The Irreducible209: Excellence Always - Tom Peters' Sales Conference Slides

1. LONG/482Tom Peters’EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS.MassMutual/Leaders Conference 2006Washington/29July

2. Slides* at …tompeters.com*also “final” and “long #1”

3. 25

4. “The [Union senior] officers rode past the Confederates smugly without any sign of recognition except by one. ‘When General Grant reached the line of ragged, filthy, bloody, despairing prisoners strung out on each side of the bridge, he lifted his hat and held it over his head until he passed the last man of that living funeral cortege. He was the only officer in that whole train who recognized us as being on the face of the earth.’*” *quote within a quote from diary of a Confederate soldier

5. TheIrreducible209+

6. A frustrated participant at a seminar for investment bankers in Mauritius listened impatiently to my explanation of differences of opinion among me, Mike Porter, Gary Hamel, Jim Collins, etc. Finally, he’d had enough. “What, if anything,” he asked, “do you believe ‘for sure’?”I mumbled something, but his query started rumbling around in my mind. Three days later, wandering on a Sunday in London, the idea of “the irreducibles” occurred to me—and I started jotting down notes on stuff I do indeed believe “for sure.” Before I knew it, a few days later, the list had grown to 209 items. Hence “The Irreducible209” that follows.Tom Peters

7. TheIrreducible209+/Sales122

8. EXCELLENCE. THE BASICS.

9. This is not about …“customer centrism”“integrated marketing”etc.etc.etc.It is about …

10. It is about … sellin’ a whole lotta stuff and having customers go bananas with loveto the point that they tell every damn friend they have and then start buttonholing strangers on trains and planes and busses.

11. The “Age of” Yikes!

12. THREE BILLION NEW CAPITALISTS—Clyde Prestowitz

13. “There is no job that is America’s God-given right anymore.”—Carly Fiorina/HP/January2004

14. “Deutsche Bank Moves Half of Its Back-office Jobs to India”/ headline/FT/0327 (500 of 900 Research)

15. EXCELLENCE. THE GENERAL’S STORY. (AND THE ADMIRAL’S)

16. “If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.”—General Eric Shinseki, Chief of Staff. U. S. Army

17. Nelson’s secret:“[Other] admirals more frightened of losing than anxious to win”

18. EXCELLENCE. THE MANDATE.

19. “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”—Charles Darwin

20. “The most successful people are those who are good at plan B.”—James Yorke, mathematician, on chaos theory in The New Scientist

21. EXCELLENCE. STARTERS.

22. Radio City Music HallSeptember 2005

23. Franchise Lost!TP:“How many of you[600]reallycravea new Chevy?”NYC/IIR/061205

24. P.P.E.E.R.R.E.

25. People.Product.Execution.Enthusiasm.Relentless.Re-invent.Excellence.People.Product.Execution.Enthusiasm.Relentless.Re-invent.Excellence.

26. People.Product.Execution.Enthusiasm.Relentless.Re-invent.Excellence.People.Product.Execution.Enthusiasm.Relentless.Re-invent.Excellence.

27. EXCELLENCE. THE WORD.

28. SynonymsPurityTranscendenceVirtueEleganceMajestyAntonymsMediocritySynonymsPurityTranscendenceVirtueEleganceMajestyAntonymsMediocrity

29. EXCELLENCE. GAMECHANGER.

30. Excellence1982: The Bedrock “Eight Basics” 1. A Bias for Action 2. Close to the Customer 3. Autonomy and Entrepreneurship 4. Productivity Through People 5. Hands On, Value-Driven 6. Stick to the Knitting 7. Simple Form, Lean Staff 8. Simultaneous Loose-Tight Properties”

31. ExIn*: 1982-2002/Forbes.comDJIA: $10,000 yields $85,000EI: $10,000 yields $140,050*Forbes/Excellence Index/Basket of 32 publicly traded stocks

32. Them-UsTom Peters/0624.2006

33. “Them” “Us”Strategy EXECUTIONPlanning ActionMarketing Selling/SalesMarkets CustomersCustomers ClientsMicro-segmentation Big Stuff (Women, Boomers)Cost minimization Revenue maximizationSynergy/“Efficiencies” Decentralization“Strategic supplier Pioneering supplierProcess ProjectEffectiveness ExcellenceMen WomenLeadership Management + LeadershipStandardization Exceptionalism (53 = 53)Big clients COOL clientsPrestigious Board INTERESTING Board

