Never Walk Alone!

If airline self-inflicted errors matched hospital self-inflicted errors, we'd need a special daily newspaper section to record the crashes and associated obits. (And there's no hyperbole in that last remark.) Still, we do get sick—and catastrophic error rate notwithstanding, we must necessarily subject ourselves to these health"care" danger zones. But, if there is any possible way at all—never walk [into a hospital] alone.

Melinda Beck writes the "Health Journal" column in the Wall Street Journal. Her page D1, 28 October column, "Bedside Manner: Advocating For a Relative in the Hospital," begins, "Don't go to the hospital alone if you can possibly help it." She begins with an, alas, garden variety story of a friend in a hospital for hip surgery following an accident. Her friend's daughter was the one "who noticed that she was having an adverse reaction to a pain medication." And it was her daughter who recognized that her mom's "IV drip had pulled out of a vein and was pumping her arm full of fluid." And it was her daughter who observed that "the blood-sugar test she was about to be given was meant for her roommate instead." The hospital, not to my surprise, was described as "one of the best hospitals in the country."

[P.S. I admit this stuff pisses me off. Really, really pisses me off.]

At any rate, I commend the article to your attention, especially the suggestions with which Ms Beck concludes. If I were offering one of my "success tips," the only thing I can think of is the ever-helpful "Don't get sick." (And if you do, "Bring a friend.")

Another Travesty

The Wall Street Journal (October 29) favorably reviews Who by Geoff Smart and Randy Street. I'm hooked.

In short, if "health care" is a dangerous oxymoron, it is matched, if in a less deadly fashion, by "rigorous interview" in the all-important world of hiring. Mssrs. Smart and Street are said to rip, tear, shred, spindle, mutilate, thrash, and trash the typical prospective employee evaluation process for its shallowness. And the reviewer also reports that the authors provide a ton of solid research and professional experience to support their sorry conclusions. I am disposed to the authors' assessment based on my own, if less extensive, observation—and flawed personal practices.

Smart and Street argue that the hiring process should have the same rigor as the evaluation of a prospective corporate acquisition. "Candidates who appear excellent on a first pass," the reviewer writes, "may fall to pieces on the third or fourth look—others look better and better." If the roster is the heart of team success—then the acquisition thereof could logically be called the most important thing an organization does. Right? (TP opinion: Right.)

LOOK ... THIS IS A BIG BIG BIG DAMN DEAL.

You and I have probably read a dozen, or three dozen, books on "business strategy." (Right?) And perhaps have been to a course or exec course or two or three on the topic.

Have you ever read a full-fledged book on assessing folks for employment?
Have you read a dozen articles on the topic?

My answer to both questions is an embarrassing "no." Worse yet, as best I can remember, I have never written—in 15 books—even a chapter on the topic! Dear God! I can argue that I've "skirted" the topic in many ways—but I'm not sure even that's the whole truth. (I am especially chagrined because I am a graduate of McKinsey & Co, one of the rare "good guys" on the Recruitment Excellence list—it doesn't seem to have rubbed off on my research or writing.)

The reviewer concludes, "In short, hiring is the most important aspect of business and yet remains woefully misunderstood [my italics]."

Ye gads, I think he might well be right.

(If so, what am I going to do about it?)
(If so, what are you going to do about it?)

100 Ways to Succeed #143:

Put Prospective Employee Evaluation Practices Where They Belong—
At Or Near The Top Of Your Strategic Priority List

As stated above, there is good reason to believe that our attention to prospective employee evaluation is woefully wanting—and of astonishing strategic importance. (Likely more important, as the authors of Who argue, than the business's strategy per se.)

I am not asking you to "buy the act." I am asking you to give this a great deal of thought, do a little casual research, perhaps buy and read the book, chat with others—and then devise a "strategic" game plan to address this strategic issue.

100 Ways to Succeed #144:

Focus-Obsess On the "Big Three"

I hereby assert that the three most important strategic factors* [*or, at least, three of the tippy tippy topmost important strategic ...] affecting enterprise success are:

(1) Recruiting-evaluating-hiring
(2) The 1st-line supervisor promotion decision
(3) Promotion decisions in general

If my threefold assertion is even close to true [and it is, at the very least, worth examining], are its implications directly reflected in your calendar and business practices in general? If they are not so reflected, what—precisely—are you prepared to do about it?

