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Piggy Sue!

The two great folks who are doing sustainable farming at our place have become parents. Well, not really. But their productive porker mom, Piggy Sue, just produced (about 72 hours ago) a litter of 15. Some of the newcomers below ...


Piglets!

Tom Peters posted this on 05/08 | Permalink

Sunrise, NZ

Sunrise, NZ


Tom is now stateside, but caught his last sunrise in New Zealand earlier this week and he wanted to share the moment with all of us.

Shelley Dolley posted this on 04/03 | Permalink

Excellent Street

Exc_St.JPG

Tom's in New Zealand escaping the New England winter. He found Excellent Street near Collingwood on South Island. Consider this his postcard to all his readers. Also, you might want to scan through his photos on Flickr—there are some other beauties.

Cathy Mosca posted this on 01/30 | Permalink

Future Shape Survey 2012
Volunteers Wanted

When we surveyed business leaders and consultants from the Tom Peters network in 2010 using our Excellence Audit instrument, we wanted to get a sense of what people saw ahead for their organization and their work, and what changes they thought were most needed. There had already been two years of economic recession in many parts of the world at that time, and we wondered how this context was affecting peoples' perspectives on the world of work.

We found there was a strong opinion that looking back over their shoulders was the very opposite of what leaders should be doing at that time! Here's one typical comment from a U.S.-based Manufacturing Manager: "The biggest challenge we face is establishing a new benchmark for our efforts. It is important that we don't let the current malaise dictate our outlook."

We are repeating the survey again this year looking out for how leaders' attitudes may have shifted further. Can you help us, please?

The Excellence Audit takes around 30-45 minutes to complete thoughtfully and we are leaving our 2012 survey open for participants until 9th September. You can access it yourself by following this link.

What's In It for You?

What you get in return for your time invested is a chance to try out the Excellence Audit again, after the survey, for yourself for free. The completion process can generate many fresh thoughts and ideas for you to apply around you, and you'll receive a copy of TPC's overall conclusions when the survey is complete. The survey is meant to surface how leaders themselves are seeing the future. The feedback we have had is that completing the audit yourself gets you to clarify your own priorities.

You can also request a personal debrief of your own Excellence Audit survey results. If you so wish, one of our consultants will call to chat through our interpretation of your Excellence Audit data with you.

We hope you can help.

Madeleine McGrath posted this on 09/04 | Permalink

Off the Cuff #4

Our Off the Cuff video series is a direct response from Tom to your questions. This is the fourth video in the series, which poses a question from Keith Clark, "Where do you find your inspiration on your most difficult days?"


Shelley Dolley posted this on 04/16 | Permalink

Re-issue!

A few short pieces (Word or PowerPoint) published during 2011 may be worthy of your attention—so we're re-sending. Enjoy!

PowerPoint

2 Things
3 Things
19Es
Excellence 25
Excellence Is the Next 5 Minutes
Ready. Fire! Aim.
What You Do
WTTMSW

Word

The Five Most Important Words
Adaptive Organizations
EXCELLENCE
The Have You 50
Memories That Matter
REALLY First Things
The Recession 46

Tom Peters posted this on 12/30 | Permalink

Merry Christmas!

Apples_010410_sm.jpg

Tom and everyone at tompeters.com wish you a Merry Christmas.

Tom Peters Company posted this on 12/25 | Permalink

Final: The Little BIG Things Read by Tom

When Tom was reading The Little BIG Things for the audio edition, we got copied on the files, and we've posted them here at tompeters.com a section at a time. The book is now complete. You can listen to The Little BIG Things in its entirety on our book page, or sample the last section below.

The final audio excerpts, posted 19 December, bring the book to a close with the section titled "BIG":

161. Retirement Sucks.

162. Think Legacy!

163. Don't Forget Why You're Here!

Cathy Mosca posted this on 12/19 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

While Tom was reading The Little BIG Things for the audio edition, we made a collection of mp3 files, one item at a time. We've been bringing them to you over time, and we're almost to the end of the book now! You can listen to Tom's enthusiastic rendering of his book by means of the links below, or find all the mp3s on our book page.

The most recent audio excerpts, posted 1 December, are from the section of TLBT titled "Success":

157. The "3H Model" of Success.
158. A 5-Word, 5-Point "Complete" "Excellence Manifesto."
159. The Full Nelson—Or: 13 Lessons on "Navigating" Excellence.
160. A Cheat Sheet for Tough Times (and Other Times, Too).

