hello tom

LONG Tom Peters’ X25* Enthusiasm. Energy. Empathy. Execution. Excellence. Always. XAlways. ROCHE . ATHENS .11 January 2007 * In Search of Excellence 1982-2007

“ Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart.” —Henry Clay

Where Are Your “2-cent Candies”? Beltramo’ s checkout. Car p et installer booties. Sin g a p ore candies @ Immigration

“ A man without a smiling face must not open a shop.” —Chinese Proverb

THE PROBLEM IS RARELY/NEVER THE PROBLEM. THE RESPONSE TO THE PROBLEM INVARIABLY ENDS UP BEING THE REAL PROBLEM . * ** *Watergate, M Stewart, BR **And: PERCEPTION IS ALL THERE IS!

The … Jim Jeffords oversight!

Slides* at … tompeters.com *also “long”

“ What’s Really Propping Up the Economy: Healthcare has added 1.7 million jobs since 2001. The rest of the private sector? None .” Source: Title, cover story, BusinessWeek , 0925.2006

EXCELLENCE. ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW.

“ 20-minute rule” —Craig Johnson/30 yrs

“ I call 60 CEOs in the first week of the year to wish them Happy New Year. …” —Hank Paulson, former CEO, Goldman Sachs Source: Fortune , “Secrets of Greatness,” 0320.05

MBWA, Grameen Style! “Conventional banks ask their clients to come to their office. It’s a terrifying place for the poor and illiterate. … The entire Grameen Bank system runs on the principle that people should not come to the bank, the bank should go to the people . … If any staff member is seen in the office, it should be taken as a violation of the rules of the Grameen Bank. … It is essential that [those setting up a new village Branch] have no office and no place to stay. The reason is to make us as different as possible from government officials .” Source: Muhammad Yunus, Banker to the Poor

7X. 730A-800P. F12A . * * ’93-’03/10 yr annual return: CB: 29%; WM: 17%; HD: 16%. Mkt Cap: 48% p.a.

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

“ I am often asked by would-be entrepreneurs seeking escape from life within huge corporate structures, ‘How do I build a small firm for myself?’ The answer seems obvious : Buy a very large one and just wait .” —Paul Ormerod, Why Most Things Fail: Evolution, Extinction and Economics

“ Forbes100” from 1917 to 1987 : 39 members of the Class of ’17 were alive in ’87; 18 in ’87 F100; 18 F100 “survivors” significantly under p erformed the market; just 2 (2%), GE & Kodak , out p erformed the market from 1917 to 1987. S&P 500 from 1957 to 1997 : 74 members of the Class of ’57 were alive in ’97; 12 (2.4%) of 500 outperformed the market from 1957 to 1997. Source: Dick Foster & Sarah Kaplan, Creative Destruction: Why Companies That Are Built to Last Underperform the Market

Welcome to the “Club of Shattered Dreams”: Of Korea’s Top 100 companies in 1955, only 7 were still on the list in 2004. The 1997 crisis “destroyed half of Korea’s 30 largest conglomerates.” Source: “KET Issue Report,” Kim Jong Nyun (14.05.2005)

S&P Stability Ratings* 1985 2006 Low Risk 41% 13% Average Risk 24% 14% High Risk 35% 73% *Likelihood of stable long-term earnings growth Source: Fortune (2 October 2006)

Flat as a Pancake (Or Worse) Wal*Mart … Dell … Intel … Home Depot … Microsoft … GE

The last word: There is no last word.

“ It is generally much easier to kill an or g anization than change it substantially.” —Kevin Kelly, Out of Control

New Econom y ?! Sergey + Larry > Harvard/ 370

EXCELLENCE. STARTERS. BASICS. K.I.S.S.

Raging Success = P -SQUARED . C . E -CUBED .

P eople. P roduct. C lients. E xecution. E nthusiasm. E xcellence.

“ To me business isn’t about wearing suits or pleasing stockholders. It’s about being true to yourself, your ideas and focusing on the essentials .” —Richard Branson

P eople. P roduct. C lients. E xecution. E nthusiasm. E xcellence. R esilience. R elentless. S enility.