34. “Them” “Us”Big Mid-sizeGrowth by merger Organic growthBuy market share Create NEW marketsEfficient, streamlined Value-creating “PSF” “department” Certainty-predictability Ambiguity-opportunityFearful of losing Aggressive pursuit of winningPlan PrototypeCareful evaluation Another prototypeRevised plan Another prototypePeople/Employees TalentEffective HR department Rockin’ Talent Development Center of ExcellenceBenchmark against the Benchmark against the “best”-“industry leader” “coolest”

35. “Them” “Us”Benchmark “Future”markOrderly career progression “Up or Out” (PDQ)Head HeartIQ EQ“Professional” PassionateStoic, humble leaders Noisy, emotional “characters” in chargeHire for Resume Hire for intangiblesMeasured-thoughtful Relentless, pig-headedapproach determinationTeamwork comes first Teamwork and disruptive individuals equal billingListen to customers Lead customersCustomer “involvement” Intimate-Seamless customer inter-twining

36. “Them” “Us”MBM (Management MBWA by memo)MBA MFAShareholder Value Great people-product rule comes first Work smart Work hardBuilt to last Built to Rock the WorldReward successes Reward (EXCELLENT) failuresQuality first! Design 1TQuality first Innovation 1THigh-quality Jaw-dropping Experience transactionCVs demo consistent CVs feature Magic Moments performanceGood grades Cool stuff Operational excellence World-rocking INNOVATION

37. “Them” “Us”Brand LovemarkBest analysis wins Best STORY wins“Beyond politics” Politics-is-life, the rest is detailsOutsource Bestsource“Motivate” Send on QUESTS“Motivate” InviteMeasured language HOT languageProduct-Service Gamechanging SOLUTION, Thrilling EXPERIENCE, DREAM come true, LOVEMARKPastel Technicolor Better Different“Mission success” “Mission EXCELLENCE”Very good EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS.

38. good words.Bad words.

39. Words that may NOT be used in my presence:“Motivate” “Market”

40. Words that may NOT be used in my presence: “Motivate” … “Market” … “MBA” … “Plan” (mostly) … “Worker” … “Job” … “Task” … “Exceeds expectations” … “HR” … “Employee evaluation” … “Man” (mostly) …“Shareholder Value”

41. Words that MAY be used in my presence:“Invite” (v. “Motivate”) … “Sell” (v. “Market”) … “People” (we’d like to serve) (v. “Market segment”) … “Client” (v. “Customer”) “OJT/MFA” (v. “MBA”) … “Act”/ “Execute” (v. “Plan”) … “Talent” (v. “Worker”) … “Quest”/“Adventure-in-EXCELLENCE” (v. “Job”) … “Wow Project” (v. “Task”) … “Rockin’ (profit-makin’) PSF” (v. “Department”) … “Theater” (v. “Office”) … “Breathtaking Experience” (v. “Transaction” that “Exceeds expectations”) … “Talent Fanatics Inc” (v. “HR”) … “Brand You adventure” (v “Career development”) “Annual Report development session” … (v. “Employee evaluation”) … “Woman” (v. “Man”) …

42. Words that MAY be used in my presence:… “Wow!” (v. “Nice”) … “Bloody-minded” (v. “Committed”) … “Thank you! (v. “____”) … “Attack”/Innovate (v. “defend”/Entrench)… “Great stuff. Great people. ‘Do it’ fanatics.” (v. “shareholder value”) …“EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS.”(v. “Good work”) (v. “shareholder value”)

43. Radically Thrilling Language! “Radically Thrilling.” —BMW Z4 (ad)

44. EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS.

45. “Why in the world did you go to Siberia?”

46. The Peters Principles: Enthusiasm. Emotion. Excellence. Energy. Excitement. Service. Growth. Creativity. Imagination. Vitality. Joy. Surprise. Independence. Spirit. Community. Limitless human potential. Diversity. Profit. Innovation. Design. Quality. Entrepreneurialism. Wow.

47. Business* ** (*at its best):An emotional, vital, innovative, joyful, creative, entrepreneurial endeavor that elicits maximum concerted human potential in the wholehearted service of others.*****Excellence. Always.***Employees, Customers, Suppliers, Communities, Owners, Temporary partners

48. Business:The Ultimate Creative Endeavor.

49. Business:The Ultimate Personal Development-Growth Experience.

50. Business:The Ultimate Transcendent Service Opportunity.