Cathy Mosca posted this on 12/01 | Permalink

Gratitude

From Tom and all of us, we hope that you had a day with loved ones, taking the time to acknowledge all that you have to be grateful for. We wish you a very happy holiday.

Shelley Dolley posted this on 11/24 | Permalink

A Request

11.11.11: To those of you in organizations of every stripe, and regardless of your support for, or distress about, any given armed conflict ... PLEASE ... ONE AT A TIME ... thank your veterans for their service.

Tom Peters posted this on 11/11 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

Tom read The Little BIG Things for the audiobook, and we were given copies of the files. We're posting them section by section. By using the links below, you can download the most recent audio selection, posted 28 September. It's the special section titled "The Heart of Business Strategy":

The Heart of Business Strategy

Sample the audio by means of the link above, or find additional portions of the book on The Little BIG Things book page.

Cathy Mosca posted this on 09/28 | Permalink

News, Notes, and Links.
From All Over.

Cool Friend Dave Balter wrote an article for Inc. magazine about the importance of humility for business leaders. The tidal wave of response prompted him to establish a website to publish people's many stories about humility (and ego) in the workplace. One of Tom's favorite themes, Servant Leadership, is subtly in evidence, and we're happy to nudge you to take a look: www.HumilityImperative.com.

Cool Friend Fred Reichheld introduced his book The Ultimate Question in 2006: "How likely would you be to recommend us to a friend?" Now he has a new book (out today!), written with Rob Markey, The Ultimate Question 2.0., presenting stories of companies "from Apple to Zappos" and how the ultimate question has transformed them.

We've been in communication with Ian Sanders since we shut down our comments section, where he used to be a frequent contributor. He has a new book with coauthor David Sloly, Zoom, which aims to help you jump-start a business in 60 (!) days.

Tom has been using a quote from consultant Adrian Slywotzky for years ("Future-defining customers ... represent a crucial window ..."). Slywotzky has a new book coming out in October, and the title is intriguing: Demand: Creating What People Love Before They Know They Want It. You can read his preview in Fast Company magazine here.

Another long-time friend of Tom's, Marcus Buckingham, has a new book, StandOut. We suggest you check it out, and you might also want to see where he named Tom's blog one of the Top 10 Management & Leadership Blogs.

Cathy Mosca posted this on 09/20 | Permalink

Audio: The Little BIG Things Read by Tom

When Tom was reading The Little BIG Things for the audiobook, we were given copies of the files, which we've been posting section by section. By using the links below, you can download the most recent audio selections, posted 28 July. They comprise the section titled "IMPACT":

155. Forget Longevity—Think "Dramatic Frenzy."

156. How About Replacing Your "Wish It Were" List with a "Do It Now" List?

Sample some here or find additional portions of the book on The Little BIG Things book page.

Cathy Mosca posted this on 07/29 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

Tom's reading of The Little BIG Things continues from the previous section, "WOW," with the latest section, "NOW." You can download the most recent audio excerpts, posted 21 July, by using the links below:

152. Welcome to the Age of Metabolic Management.

153. Walls of "Yesterdays." Walls of "Tomorrows."

154. Pissing Away Your Life: Like It or Not, Work Is Life!

Sample some here or find additional portions of the book on The Little BIG Things book page.

Cathy Mosca posted this on 07/22 | Permalink

Norwich Video

For all of you who like to see Tom in action, one of his recent speeches was recorded. Here's the video of his address at Norwich University to the School of Graduate and Continuing Studies, in Northfield, VT, on June 15, as part of their Todd Lecture Series. Introductory material comprises about the first eight minutes of the video, but when Tom starts into the heart of his talk, he begins with execution, moves on to profit and service, and proceeds from there with his customary passion. View it here. Enjoy!

Cathy Mosca posted this on 07/15 | Permalink

New Audio Files: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

We've been posting the audio files of Tom reading The Little BIG Things a section at a time. The most recent audio excerpts, posted 28 June, are from the Section titled "WOW":

148. If No WOW, Then ... No Go.

149. What Makes You So Special?—Or: "Only" Beats "Best."

150. Is It "Gaspworthy"?

151. Extremism in the Defense of WOW Is No Vice.

Sample some here or find additional portions of the book on The Little BIG Things book page.

