through a birthday ballot - your date came up and in you went. These young men fought and often gave their life or limbs to the cause. They fought against an invisible enemy (Viet Cong), an ideology they did not understand (Communism), in a climate and style of warfare they were not properly trained to counter. Go figure.

I am only interested in history if it has relevance today.

Today, the Obama Administration has put the Pentagon and CIA back in charge of the Afghanistan/Swat Valley War. What madness? When will we ever learn? How many failures are enough before we get someone else to "get the job done". Defence Secretary Gates has sacked General David McKiernan in a decision that turns the clock back to the failed "counter-terrorism" strategies that have always failed in Afghanistan. WOW! Is this insanity or what? I want you to take a look at Sarah Chayes, Special Advisor to Gen. McKiernan in her interview with Charlie Rose http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/10289 I don't necessarily agree with Sarah Chayes but she makes some very good points... She makes more sense than returning to the madness of Pentagon and CIA approach to this Region of OUR WORLD.

Finally the cold war was not won by the US military. It was won, most commentators suggest, when President Reagan put a booming US economy up against a failing Soviet Union economy. Reagan said to the Soviet leadership I will out spend you (on Star Wars type programs) - we can afford it you cannot - match me if you can. They could not so they surrendered. Would the US economy with its huge debt overhang and what I think is an experimental 'new age capitalism based on big government control' win against a resurgent Russia once oil prices rise again? I don't know.

Get the job done.... Yeah I agree with that but first and foremost know what the job is and why you are committed to getting it done in your way not their way....

I must now get back to the real world and get something done......

Cheers, Richard.

Posted by Richard Lipscombe at May 11, 2009 7:41 PM

No, patrick, it's not too bad at all being "a patrick" every now and then. It just surprised me that I had temporarily become so. :-)

Posted by Judith Ellis at May 11, 2009 9:01 PM