Take It From Your Old Pappy

If you're like me, you've heard a dozen dozen people say, "I can't wait until the election is over." I share the feeling—sorta.

Fact is, we say this kind of thing a lot: "I can't wait 'til Spring." "I can't wait until _____ makes his mind up, so that we can get moving." Etc.

Bad!
Bad!
Bad!

Your correspondent (me) will be Sweet Sixteen, whoops Sixty-Six, next week. And since I don't expect to live to 132, I can say with assurance that I'm playing in the second half. And therefore I refuse to allow myself to fall into the "I wish it were next Wednesday" trap—even though I more or less do.

I have at least disciplined myself to the point of giving myself a verbal slap in the face when the "wish away" thought crosses my mind.

One does reasonably wish the surgery were over, that final exams were past, that their kid would get back from Iraq. Nonetheless, and I'm no Zen practitioner, the goal, as in the goal, is always, as in always, to make the absolute most of the moment—because, to state the obvious but often ignored truism, the moment-this moment is all we ever have.

And it is absolutely positively as true at 26 or 36 or 46 or 56 as it is at 66.

I am still not very good at this—and often "wish this trip were over" so I can get back home. Well, I do want to be at home, but my life for the next few days is here (lovely Durango CO and then magical Mexico City) not there—and I damn well don't want to piss away a moment of it. Neither should you.

100 Ways to Succeed #145:

How You Gonna Make "It" Special?
Please Have A Good Answer!

How are you going to get past the "wishitweres," and make the next meeting, the next 15 minutes special, fully participate therein? (PLEASE ASK YOURSELF THAT QUESTION. RIGHT NOW.)

Yeah, I know, for example, "another damn meeting." Well, much of your professional life will consist of one "damn meeting" after another "damn meeting." Do you really want to bitch them all away? I just read something somewhere about someone of import (??) who turned meetings of every shape and flavor into gold mines—opportunities to learn from others, to help herself grow, to help others grow, to learn how to surface submerged conflict and benefit therefrom, etc, etc.*

I repeat: How are you going to make the next meeting, the next 15 minutes special, fully participate therein? (Ask yourself this question as a matter of routine.)

*Reference material par excellence: Crucial Conversations—Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler; Crucial Confrontations—Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler

Event: Staffing Industry Analysts

Yesterday, Tom was in New York speaking to Staffing Industry Analysts at their 2008 CWS Summit. (CWS = Contingent Workforce Strategies.) Searching the Staffing Industry website, I found that they have a blog. It's a potentially valuable resource to any of you who have staffing duties. If you were at Tom's talk, please let us hear from you in the comments. If you'd like to get the slides, the link's below.
Staffing Industry, New York

Event: CFIG, Toronto

CFIG stands for the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers. Visit their website to see the people and places that inspire their organization. As usual, Tom has sent his PPT slides for all to see, also, and you can get them with the link below. If you were at the event, please join our comments to give us your impressions of the day.
CFIG, Toronto

Watch Tom and Seth

Back in September Tom appeared at the Inc 500/Inc 5000 Conference. Now, OPEN Forum has posted a series of video clips of Tom's discussion with Seth Godin. The clips cover a lot of ground, from blogging to small business to the current credit crisis. You can find Tom's post-event thoughts here.

Upcoming Webinar

We want to acknowledge the difficulties that today's leaders must be facing, but we know that many of the readers of this blog will be looking for innovative ways to thrive in these disruptive times. At a time when many companies, quite understandably, are taking defensive action and battening down the hatches, there are some leaders who see times like these as an opportunity—a time for radical and different approaches. So how can we help?

The Tom Peters Company's Future Shape of the Winner Model, which is the operationalization of Tom's PSF philosophy, has people as its focus. It defines the leader's job as creating a context in which people can do their best work.

Find out more about this approach, and its accompanying audit instrument, The Excellence Audit, at a complimentary webinar a week from today. You can sign up for a session at Noon in the UK, or a session at Noon Eastern U.S. time, both Wednesday, 29 October 2008. For more information, go to www.tompeters.co.uk.

Books, Books, Books from Cool Friends

This year has been a prolific one for our Cool Friends. There's been a bumper crop of books from them—see the list below! One of the books is by a Cool Friend's coauthor (but Tom liked it), Sway, by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman. Some of the books are by Cool Friends we haven’t heard from in a long time (such as Harriet Rubin), and others are from those whose names appear in bookstores more regularly (such as, say, Seth Godin). We’re glad to see these great minds at work.