Cathy Mosca posted this on 06/28 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

We've been posting Tom's reading of his most recent book a section at a time. The most recent audio excerpts, posted 2 June, are from the Section titled "RE-IMAGINING":

144. Create a "Cathedral"! (If Not, What?)

145. Enable Dreams. (If Not, What?)

146. Launch "Project Ray."

147. Realism? Not on My Watch!

Sample some here or find additional portions of the book on The Little BIG Things book page.

Cathy Mosca posted this on 06/02 | Permalink

Little BIG Video #63
Strategy:
Pay Attention to Boomers

The latest video at YouTube is #63 in The Little BIG Things Video Series. Though young people are important to marketers in these times, Tom argues, marketers had better keep an eye on boomers, also.

You can find the video in the right column of the front page of tompeters.com or you can watch the video on YouTube. [Time: 2 minutes 52 seconds] You can also download a PDF transcript of the video's content: Strategy: Pay Attention to Boomers.

Cathy Mosca posted this on 05/27 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

The latest addition to the audio version of The Little BIG Things is the Special Section The Top 50 "Have-Yous." This has been available as a PDF for a while, but this is your chance to hear Tom present these questions/challenges. And, of course, he rewrote extensively before it was included in TLBT:

Special Section: The Top 50 "Have-Yous"

Collect all the audio files, and when we've finished uploading them, you'll have the entire book in mp3 form.

Cathy Mosca posted this on 05/19 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom's Reading The Little BIG Things

The presentation of the audio version of The Little BIG Things continues with the section titled "ENTERPRISE":

140. An Organization Is "People Serving People." (Period!)

141. The PSF Mandate: "Work Worth Paying For."

142. Don't Let the "Enemy" Rule Your Life.

143. Love Your Competitors.

Collect all the audio files, and when we're finished, you'll have the entire book in mp3 form.

Cathy Mosca posted this on 05/12 | Permalink

New Audio Files: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

The latest additions of 2 May make up the section of the book titled "GRUNGE":

135. The Enemy Within—Or: There Is No Cost Higher Than the Cost of Rigidity.

136. Become a Decentralization Dervish!

137. Play the ... Great Grunge Removal Game!

138. The 1 Percent Drill: Clearing Away a World of "Slop" in Just 45 Minutes.

139. Goal: To Make "Common Sense" More Common.

Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Cathy Mosca posted this on 05/04 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

This week's additions to the audio files on the book page are in the section titled "DETAILS":

#131. The Case of the Two-Cent Candy.

#132. If the Envelope Doesn't Fit, Forget It!

#133. It's All About the Mud.

#134. Think Billboard Sign. "We Care." "We Don't Care."

Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Cathy Mosca posted this on 04/18 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

This week's additions to the audio files on the book page are in the section titled "DESIGN":

#127. Design Is ... Everywhere!

#128. Is It "Lickable"?

#129. Design Sign: Can You Get There from Here?

#130.Love + Hate = Design Power.

Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Abbey Bishop posted this on 03/31 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

This week's additions to the audio files on the book page are in the section titled "TIME":

#123. It Might Be Later Than You Think.

#124. Time Off for Smart Behavior.

#125. Time Out for ... Daydreaming!

#126. Master the Art of Milestoning.

Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Abbey Bishop posted this on 03/22 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

This week's additions to the audio files on the book page are in the section titled "LEARNING":

#118. Making the Grade: Lifelong Learning Is a Mission-Statement Must.

#119. Out-Study 'Em!

#120. Out-Read 'Em!

#121. Out-Write 'Em!

#122. Now Enrolling: "The Peoples's MBA."


Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Abbey Bishop posted this on 03/14 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

This week's additions to the audio files on the book page are in the section titled "CURIOSITY":

#115. If You Have to Ask... Then Ask (and Ask and Ask).

#116. Reward DNK (Do Not Know).

#117. Work the Watercooler&mdashOr: Are You Gossiping Enough?


Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Abbey Bishop posted this on 02/21 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

This week's additions to the audio files on the book page are in the section titled "SPECIAL SECTION: QUOTATIONS 34":

SPECIAL SECTION: QUOTATIONS 34

Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Abbey Bishop posted this on 02/09 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

This week's additions to the audio files on the book page are in the section titled "LISTENING":

#112. Now Hear This! Listening Is the Ultimate "Core Competence."

