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"The tiny, spontaneous, human act has enormous power." Tom Peters

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Tomorrow's Orgs: Itinerant Potential Machines

Talent pool to die for. Youthful. Insanely energetic. Value creativity and are willing to take (career-threatening) risks, as a matter of routine. Want to "make their bones" in "the revolution." Love the new technologies. Agile. Willing to fail, repeatedly and publicly. A need to win. Well-rewarded for what they do. No expectation that they’ll stay forever.

Talent pool plus. Willingness to partner with world’s best experts as needed, and it’s often needed. Attitude: "We want to work on this project, which aims to change the world, with the world’s best folks -- and we don’t give a damn whether they are on our payroll or not."

Brassy-but-grounded leadership. Say "I don’t know" -- and then unleash the talent. Have a vision to be unique-dramatically different, but don’t expect the company necessarily to be around forever. Willingness to scrap pet projects, and quickly change direction, as much as 180 degrees. (Even if it means a billion dollar write-off.) No regrets at screw-ups from ideas whose time had not yet come. Great regret at time wasted on "me too" products and projects. Visionary leadership matched by leaders with shrewd business sense: "How do we turn a profit from this gorgeous idea?" Can’t answer the question, "Where will we be in 10 years?" Appreciate "market creation" as much, and usually more, than market share growth. Aim to "change the world," and don’t mind if that’s accompanied by high market cap. Are insanely aware that a market leader is always in a precarious position, and that market share will not protect us, in today’s and tomorrow’s volatile world, from the next killer idea and killer entrepreneur. (Dell & Microsoft & AOL were made in a day -- damn near.)

Alliance maniacs. Don’t assume that "the best resides within." Work with a changing portfolio of state-of-the-art partners throughout the supply chain. This includes vendors and consultants and, especially, pioneering customers who "will pull us into the future." (Forrest Gump: "Don’t own nothin’ if you can help it. If you can, rent your shoes.")

Technology-Network fanatics. Run the whole damn company and relations with all outsiders on the Internet at Internet speed. No halfway! Reluctant to work with partners who don’t share their view on this.

Potential Machines. Don’t know what comes next, but are ready to jump at opportunities, especially those that overturn their own conventional wisdom.

Tom Peters posted this on 01/17/02.