Here's the list, in publication date order. Some of the books are paperback editions of hardbacks published in 2007, but they're included anyway. We left out books by people we interviewed in 2008, however. We apologize to anyone whose book we mistakenly left out. To all our Cool Friends, we wish you success with your latest works! To the rest of you, here's a reading list covering a wide range of Tom-esque topics:

Strategy and the Fat Smoker; Doing What's Obvious But Not Easy by David Maister (2 Jan 2008)

Who's Your City?: How the Creative Economy Is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life by Richard Florida (10 March 2008)

The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need by Dan Pink and Rob Ten Pas (1 April 2008)

Beyond Bullsh*t: Straight-Talk at Work by Sam Culbert (1 April 2008)

Everything Is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder by David Weinberger (29 April 2008)

The Mona Lisa Stratagem: The Art of Women, Age, and Power by Harriet Rubin (29 April 2008)

Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman (3 June 2008)

Saving the World at Work: What Companies and Individuals Can Do to Go Beyond Making a Profit to Making a Difference by Tim Sanders (16 September 2008)

In Search of Bill Clinton: A Psychological Biography by John Gartner (30 September 2008)

The Power of Design: A Force for Transforming Everything by Richard Farson (1 October 2008)

The Knack: How Street-Smart Entrepreneurs Learn to Handle Whatever Comes Up by Norm Brodsky and Bo Burlingham (2 October 2008)

Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin (16 October 2008)

The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't by Robert Sutton (23 October 2008)

Event: Fortune

Fortune Small Business Growth Summit, in Atlanta, is the event of the day. In the promotional material for the event, Tom's piece is referred to as "Going Global, Getting Lean." You can download the PPT file here. Let us hear from you if you were there!

Book Recommendation

We at tompeters.com are proud to say that Tom is included as one of the heretics of the title in The Age of Heretics, by Art Kleiner, the editor-in-chief of strategy+business magazine. The book's subtitle is A History of the Radical Thinkers Who Reinvented Corporate Management, and leadership expert Warren Bennis, a friend of Tom's, writes in the foreword that "... each of us helped destroy, if not the Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, the soulless organization that stole his labor and his days. And in doing so, each of us contributed to a new organizational reality in which the personal and business are inextricably linked and success is measured in human terms as well as dollars and euros."

The heresies—business theorems that go against the flow of accepted opinion—which are endorsed in the book, include: "Business is always personal." "To change an organization, you must know—and change—yourself." "The purpose of an organization is to change the world." Tom is mentioned in relation to that last one, as you might have guessed, and he, along with Bob Waterman, is credited with moving the heretics out into the open. Kleiner points out, by means of a quote from Thomas Huxley, that "New truths begin as heresies." We think this is a book you'll be glad to take a look at.

Tangled

When I was a very young manager at United Parcel Service, there were two books I kept close at hand. The first was a slim, brown policy manual. It was full of plain-speaking guidance on the values of UPS. The second was a thick three-ring binder called the standard practices manual. The industrial engineering function produced this straightforward guide that laid out step by step approaches to operations and general management practices and challenges. The procedures outlined in the manual were guided by a simple idea; the shortest path between any two points is a straight line. When coupled with the compelling mandate that failure was never an option, the manual held the solution to almost every problem. It served me well.

I am no longer very young, and I have come to appreciate that the world of enterprise is no longer linear. Straight lines have been replaced by an intricate web of networks where an action anywhere in the system affects other critical areas of the enterprise. The current economic crisis has many leaders and managers focusing on immediate needs. There is a feeling that we must solve looming financial problems, now! This often means looking for the shortest path to efficiencies. Achieving lean operations seems to be guiding much of the managerial activities among my clients. There will be an immediate improvement in metrics by this approach; numbers will look better. Please, be careful. Consider the impact on other areas of the business. Consider the impact on the business three to five years from now. That straight line might be the shortest distance, but it might take you quickly to a place you do not want to go.