#113. Are You an "18 Second Manager"?

#114. Get the Story. Give the Respect.


Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Abbey Bishop posted this on 01/21 | Permalink

Martin Luther King, Jr.

[As Tom is currently in New Zealand, the timing of this post is a little off—it was meant for yesterday. However, the message is still worth pause and reflection. --SD]

The Annapolis I grew up in in the late 1940s and 1950s was very "Old South" in its sentiments, a long way from the "D.C. bedroom community" it is today. And, alas, I well remember at the Main Dock, home to the first real "tea party"—that preceded Boston's better known version—I'm sorry to say I clearly recall the "Colored" and "White" public toilets. (A very prominent African-American friend added, "Not quite, Tom. Try 'Men,' 'Women,' 'Colored'."—a significant twist.)

In the early '60s, as a college student, I was very peripherally involved in the Civil Rights Movement. (I emphasize the "very peripherally," meaning strong supporter but hardly deserving credit for being on the front lines.) In retrospect, I consider the Civil Rights Movement, along with the positive outcome of the 40-year Cold War, to be the most significant events of my adult life—the iPad and IM do not really compare.

This personal historical reality makes me reflect with the strongest emotions on the instance of Martin Luther King Day—a national holiday worthy of our closest and most profound attention.

(I would add as an aside that, while I am as appalled and sorrowful as anyone about the event in Tucson, I would remind that the current rancor is not unique. The '50s and '60s gave us, recall, among other things, Medgar Evers, Philadelphia MS, Kent State and the assassinations of JFK, RFK, and MLK.)

Tom Peters posted this on 01/18 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

This week's additions to the audio files on the book page are in the section titled "INNOVATION":

#104. The Audacity of...Research!

#105. Adhocracy—Love It or Leave It.

#106. Beyond Excellence: The "Berserk Standard".

#107. Out of the Shadows: Skunkworks, Revisited.

#108. S.A.V. (No, It's Not a Kind of Truck.)

#109. What Have You Prototyped Lately?

#110. Hell Hath No Fury: Celebrate "Disturbers of the Peace."

#111. The Innovation15: What We Know So Far...

Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Abbey Bishop posted this on 01/07 | Permalink

Bests

A few "bests" picks for 2010.

Books of the Year

Griftopia, Matt Taibbi
All the Devils Are Here, Bethany McLean & Joe Nocera
Monsoon, Robert Kaplan
Enough, Jack Bogle
Helping, Ed Schein
The Power of Co-Creation, Venkat Ramaswamy & Francis Gouillart
Empowered, Josh Bernoff & Ted Schadler
Safe Patients, Smart Hospitals, Peter Pronovost & Eric Vohr
Delivering Happiness, Tony Hsieh
Serve to Lead, Jim Strock
The Economics of Integrity, Anna Bernasek
Employees First, Customers Second, Vineet Nayar
Shock of Gray, Ted Fishman

(A couple of these are 2009 books. What the hell ...)


CEO/s of the Year

Pat Charmel, CEO, Griffin Hospital
Glenn Steele, CEO, Geisinger Health System


Guru of the Year

Peter Pronovost, Johns Hopkins University (patient safety)


Company of the Year

Buc-ee's


Happy 2011!

Tom Peters posted this on 12/30 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

This week's additions to the audio files on the book page are in the section titled "GENDER":

#100. Pronoun Power!—Or: The Customer Is "She".

#101. Women Lead! (Can Men Learn to Be Good Sports About It?)

#102. Men, "Get the Facts": Women Are Different.

#103. Dressed for Success? Or: What the History of the Women's Suffrage Movement Taught Me About Hanging In and Hanging In.

Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Abbey Bishop posted this on 12/20 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

This week's additions to the audio files on the book page are in the section titled "PEOPLE":

#96. It's All (ALL!) About...the Quality of the Workforce.

#97. Up with People! Up Your People Budget!

#98. Cherish the Last Two-Percenters.

#99. The Excitement Axiom—and the People Corollary.

Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Abbey Bishop posted this on 12/10 | Permalink

Drucker Centennial Day Speech

Back in November, Tom spoke at the Drucker Centennial Day. They live-streamed the event, and we linked to that. That link no longer works, but they were kind enough to post the speech (1 hour, 15 minutes) on YouTube. Here's the link. It's quite good; we think you'll enjoy it.