“ One of my superstitions had always been when I started to go anywhere or to do anything, not to turn back , or stop, until the thing intended was accomplished.” —Grant

“ Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.” —William Feather, author* (*c.f. Woody Allen: “90% of success is showing up.” )

“ The first 90% of a project takes 90% of the time. The last 10% takes the other 90% of the time.” —Richard Templar, The Rules of Management

Wanted *: Corporate Senility! * “The problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into your mind, but how to get the old ones out.” —Dee Hock

“ Strive for Excellence. Ignore success.” —Bill Young, PR driver (courtesy Andrew Sullivan)

The older I get the less boring the “basics” become!

S y non y ms Purity Transcendence Virtue Elegance Majesty Anton y ms Mediocrity

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

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

“ Why in the world did you go to S iberia ?”

The Peters Princi p les : 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.

Business* (*at its “excellent” best) can be: An emotional, vital, audacious, innovative, joyful, frightening, risky, creative, entrepreneurial endeavor that breathes life & fire into our work & life & elicits maximum concerted human potential in the wholehearted effort to help others ** [**employees, clients, suppliers, communities, owners, temporary partners] succeed & profit & imagine & reach places they’d never dreamed they could go.

“ Every time we come to a comfort zone, we will find a way out.” “No Cloning.” “‘Reinvent the brand’ with each new show.” “A typical day at the office for me begins by asking, ‘ What is impossible that I am going to do today?’” —Daniel Lamarre, president, Cirque du Soleil

EXCELLENCE. ASPIRATION. YOU & ME.

“ The First step in a ‘dramatic’ ‘organizational change program’ is obvious— dramatic personal change !” —RG

“ Work on me first.” —Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler/ Crucial Conversations

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well preserved piece, but to skid across the line broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out, leaking oil, shouting … ‘ GERONIMO!’ ” — Bill McKenna, professional motorcycle racer ( Cycle magazine)

EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS. ONE PERSON. DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE..

Muhammad Yunus: Banker to the Poor/ Father of “microlending”/ 2006 nobel peace prize winner

“ It’s not people who aren’t credit-worthy. It’s banks that aren’t people worthy.” Muhammad Yunus

94 % of loans to … women

“ Excellence can be obtained if you: ... care more than others think is wise; ... risk more than others think is safe; ... dream more than others think is practical; ... expect more than others think is possible.” Source: Anon. (Posted @ tompeters.com by K.Sriram, November 27, 2006 1:17 AM)

EXCELLENCE. SELL. SELL. SELL.

. “Everyone lives by selling something.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

TP.27* … on Selling (Short) (Personal) Also see: The Sales122: 122 Ridiculously Obvious Thoughts About Selling Stuff (End of this presentation)

Out-prepare!! (huge time commitment!) Learn the “culture” Practice! Care-Empathy Listen-Empathetic listening (SC) “Listen”-Body language K.I.S.S. (1-page summary. 1 = 1.) Enthusiasm-ENERGY-“Authenticity”!! OBVIOUS belief in product Selling: Solution-Success-Experience-Dream come true-Love-Dramatic Difference Selling: Better STORY! (“Best story wins”) Selling: Yourself! (Brand you) “Obvious” Wow! No exaggeration! Spell out commitments! SIMPLE timeline Sell “inside”-First! Thorough! Relationships-“Way down”!! Time!!!! (E.g., build trust) Ooze integrity Introduce to rest of team, esp. “mechanics” SBWA (5K for 5M) Remember: Close! Gotta-make-a-profit (be ready to walk away!) “Good loss” Don’t dis competitors!! Make her-him-target SUCCESSFUL (in a personal way) (Women are better at sales.)

“ TAKE THIS QUICK QUIZ: Who manages more things at once? Who puts more effort into their appearance? Who usually takes care of the details? Who finds it easier to meet new people? Who asks more questions in a conversation? Who is a better listener? Who has more interest in communication skills? Who is more inclined to get involved? Who encourages harmony and agreement? Who has better intuition? Who works with a longer ‘to do’ list? Who enjoys a recap to the day’s events? Who is better at keeping in touch with others?” Source: Selling Is a Woman’s Game: 15 Powerful Reasons Why Women Can Outsell Men , Nicki Joy & Susan Kane-Benson

“ It’s alwa y s showtime.” —David D’Alessandro, Career Warfare

GE (more or less) : The Sales122: 122 Ridiculously Obvious Thoughts About Selling Stuff Tom Peters/0402.2006

See below (End of presentation)

EXCELLENCE. INNOVATE. OR. DIE.