[read more]

Event: CREW Network

CREW is Commercial Real Estate Women. Tom put the photo of himself as Elizabeth Cady Stanton back in the slides presentation for the occasion. You can see that and the rest of his PPT by downloading the file linked below. We'd love to hear from you in our comments if you were there.
CREW Network, Houston, TX

Event: Linkage Leadership Development Summit

In Palm Desert CA, Linkage, a global organizational and leadership training company, is presenting "The Best Practices in Leadership Development Summit." Tom's there, and he's making two appearances. If you attended the event, please let us hear from you. And, you can choose which set of PowerPoint slides you would like to download:
Excellence. Always. Linkage
Leadership50, Linkage

Event: HBR America Latina, Santiago, Chile

The day finds Tom in Santiago, Chile, speaking to a general executive audience sponsored by the Harvard Business Review América Latina on the topic of "Excelencia en la ejecución." There's a video on their website, but it's an announcement for the event, not Tom in action. If you'd like, you can test your Spanish comprehension by playing the video at the HBR América Latina website. We invite everybody who attended the event to join our comments and to get the PPT slides, below:
HBR Conference, Santiago, Chile
HBR, Long Version, Santiago

"The Word" According To Marshall

Marshall Goldsmith is widely considered to be the premier executive coach, more or less the inventor of the genre. We have been together on several programs, I like him immensely—and I think he does great work.

Well, that was before I read—really, really read—What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful.

That is, the book that I have belatedly fully ingested is virtually peerless. I don't think Marshall "just" "does great work"—as I said, I think his work goes ever so much farther and merits the use of "peerless," literally without peers.

Bottom line: You must read it! (I'd argue that it's another of those "now more than ever" "commands"—knowing yourself as a leader is particularly important at stressful times.)

Here are a few snippets from a big section of the book titled, "The Twenty Habits That Hold You Back From the Top":

Habit #1: Winning Too Much

"Winning too much is easily the most common behavioral problem I observe in successful people. [My italics.] There's a fine line between winning when it counts and when no one's counting. ... Winning too much underlies nearly every other behavioral problem.

"If we argue too much, it's because we want our view to prevail over everyone else (i.e., it's all about winning).

"If we're guilty of putting down other people, it's our stealthy way of positioning them beneath us (again, winning).

"If we ignore people, again it's about winning—by making them fade away."

Etc.

Habit #2: Adding Too Much Value

"Good idea, but ...

"The problem is you may have improved the content by 5%, but you've reduced my commitment to executing it by 50%, because you've taken away my ownership of the idea."

Habit #3: Passing Judgment
Habit #4: Making Destructive Comments

Etc.

One final quote that I cannot resist adding, doubtless in part because I am 100% in agreement:

"I regard apologizing as the most magical, healing, restorative gesture human beings can make. It is the centerpiece of my work with executives who want to get better."

Read the book!
(Now.)
(Read it in small doses. And ponder what you read.)
(Read it with a colleague or two—digest and practice.)

GOLDSMITH IS NOT ALONE. HE, WARREN BENNIS, AND OTHERS OF THEIR STATURE INSIST THAT SELF-KNOWLEDGE IS THE NECESSARY PRECURSOR TO EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP OF ALL FLAVORS. SELF-KNOWLEDGE IS NOT SELF-INDULGENCE. SELF-KNOWLEDGE, ACCUMULATION THEREOF, IS THE MOST POTENT MEDICINE YOU WILL EVER TAKE.

Corporate-Unit Values: "Required" Addition Thereto

I like, and value, the word "decency"—a lot. (E.g., my rave reviews of Steve Harrison's The Manager's Book of Decencies: How Small Gestures Build Great Companies.) I like the word "respect"—a lot.

But I'm stuck on-hooked on-wedded to-wild about another word these (perilous) days: thoughtfulness. I am enamored with the idea of living and then adding to our formal or informal vision & values statement: "We are thoughtful in all we do." I'm so taken with the idea that I suggest that "thoughtfulness" joins the likes of "people," "customers," "product," "profit," "action," "excellence" on the "10 Great Business Words list"—or some such.

Times are perilous.
Competition is brutal.
Hustle is essential.
Cost-cutting is imperative.

All true!
But how, in the process of getting from here to difficult there in concert with our many constituents-stakeholders with whom we hope to do business over the long haul, do we "live in the world"?
Who are we?
How are we?
What are we as a human institution?
Who am I (boss, follower)?
What do I leave in my wake?

It's character in a way, to be sure. (Another stunningly important word.) But, in a sense, thoughtfulness is even more encompassing than character. It is transactional—applies to literally every internal and external transaction—as well as something that resides deep within.