Shelley Dolley posted this on 12/08 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

This week's additions to the audio files on the book page are in the section titled "TALENT":

#92. Hiring: Do You Approach It with Unabashed Fanaticism?

#93. Promotion: Are You Building a "Two Per Year" Legacy?

#94. Development: Are You Finding and Cultivating First-Rate ("Godlike") First-Line Supervisors?

#95. People Who Lead People: You = Your Development Track Record.

Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Abbey Bishop posted this on 11/29 | Permalink

Happy Thanksgiving!

When at home, Tom is the family's Designated Shopper. He photographed his shopping list a few years ago, and it evokes the Thanksgiving-in-Vermont image.

Thanksgiving2sm.jpg

From all of us at tompeters.com, have a festive holiday!

Shelley Dolley posted this on 11/25 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

This week's additions to the audio files on the book page are in the section titled "PRESENCE":

#87. Managing By Wandering Around-It's All Around You!

#88. All Senses! Or Nonsense!

#89. Leave Your Wallet (or Pocketbook) at Home.

#90. Get Down from Your Pedestal - and Beware the Sound of Laughter!

#91. Big Plan? No, Small Steps (Steps on the Ground).

Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Abbey Bishop posted this on 11/04 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

This week's additions to the audio files on the book page are in the section titled "PASSION":

#84. I Second That Emotion.

#85. One Rule! Much Gold!

#86. Seize the Moments.

Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Abbey Bishop posted this on 10/15 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

This week's addition to the audio files on the book page is the section titled "SPECIAL SECTION: YOU, ME, AND CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR":


SPECIAL SECTION: YOU, ME, AND CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR


Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Abbey Bishop posted this on 10/01 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

This week's additions to the audio files on the book page are in the section titled "CHANGE":

#79. Zen and the Art of Achieving Change Where It Already Exists.

#80. The Way of the Demo.

#81. Big Change-All at Once!

#82. Big Change-in a Short Time.

#83. Clever? Never!

Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Abbey Bishop posted this on 09/15 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

This week's additions to the audio files on the book page are in the section titled "ACTION":

#75. "Trying My Damnedest!" Wrong Answer!

#76. It Is Not Enough to Care!

#77. Captain "Day" and Captain "Night": A Tale of Two Deployments. And Two Suggestions.

#78. If You Want to Find Oil, You Must Drill Wells.

Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Abbey Bishop posted this on 09/07 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

This week's additions to the audio files on the book page are in the section titled "CUSTOMERS":

#72. It's 11 A.M.- Have You Called a Customer Today?

#73. There's Nothing But Nothing Better Than an Angry Customer.

#74. What We Have Here Is a Failure to Overcommunicate.

Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Abbey Bishop posted this on 08/30 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

This week's additions to the audio files on the book page are in the section titled "No":
#70. "To-Don'ts" Are More Important Than "To-Dos."
#71. Some Things Worth Doing Are Worth Doing Not Particularly Well.

Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Abbey Bishop posted this on 08/20 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

This week's additions to the audio files on the book page are in the section titled "Yes":

#68. Just Say Yes!- Or: A Lesson from My Mother-in-Law.
#69. For the Sheer Glorious 24/7 Fun of It!

Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Abbey Bishop posted this on 08/06 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

This week's additions to the audio files on the book page are in the section titled "Lunch":

#66. Across the Board: Cross-Functional Collaboration Is Issue #1.

#67. Getting Along and Going to Lunch: Solving the Cross-Functional Cooperation Problem

Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Abbey Bishop posted this on 07/28 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

This week's additions to the audio files on the book page are in the section titled "Networking":

#62. One Line of Code: The Shortest Distance Between "Critic" and "Champion."

#63. "Suck Down" for Success.

#64. Formula for Success: C(I) > C(E).

#65. How Does Your "Inside Game" Measure Up?

Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Abbey Bishop posted this on 07/16 | Permalink

Link Roundup #17

John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing interviewed Tom for a podcast that covered China, the economy, decency, BP, and Brand You.

Tom was invited to Cornell University last month to give the Olin Lecture during Reunion Weekend. The Olin Lecture is an annual event that was established in 1986, highlighting topics related to higher education and current world situations.
Video of the Cornell speech: Olin Lecture

Jakob Nielsen, the Web usability expert, mentioned in his recent alertbox newsletter that he may have been one of the last interviews done by Jack Schofield, the computer editor at The Guardian newspaper, who retired after 25 years. In the interview, the two discuss usability on the new tablets. Mostly that tablet, you know the one we mean. Though the article focuses on one product, it covers a great deal of important issues for usability in the future.