“ I don’t believe in economies of scale. You don’t get better by being bigger. You get worse .” — Dick Kovacevich/Wells Fargo

“ Not a single company that qualified as having made a sustained transformation ignited its leap with a big acquisition or merger . Moreover, comparison companies—those that failed to make a leap or, if they did, failed to sustain it—often tried to make themselves great with a big acquisition or merger. They failed to grasp the simple truth that while you can buy your way to growth, you cannot buy your way to greatness.” —Jim Collins/ Time /2004

“ A pattern emphasized in the case studies in this book is the degree to which powerful competitors not only resist innovative threats, but actually resist all efforts to understand them , preferring to further their positions in older products. This results in a surge of productivity and performance that may take the old technology to unheard of heights. But in most cases this is a sign of impending death.” — Jim Utterback, Mastering the Dynamics of Innovation

EVERYTHING YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW ABOUT INNOVATION IS WRONG

The Mess Is the Message! Period!

The Mess Is the Message! Period! An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States — Charles Beard (1913) The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger —Marc Levinson Tube: The Invention of Television —David & Marshall Fisher Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World —Jill Jonnes The Soul of a New Machine —Tracy Kidder Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA —Brenda Maddox The Blitzkrieg Myth —John Mosier

Get mad. Do something about it. Now.

Case: Reality Germans cross Meuse into France. Whoops: French intelligence completely drops the ball. (Loses track of the Germans—no kidding.) Germans keep advancing; outrun supply lines; no land-air co-ordination. Hitler orders advance stopped. General never gets the word. General marches to Paris, virtually unopposed. Germans shocked. After the fact, Germans label it “Blitzkrieg.”

Case: Lessons Learned Do something. Get lucky. Attribute luck to superior planning. Get medals.

We become who we hang out with!

Measure “Strangeness”/Portfolio Quality Staff Consultants Vendors Out-sourcing Partners (#, Quality) Innovation Alliance Partners Customers Competitors (who we “benchmark” against) Strategic Initiatives Product Portfolio (LineEx v. Leap) IS/IT Projects HQ Location Lunch Mates Language Board

“ The Bottleneck Is at the Top of the Bottle” “Where are you likely to find people with the least diversity of experience, the largest investment in the past, and the greatest reverence for industry dogma: At the to p!” — Gary Hamel/ Harvard Business Review

“ To grow, companies need to break out of a vicious cycle of competitive benchmarking and imitation.” —W. Chan Kim & Ren é e Mauborgne, “Think for Yourself —Stop Copying a Rival,” Financial Times /2003

“ How do dominant companies lose their position? Two-thirds of the time, the y p ick the wron g competitor to worr y about .” —Don Listwin, CEO, Openwave Systems/ WSJ

Kodak …. Fuji GM …. Ford Ford …. GM IBM …. Siemens, Fujitsu Sears …. Kmart Xerox …. Kodak, IBM

“ Don’t benchmark, futuremark!” Impetus: “The future is already here; it’s just not evenly distributed” —William Gibson

Organizing Genius / Warren Bennis and Patricia Ward Biederman “Groups become great only when everyone in them, leaders and members alike, is free to do his or her absolute best .” “The best thing a leader can do for a Great Group is to allow its members to discover their g reatness .”

Leadership’s Mt Everest/Mt Excellence “ free to do his or her absolute best” … “allow its members to discover their greatness.”

try it. Try it. Try it. Try it. Try it. Try it. Try it. Try it. Try it. Try it. Try it . Try it. Try it. Try it. Try it. Try it. try it. Try it. Try it. try it. Try it. Try it. Try it. Try it. Try it.

“ This is so simple it sounds stupid, but it is amazing how few oil people really understand that you only find oil if you drill wells . You may think you’re finding it when you’re drawing maps and studying logs, but you have to drill.” Source: The Hunters , by John Masters, Canadian O & G wildcatter

“ Experiment fearlessly” Source: BW 0821.06, Type A Organization Strategies/ “How to Hit a Moving Target”— Tactic #1

“ We made mistakes, of course. Most of them were omissions we didn’t think of when we initially wrote the software. We fixed them by doing it over and over, again and again. We do the same today. While our competitors are still sucking their thumbs trying to make the design perfect, we’re already on prototype version # 5 . By the time our rivals are ready with wires and screws, we are on version # 10 . It gets back to planning versus acting : We act from day one ; others plan how to plan — for months .” —Bloomberg by Bloomberg

“ We ground up more pig brains!”