I like the idea of showing up for work in a place that cherishes thoughtfulness.
I like the idea of doing business with a service provider known for its thoughtfulness.
I like being a vendor to an outfit that's thoughtful.
All this is X10 in troubled times.

Thoughtful is not "soft."
No.
No.
No.

No.
No.
No.

In fact, I'd contend that "dogmatic thoughtfulness" (now there's a term) improves growth and profitability and longterm enterprise solidity in a pretty damn direct, high impact, ultimately measurable cause-and-effect way.

Thoughtfulness is key to customer retention.
Thoughtfulness is key to employee recruitment and satisfaction.
Thoughtfulness is key to brand perception.
Thoughtfulness is key to your ability to look in the mirror—and tell your kids about your job.
"Thoughtfulness is free."
Thoughtfulness is key to speeding things up—it reduces friction.
Thoughtfulness is key to transparency and even cost containment—it abets rather than stifles truth-telling.

So think about thoughtfulness, about adding "thoughtfulness in all we do" to your unit's values statement. But do so only after you and your team have figured out exactly what thoughtfulness means in a variety of contexts. And do so only after you have made a demonstrated personal and organizational commitment to thoughtfulness. Thence, you must be unabashedly devoted to keeping each other honest in the practice of dogmatic thoughtfulness—with, alas, adverse consequences, eventually severe, for those who fail to take this essential attribute aboard.

Starting time?
Not "today"—but "now."
That is, thoughtfulness is an especially potent "tool" in crazy-disruptive-scary times.

100 Ways to Succeed #142:

"We Are Thoughtful In All We Do."

Consider the idea of: "We are thoughtful in all we do."
What does it mean?
How does one practice it?
Talk about it with peers, pals, vendors, customers, etc, etc.
Talk about thoughtfulness—"dogmatic thoughtfulness"?—as a powerful and pragmatic business value. (And especially in traumatic times.)
Keep debating.
Consider adding "thoughtfulness in all we do," maybe "dogmatic thoughtfulness in all we do," to your formal values proclamation—or otherwise vigorously promoting the idea. where to get viagra in canada

(NB: You must come to agreement on the "bottom line" pragmatism of this idea before formally proceeding—it may well make you better persons, but it is not in any way a "mushy" idea.)

Seasonal Banner Archives

When we posted our new fall banner, Glenn Myers commented that we should create an archive page of our banners. We thought it was a marvelous suggestion. You can find the new page by clicking on Banner Archives in the left column under Resources, or by clicking here.

TP Wire Service Back in Action

We're happy to announce that the issue with the TP Wire Service has been repaired. Thanks for your patience!

TP Wire Service Outage

We're sorry to report that there's been a glitch involving a software upgrade for the TP Wire Service. We're trying to repair the problem as quickly as we can. I'll post here as soon as things are cleared up and we can resume the service. Thanks for your patience, and again, apologies.

Musings

Here are some things I don't believe:

***People of great character are needed on Wall Street. Nice idea, and I'm all for it—more or less. Fact is, humans are greedy—you know, the survival thing explained by Darwin and his successors. Moreover, Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations tells us in no uncertain terms that self-interest is the engine of the economy. Fact is, in ordinary times, self-interest is imperative, and more or less the more the merrier—i.e., greed. That's how innovations are commercialized—and why there are bubbles. Hence, this ends up being an argument for appropriate regulation and strong government intervention in general, rather than hoping that God-like individuals will save us, or at least our 401(k)s. (None of this is to suggest that I'm not in favor of beating the bloody tar out of some of these pricks, like the Lehman guy.)

***The world is flat. Sure, flatter than it was. But national sovereignty is alive and well—e.g., Russia invades Georgia. Central banks and finance ministers should work in concert, as they are and as they have been since at least Bretton Woods. Given the new flat-ish-ness, coordinated responses have to be made much more quickly, and dramatically, than before. But anyone who thinks that economic globalization will round off the forces of national sovereignty is flat out nuts in my opinion.

***We need a plan. Yes we do, but the market crisis will abate when the price of assets falls far enough that stocks are obviously significantly undervalued and worth buying. Mssrs. McCain and Obama are being criticized for failing to provide oceanic solutions in their get-together last night. Well, there aren't any panaceas, except to do more of what we're doing ever faster and ever more intensively—e.g., the Brits more or less nationalizing banks yesterday.