You might also like this podcast with Jack Schofield, which Nielsen pointed to (he recommends fast-forwarding to a point 31 minutes in).

Our own Madeleine McGrath, managing partner of the Tom Peters Company, has a piece in The People Bulletin, an online magazine for the HR industry. In it, she discusses "how leaders can shift their focus to get a better return on their talent investment in challenged times."

Abbey Bishop posted this on 07/13 | Permalink

New Audio: Tom Reads The Little BIG Things

This week's additions to the audio files on the book page are in the section titled "Words":

#58. What Do You Think?

#59. Thank You.

#60. I'm Sorry.

#61. Words of Truth-from a Fiction Writer

Collect them all, and when we're finished, you'll have an audio version of the entire book.

Abbey Bishop posted this on 07/07 | Permalink

Happy Birthday U.S.A.
And 3 Throaty Cheers!

There is a great deal of soul-searching going on in the United States as our 234th birthday arrives. Though nowhere near the soul-searching that loomed in Independence Hall 234 years ago today.

We fret about deficits. We fret, on the other side of the coin, about a slowing recovery that desperately needs more stimulation—the message of 1937's halt to recovery looms. We fret about immigrants—too many of the undocumented sort; but not enough of those educated at our research universities sticking around. We fret about education in general—too many boys dropping out early, in a world where a college degree is almost a requirement for many jobs.

We fret about China's amazing economy. And Osama's plans for us.

We fret about the Supreme Court becoming too conservative—maybe cap "C" Conservative rather than a lower-case "c" conservative; and we worry about Ms. Kagan's being too liberal—Liberal with an upper case "L."

We fret about the Gulf spill; and we fret about the screaming need for energy independence.

And yet ...

And yet we still lead the world in pretty much everything. Despite, or thanks to, our 234th consecutive year of political vitriol, our cap "D" Democracy is as strong or stronger than ever. (Incidentally, the political rancor was much worse then than now—and much, much worse in beloved Philly 11 years after the Declaration, in the muggy summer of 1787 when the Constitutional Convention was in full swing—by the by, the grandees of Philly '87 took a long break to celebrate the Declaration of Independence.)

Our education system is not ready for the coming economy—but neither is anybody else's. This transition is causing everyone to scramble. And our university system, despite budget woes of the first order, is waaaaay ahead of the pack in terms of research produced and at or near the head of the pack in share of population nabbing college degrees.

We still have a ways to go, but we are utilizing the one half+ of the population labeled female more productively than others.

Our entrepreneurs, though a little short of new cash, are still, as they should be, the envy of the world—and now our women entrepreneurs are as vigorous as their male counterparts. (That is, the "other half"-plus is in the game with verve.)

Our small businesses by the million are still the rock upon which we stand.

Afghanistan is a godawful mess, but our defense in general is powerful beyond measure. And others' soldiers are surely brave, but we have nothing but thanks to aim at our soldiers and sailors and airmen (and "airwomen"!) and marines and coast-guarders, and our reserves and their sacrifices. God bless those in uniform one and all.

And in the world at large there's good news to balance the bad. While the papers feature the bad news, the good goes under-reported. The solid Democracies in Europe (cash flow issues not withstanding) and Japan and India and dozens of other places are more or less solid as a rock. Though we worry about China, China has a worry list to match us—the growing pains accompanying growth, and the hundreds of millions left behind, are enormous problems. The emergence of the likes of Brazil is nothing but good news—and even our brothers and sisters in Africa may be beginning their long march to being less worse off economically—and perhaps solid growth.

There's enough bad news about which to fret to keep us occupied. And enough good news to, frankly, bring a pretty broad smile, as we get ready for #234.

We do not rule the world unchallenged as we foolishly, for 10 minutes, thought we did when the Cold War came to its 4-decade close. But we are in pretty damn good shape over all. I speak as an American with 67 years of experience when I say I sure as hell wouldn't trade places with anybody, respect the others as I do.

The U.S.A.?

Works for me!

Happy birthday, old girl. We're having one hell of a run!

Tom Peters posted this on 07/02 | Permalink

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