The True Logic* of Decentralization: 6 divisions = 6 “tries” 6 divisions = 6 DIFFERENT leaders = 6 INDEPENDENT “tries” = Max probability of “win” 6 divisions = 6 very DIFFERENT leaders = 6 very INDEPENDENT “tries” = Max probability of “ far out ”/” 3-sigma ” “win” *“Driver”: Law of Large #s

READY. FIRE! AIM. Ross Perot (vs “ Aim! Aim! Aim!” /EDS vs GM/1985)

“ You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.” —Wayne Gretzky

TP “Lessons Learned” Innovation = DisDis (Disciplined Disorganization) Luck is a very good thing.* ** (*More “lessons” later: E.g., If you hire a bunch of disciplined weirdos and try a lot of weird stuff, the odds of getting lucky go up remarkably) (**Career success depends on convincing others that you knew what the hell you were doing all along. Good news: Say it long enough and you will believe it. Great news: Keep saying it and you, too, can become a “guru.”)

“ We have a ‘strategic plan.’ It’s called doing things .” — Herb Kelleher

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”

Paul Allaire: “We are in a brawl with no rules.” TP: “There’s only one possible answer— S.A.V.” * * Screw Around Vigorously

“ FAIL, FAIL AGAIN. FAIL BETTER.” —Samuel Beckett

“ Fail . Forward. Fast.” High Tech CEO, Pennsylvania “Fail faster. Succeed Sooner.” David Kelley/IDEO

“ Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre successes.” Phil Daniels, Sydney exec

“ Linearist”: Plan it! “Non-linearist”: Try it!

“ Linearist”: think! “Non-linearist”: do!

“ Linearist”: hypothesize! “Non-linearist”: experiment!

“ Linearist”: failure = unnecessary “Non-linearist”: failure = life

“ Linearist”: deliberate!* “Non-linearist”: relentless!** * “Do it right the first time” (Hero: Phil Crosby) **Never retreat (Hero: U.S. Grant)

“ Linearist”: logical! “Non-linearist”: passionate!

“ Linearist”: give me genius! “Non-linearist”: give me luck!

“ Linearist”: spotless academic record! “Non-linearist”: a.d.d.

“ Linearist”: measured pace! “Non-linearist”: Tempo! Tempo! Tempo!

“ Linearist”: think! Plan! (r. a. f.*) “Non-linearist”: Try it! Screw it up! Fix it! Try it again! (r. f. a.**) *Ready. Aim. Fire. **ready. Fire. Aim. (Or, circa 2006: fire. Fire. Fire. )

Cheap Shot “Linearist”: minimize cost. “Non-linearist”: maximize revenue.

“ Linearist”: marketing rules. “Non-linearist”: sales rules.

“ Linearist” Background: planning, marketing & finance. “Non-linearist” background: sales & operations.

“ Linearist” likes: ideas. “Non-linearist” likes: people.

“ Linearist” office: walls. “Non-linearist” office: none.

“ Linearist” style: meetings. “Non-linearist” style: m.b.w.a.* *Managing by wandering around

“ Linearist” reads: michael porter. Peter drucker. “Non-linearist” reads: doesn’t

“ Linearist” preferred football score: 7-0. “Non-linearist” preferred football score: 41-38.

“ Linearist” criminal record: none. “Non-linearist” criminal record: disorderly conduct. Chronic jaywalking.

“ Linearist” drives: lincoln town car. Ford explorer (weekends). “Non-linearist” drives: bmw. Harley-davidson (weekends).

“ Action is the foundational key of all success.” —Picasso

“ Intelligent people can always come up with intelligent reasons to do nothing.” —Scott Simon

“ If if feels painful and scary—that’s real delegation” —Caspian Woods, small biz owner

“ Execution is the j ob of the business leader .” —Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

“ Execution is a systematic process of rigorously discussing hows and whats, tenaciously following through, and ensuring accountability.” —Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/ Execution: The Disci p line of Getting Things Done

Projects = Goal (“Vision”) Milestones = Project Rapid Review + Truth-telling = accountability

“ Realism is the heart of execution.” —Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

“ GE has set a standard of candor. … There is no puffery. … There isn’t an ounce of denial in the place .” —Kevin Sharer, CEO Amgen, on the “GE mystique” (Fortune)