***Cut costs to the bone in individual enterprises. Yup, that's the self-interested answer—which I just touted. Problem is that cutting costs accelerates and deepens the recession when Susan and I delay a home construction project as we just did—in our case, it puts the hurt on the local contractor. (We've already extended a couple of projects purely to avoid such an outcome.) When the cycle of delayed or cancelled purchases accelerates, then, God help us. Or, rather, God help us, period—it's happening. The only major exception I can think of is companies with cash hordes who choose to make investments that will greatly disadvantage their competitors when the worst is past.

***Oh my God, even GE has problems. Worrisome indeed, and psychologically important, but for heaven’s sake, as we conjure up remedies, remember that all of our economies consist primarily of small companies with local markets ($$$$, employees, and in our case "American spirit"). Policy must be aimed at least as much or more at the world of the "millionaire next door" (or the biz with $200,000 revenue) as the big dudes.

***Governments never get anything right. True, governments over-regulate, then under-regulate, with blunderbusses, not scalpels. But there are times when "more government" is the solution, not the problem. This is clearly and unequivocally one of those times, like it or not—even congenital free traders like Paulson get it. (Greenspan seems to be the only one who doesn't get it—a little too much Ayn Rand as a lad.)

***Globalization is still inevitable. True, but with a timetable very different than imagined a couple of years ago. The reverberations from this crisis will probably be with us a decade from now.

***The worst is behind us. Nobody but nobody has a clue, but "the worst is yet to come" is the odds-on favorite. (We are really trying to find viable prices for stuff that in the "mark to market" sense are valueless—to the tune of trillions of bucks.)

There is no particular point to these musings. It's just my mind at work since I am totally unable to focus on my normal affairs given the economic situation and the election. I warned you not to "mark time"—but I am. I also warned you not to let depression get the best of you—well, it's sure got me by the &#^%*. (I'm not talking personal economic woes—though "life is good" would be a stretch. I'm talking about significantly debilitating disorientation.)

What's the Difference Between a Recession and a Depression?

Last March, a London-based Financial Services Company Executive I know quite well used the term "depression" to describe the extent of the economic crisis he saw ahead. At the time, I was quite shocked at his use of that term and told him so. We ended the conversation in polite disagreement, and I wrote a blog on this site to see what readers thought about the scale of the coming financial crisis. The popular view then was that we were all talking ourselves into a financial crisis and that my "depression" blog was an example of the kind of unhelpful negative behaviour that was undermining confidence!

Well, six months have passed and I called him again this week fully expecting to get the "I told you so!" treatment. He well remembered how shocked I had been at his previous "doomsday" forecast, and used words like "turmoil," "massive consolidation," and "never the same again" to describe the disruption going on all around us in London financial circles. But I am pleased to say that his forecast of a 1930s-style crisis ahead has been downgraded (or is that upgraded?) to an "official recession." I was again somewhat surprised—to put it mildly!

I wanted to share this more optimistic prognosis again on this site, and to say that for me at least, this person is a highly credible source on this subject. If the remorseless barrage of negative economic news and harrowing expert comments that we have to endure these days undermine people's confidence, and bankers, Prime Ministers, and Presidents are among those people, then maybe more positive talk may have the reverse effect. Could it make the economic outlook better than it would otherwise be? Maybe in this current financial mess, created by whomever we prefer to blame, and whoever's job we think it is to sort out, the only difference between a depression and a recession ahead may turn out to be a big intangible one, i.e., confidence.

I Repeat Myself ...

best canadian viagra prices online Leading yourself in really weird times:

1. Be conscious in the Zen sense. Think about what you are doing more than usual. Think about how you project.


2. Meet daily, first thing, with your leadership team—to discuss whatever, check assumptions. Perhaps meet again late afternoon. Meetings max 30 minutes.


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


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


5. MBWA. Wander. Sample attitudes. Visible but not frenzied.


6. Work the phones, chat up experts, customers, vendors. Seek enormous diversity of opinion.


7. "Over"communicate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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


9. Underscore "excellence in every transaction."

The Black Swan 44: Tactical Rules for Survival (and Success) in Looney times

[Herewith, the list referenced in Friday's Post—it is also attached as an MSWord file and as a PDF.]