A man approached JP Morgan , held up an envelope, and said, “Sir, in my hand I hold a guaranteed formula for success, which I will gladly sell you for $25,000.” “Sir,” JP Morgan replied, “I do not know what is in the envelope, however if you show me, and I like it, I give you my word as a gentleman that I will pay you what you ask.” The man agreed to the terms, and handed over the envelope. JP Morgan opened it, and extracted a single sheet of paper. He gave it one look, a mere glance, then handed the piece of paper back to the gent. And paid him the agreed-upon $25,000 …

1. Every morning, write a list of the things that need to be done that day. 2. Do them. Source: Hugh MacLeod/tompeters.com/NPR

DECENTRALIZATION. EXECUTION. ACCOUTABILITY. 6 :15A.M.

EXCELLENCE. VALUE ADDED. UP THE LADDER.

EXCELLENCE. VALUE-ADDED LADDER I. SOLVE IT.

Up, Up, Up, Up the Value-added Ladder.

The Value-added Ladder/ STUFF ‘N’ THINGS Goods Raw Materials

The Value-added Ladder/Stuff & TRANSACTIONS Services Goods Raw Materials

The Value-added Ladder/ OPPORTUNITY-SEEKING Gamechanging Solutions Services Goods Raw Materials

“ The business of selling is not just about matching viable solutions to the customers that require them. It’s equally about managing the change process the customer will need to go through to implement the solution and achieve the value promised by the solution. One of the key differentiators of our position in the market is our attention to managing change and making change stick in our customers’ organization.” * (*E.g.: CRM failure rate/Gartner: 70 %) —Jeff Thull, The Prime Solution: Close the Value Gap, Increase Margins, and Win the Complex Sale

EXCELLENCE. SOLVE IT. NO OPTION. PSF. (PSF++)

Department Head to … Managin g Partner , IS [HR, R&D, etc.] Inc .

Core Mechanism : “Game-chan g in g Solutions” PSF (Professional Service Firm “model”/The Organizing Principle ) + Brand You (“Distinct” or “Extinct”/The Talent ) + Wow! Projects (“Different” vs “Better”/The Work )

EXCELLENCE. ATTITUDE. TRANSFORMATION. PSF.

HCare CIO : “Technology Executive” (workin’ in a hospital) Or/to: Full-scale, Accountable (life or death) Member-Partner of XYZ Hospital’s Senior Healin g -Services Team (who happens to be a techie)

PSF Transformation: Credit De p artment/Trek Was Is Credit Dept Financial Services Hammer on dealers until Make dealers successful so they they pay CAN pay AR sold to 3 rd party Trek is the commercial financial commercial co. Company 23 employees 12 employees Oversee peak AR of $70M Oversee peak AR of $160M Identify risky dealers Identify opportunities Cost Center Profit Center No products Products: Consulting, MC/Visa, Stored value of gift cards, Gift card peripherals, Online payments Source: John Burke/0330.06

EXCELLENCE. VALUE-ADDED LADDER II. EXPERIENCE IT.

“ Experiences are as distinct from services as services are from goods.” —Joe Pine & Jim Gilmore, The Experience Economy: Work Is Theatre & Every Business a Stage

“ The [ Starbucks ] Fix” Is on … “We have identified a ‘third place.’ And I really believe that sets us apart. The third place is that place that’s not work or home. It’s the place our customers come for refuge.” —Nancy Orsolini, District Manager

Experience: “Rebel Lifestyle!” “What we sell is the ability for a 43-year-old accountant to dress in black leather, ride through small towns and have people be afraid of him.” Harley exec, quoted in Results-Based Leadership

The Value-added Ladder/ MEMORABLE CONNECTION Spellbinding Experiences Gamechanging Solutions Services Goods Raw Materials

EXCELLENCE. VALUE-ADDED LADDER III. DREAM IT.