"I [will] not accept the explanation of a recession negatively affecting the [new] business. There are still people traveling. We just have to get them to stay in our hotel."—Horst Schulze, former president of Ritz-Carlton, on his new luxury hotel chain, Capella, from Prestige (06.08)

There's really only one story these days, collapse of the financial markets. We are a long way from knowing the outcome. For starters, if you are under about 50 years of age, you've never lived through, as a manager, a truly deep and lasting recession—the last one was in the early '80s. Some of us will combust, some (most) will more or less muddle through—and a few will see opportunity and jump on it.

I have prepared a decidedly un-profound set of "tactical rules" for weathering the storm—and maybe coming out ahead. Named after Nassim Nicholas Taleb's profoundly important book, The Black Swan (a highly improbable nasty event), this list is presented below, in shorthand:

1. K.I.S.S.
2. Hammer on the basics.
3. Focus on us, not the competition.
4. Puzzle-solving: How to turn this into an opportunity.
5. MBWA/X.
6. MBWA/I.
7. MBWA/Vendors.
8. Waaaaay over-communicate!!!!!! (With everyone—start with your banker.)
9. All work is team work.
10. Transparency.
11. Work the phones.
12. Perception of fairness.
13. Share the pain.
14. Decency!!!!!!!
15. Grace!!
16. "Thank you."
17. Control your impatience—no temper tantrums.
18. Constant attitude checks—you.
19. Dress for success.
20. Avoid burnout/you, the team, the entire organization.
21. Re-emphasize the company values-philosophy. (Now, more than ever.)
22. Quality!!!!!! (Now, more than ever.)
23. No corner cutting. (Now, more than ever.)
24. Constant reviews/War room.
25. Celebration of small wins.
26. People First/HR is King.
27. Help people with personal financial management.
28. Be generous to those who are let go—e.g., healthcare benefits.
29. Don't over-analyze.
30. Don't under-analyze.
31. Cuts all at once—if possible.
32. Cuts explained in great detail.
33. Quantitative calendar management—focus on "to don'ts."
34. Increase customer-service training.
35. In general, minimize training cuts.
36. Be(very)ware R&D cuts; R&D quick pay SWAT teams.
37. Beware such things as sales travel cuts, ad cuts.
38. "Across the board" = Dumb.
39. Is this a time to over-invest if cash is at hand? (E.g., distressed innovative start-ups?)
40. Stealth work on the likes of XF communication.
41. This could last a long time—LT prep is necessary now.
42. Prepare/Be prepared for more Black Swans.
43. Excellence. (Now, more than ever.)
(44. Remember all this in peacetime—Chuck Knight's legacy.)

[Please re-read Success Tip #139: Work the Damn Phones! Treble Your MBWA! (Managing by Wandering Around.)]

The Black Swan 44 Plus

Yesterday I decided that my presentation, after all a "business presentation," could not be, given the week that was, "business as usual." Hence, I created and then used "The Black Swan 44: Tactical Rules for Survival (and Success) in Looney Times." I offer it here FYI—alas, not annotated. You'll also find "The Black Swan 44: Tactical Rules for Survival (and Success) in Looney Times. (Plus 'The Basics')"—the 44, which underscores the power of the basics in nutty times, is herein supplemented by a nuts-and-bolts presentation. For good measure, there's "The Basics" as a stand-alone presentation and a "Mini-Master," too—a 303-slide version of the Big Master.

Enjoy!

Event: iGATE

Tom is speaking today to iGATE Corporation, which, according to Wikipedia, is "the first fully integrated technology and operations firm with a Global Services Model. ... iGATE has offices throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, and four delivery centers in India including Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Noida (Delhi). iGATE enables clients to optimize their business through a combination of process investment strategies, technology leverage and business process outsourcing and provisioning."

If you attended the event, we'd like to get your comments under this post. If you'd like to get the PPT presentation, you can use this link:
iGATE, Long Version, Orlando, FL

Cool Friend #128: Norm Brodsky

We're posting a new Cool Friends interview today to join Inc. magazine in announcing a new book, The Knack: How Street-Smart Entrepreneurs Learn to Handle Whatever Comes Up, written by Norm Brodsky and Bo Burlingham, long-time coauthors of the Street Smarts column for Inc. Brodsky also joins us today as a Cool Friend. His most important bit of wisdom from the interview is this: "I learned that business was just the means to an end. The question is, what kind of life do you want? You want to better your life for yourself and your family." Learn more by reading his Cool Friends interview. There's also a slides presentation on Inc.com to accompany The Knack:
10 Things Every Entrepreneur Needs to Know.