DREAM : “ A dream is a complete moment in the life of a client. Important experiences that tempt the client to commit substantial resources. The essence of the desires of the consumer. The opportunity to help clients become what they want to be.” —Gian Luigi Longinotti-Buitoni

Furniture vs. Dreams “We do not sell ‘furniture’ at Domain. We sell dreams . This is accomplished by addressing the half-formed needs in our customers’ heads. By uncovering these needs, we, in essence, fill in the blanks. We convert ‘needs’ into ‘dreams.’ Sales are the inevitable result .” — Judy George, Domain Home Fashions

The Value-added Ladder/ EMOTION Dreams Come True Spellbinding Experiences Gamechanging Solutions Services Goods Raw Materials

“ Storytelling is the core of culture.” — Branded Nation: The Marketing of Megachurch, College Inc., and Museumworld , James Twitchell

“ We are in the twilight of a society based on data. As information and intelligence become the domain of computers, society will place more value on the one human ability that cannot be automated: emotion. Imagination, myth, ritual - the language of emotion - will affect everything from our purchasing decisions to how we work with others. Com p anies will thrive on the basis of their stories and m y ths . Companies will need to understand that their products are less important than their stories.” —Rolf Jensen, Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies

EXCELLENCE. OPPORTUNITY. ENORMOUS. WOMEN.

“ Idiot” is too kind a word.

“ That’s a very diverse* team.” — Patrick Cescau, CEO, Unilever** * 1 of 14 Board of Directors members is a woman (not an exec); 2 of 7 Exec Team members are … Indians. (Source: FT/24-25 June.) ** Approximately 85 % of Unilever’s products are purchased by … women.

“ That’s a VERY diverse team.” — Patrick Cescau, CEO, Unilever * ** * 1 of 14 Board of Directors members is a woman (not an exec); 2 of 7 Exec Team members are … Indians. (Source: FT/24-25 June.) ** Approximately 85% of Unilever’s products are purchased by … women.

“ That’s a VERY sick man.” — Tom Peters

“ Women are the majority market” —Fara Warner/ The Power of the Purse

“ Women don’t buy brands. They join them .” EVEolution

Selling to men: The TRANSACTION Model Selling to Women: The RELATIONAL Model Source: Selling to Men, Selling to Women , Jeffery Tobias Halter

“ Women speak and hear a language of connection and intimacy , and men speak and hear a language of status and independence. Men communicate to obtain information , establish their status , and show inde p endence . Women communicate to create relationshi p s , encourage interaction , and exchange feelin g s .” —Judy Rosener, America’s Competitive Secret

Editorial/Men : Tables, rankings.* Editorial/ Women : Narratives that cohere.* *Redwood (UK)

“ Women speak and hear a language of connection and intimacy , and men speak and hear a language of status and independence. Men communicate to obtain information , establish their status , and show independence . Women communicate to create relationships , encourage interaction , and exchange feelings .” —Judy Rosener, America’s Competitive Secret

“ A woman can effortlessly speak 6,000 to 8,000 words a day, use an additional 2,000-3,000 vocal sounds and 8,000-10,000 gestures and body signals. A man utters 2,000-4,00 words, 1,000-2,000 vocal sounds and makes 2,000-3,000 body language signals. In other words, women communicate three times more than men .” —Barbara and Allan Pease (from Selling to Men, Selling to Women , Jeffery Tobias Halter)

“ Women come out better on almost ever y count as investors … They are less likely to hold a losing investment too long, and less likely to wait too long to sell a winner; they’re also less likely to put too much money into a single investment or to buy a reputedly hot stock without doing sufficient research.” Source: The Merrill report: “When It Comes to Investing, Gender A Strong Influence on Behavior.”/ Atlantic

WOMEN. DOMINATE. ECONOMIC. GROWTH.

“ Forget China , India and the Internet : Economic Growth Is Driven by Women .” —Headline, Economist , April 15, 2006, Leader, page 14

“ Since 1970 , women have held two out of every three new jobs created.” — FT , 10.03.2006

10 UNASSAILABLE REASONS WOMEN RULE Women make [all] the financial decisions. Women control [all] the wealth. Women [substantially] outlive men. Women start most of the new businesses. Women’s work force participation rates have soared worldwide. Women are closing in on “same pay for same job.” Women are penetrating senior ranks rapidly [even if the pace is slow for the corner office per se]. Women’s leadership strengths are exceptionally well aligned with new organizational effectiveness & value-added imperatives. Women are better salespersons than men. Women buy [almost] everything—commercial as well as consumer goods. So what exactly is … the point of men ?

Not Just America … “Boys Falling Seven Years Behind Girls at GCSE Level” —headline, Weekly Telegraph , UK, 10.25.06

COROLLARY. EXCELLENCE. WOMEN. RULE.

“ AS LEADERS, WOMEN RULE : New Studies find that female managers outshine their male counterparts in almost every measure” TITLE/ Special Report/ BusinessWeek

Women’s Strengths Match New Economy Imperatives : Link [rather than rank] workers; favor interactive-collaborative leadership style [empowerment beats top-down decision making]; sustain fruitful collaborations; comfortable with sharing information; see redistribution of power as victory, not surrender ; favor multi-dimensional feedback; value technical & interpersonal skills, individual & group contributions equally; readily accept ambiguity; honor intuition as well as pure “rationality”; inherently flexible; appreciate cultural diversity . —Judy B. Rosener, America’s Competitive Secret: Women Managers

Women’s Ne g otiatin g Stren g ths *Ability to put themselves in their counterparties’ shoes *Comprehensive, attentive and detailed communication style *Empathy that facilitates trust-building *Curious and attentive listening *Less competitive attitude *Strong sense of fairness and ability to persuade *Proactive risk manager *Collaborative decision-making Source: Horacio Falcao, Cover story/May 2006, World Business , “Say It Like a Woman: Why the 21 st -century negotiator will need the female touch”

EXCELLENCE. OPPORTUNITY. ENORMOUS. BOOMERS. GEEZERS.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! “ People turning 50 today have more than half of their adult life ahead of them.” —Bill Novelli, 50+: Igniting a Revolution to Reinvent America

“ Baby-boomer Women : The Sweetest of Sweet Spots for Marketers” —David Wolfe and Robert Snyder, Ageless Marketing

“ WOMAN of the Year: She’s the most powerful consumer in America. And as she starts to turn sixty this month, the affluent baby boomer is doing what she’s always done— redefining herself.” —Joan Hamilton, Town & Country , JAN06

Magazine of the Year*: More Source: Advertising Age , 1023. 2006 , “‘More’ Taps Power of 40-plus to Draw Advertisers in Droves” (“More is breaking through advertisers’ irrational obsession with 20-somethings …”)

“ Sixty Is the New Thirty ” —Cover/ AARP

EXCELLENCE. (HEALTHCARE.) HEALTH.

Quality! Prevention! Wellness! Chronic care! Childhood obesity! H5N1!

“ When I climb Mount Rainier I face less risk of death than I’ll face on the operating table.” — Don Berwick , “Six Keys to Safer Hospitals: A Set of Simple Precautions Could Prevent 100,000 Needless Deaths Every Year,” Newsweek (1212.2005)

Welcome to the Homer Simpson Hospital a/k/a The Killing Fields

“ Quality”: COULD IT TRULY BE THIS AWFUL ?

HealthGrades/Denver: 195,000 hospital deaths per year in the U.S., 2000-2002 = 390 full jumbos/747s in the drink per year . Comments: “ This should give you pause when you go to the hospital.” —Dr. Kenneth Kizer, National Quality Forum . “ There is little evidence that patient safety has improved in the last five years .” —Dr. Samantha Collier Source: Boston Globe / 07.27.04

1,000,000 “serious medication errors per year” … “illegible handwriting, misplaced decimal points, and missed drug interactions and allergies.” Source: Wall Street Journal / Institute of Medicine

CDC 1998 : 90,000 killed and 2,000,000 injured from hospital-caused drug errors & infections

“ BAD MEDICINE: This teenager [Jehan Nassif] died because of a medical bungle. So do 18,000 other Australians each year. Why our hospitals keep making fatal mistakes.” —cover, The Bulletin (Australia), 09.05.2006 (“… up to 16% of hospitalized patients will suffer an adverse event; 50% of these will be preventable and 10% of these will lead to permanent disability or death.”) (equivalent, on a per capita basis, to about 200,000 in the United States —which is about the actual U.S. number)

Primary “Success Factors”: “Sanitary revolution”: mortality in major cities down 55 % between 1850 and 1915 Source: Tom Farley & Deborah Cohen, Prescription for a Healthy Nation

EXCELLENCE. BEDROCK. LEADERSHIP. 9Ps. L23.

PURPOSE . PASSION . Potential . Presence . Personal . PERSISTENCE . PEOPLE . Potent . Positive .

“ People want to be part of something larger than themselves . They want to be part of something they’re really proud of, that they’ll fight for , sacrifice for , trust .” — Howard Schultz, Starbucks ( IBD /09.05)

“ Management has a lot to do with answers. Leadership is a function of questions. And the first question for a leader always is: ‘ Who do we i ntend to be ?’ Not ‘What are we going to do?’ but ‘Who do we intend to be?’” —Max De Pree, Herman Miller

Ah, kids : “What is your vision for the future?” “What have you accomplished since your first book?” “Close your eyes and imagine me immediately doing something about what you’ve just said. What would it be?” “Do you feel you have an obligation to ‘Make the world a better place’?”

“ Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm.” —Samuel Taylor Coleridge

“ Enthusiasm, the ultimate virus.”

Charles Handy on the “Alchemists” “ Passion was what drove these people, p assion for their product or their cause. If you care enough, you will find out what you need to know. Or you will experiment and not worry if the experiment goes wrong. Passion as the secret to learning is an odd secret to propose, but I believe that it works at all levels and at all ages. Sadly, p assion is not a word often heard in the elephant organizations, nor in schools, where it can seem disruptive.”

“ Whenever anything is being accomplished, I have learned, it is being done by a monomaniac with a mission.” —Peter Drucker

Kevin Roberts’ Credo 1 . Ready. Fire! Aim. 2. If it ain’t broke ... Break it! 3. Hire crazies. 4. Ask dumb questions. 5. Pursue failure. 6. Lead, follow ... or get out of the way! 7. Spread confusion. 8. Ditch your office. 9. Read odd stuff. 10. Avoid moderation !

“ Most important, he upped the energy level at Motorola.” — Fortune on Ed Zander/08.05

“ Great leaders move us. They ignite our passion and inspire the best in us. When we try to explain why they are so effective, we speak of strategy, vision or powerful ideas. But the reality is much more primal : Great leadership works through the emotions .” —Daniel Goleman, The New Leaders

Exuberance: The Passion for Life , by Kay Redfield Jamison+ “ A leader is someone who creates infectious enthusiasm.”—Ted Turner “‘ Glorious’ was a term [John] Muir would invoke time and again … despite his conscious attempts to eradicate it from his writing. ‘Glorious’ and ‘joy’ and ‘exhilaration’: no matter how often he scratched out these words once he had written them, they sprang up time and again …” “ To meet Roosevelt, said Churchill, ‘with all his buoyant sparkle, his iridescence,’ was like ‘opening a bottle of champagne.’ Churchill, who knew both champagne and human nature, recognized ebullient leadership when he saw it.”

Exuberance: The Passion for Life , by Kay Redfield Jamison+ “ Churchill had a very powerful mind, but a romantic and unquantitative one. If he thought about a course of action long enough, if he achieved it alone in his own inner consciousness and desired it passionately, he convinced himself it must be possible. Then, with incomparable invention, eloquence and high spirits, he set out to convince everyone else that it was not only possible, but the only course of action open to man.”—C.P. Snow “ We are all worms. But I do believe that I am a glow-worm.”—Churchill on Churchill “ The multitudes were swept forward till their pace was the same as his.”—Churchill on T.E. Lawrence “ He brought back a real joy to music.”—Wynton Marsalis on Louis Armstrong

“ In the end, management doesn’t change culture. Management invites the workforce itself to change the culture.” —Lou Gerstner

“ The role of the Director is to create a space where the actors and actresses can become more than they’ve ever been before, more than they’ve dreamed of being .” —Robert Altman, Oscar acceptance speech

The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it. Michelangelo

“ You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Gandhi

“ To change minds effectively, leaders make particular use of two tools: the stories that they tell and the lives that they lead.” —Howard Gardner, Changing Minds

Relentless : “One of my superstitions had always been when I started to go anywhere or to do anything, not to turn back , or stop, until the thing intended was accomplished.” —Grant

“ This [adolescent] incident [of getting from point A to point B] is notable not only because it underlines Grant’s fearless horsemanship and his determination, but also it is the first known example of a very important peculiarity of his character : Grant had an extreme, almost phobic dislike of turning back and retracing his steps . If he set out for somewhere, he would get there somehow, whatever the difficulties that lay in his way. This idiosyncrasy would turn out to be one the factors that made him such a formidable general. Grant would always, always press on—turning back was not an option for him.” — Michael Korda, Ulysses Grant

“ It is no use saying ‘We are doing our best.’ You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary.” —WSC

" The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends upon the unreasonable man.” —GB Shaw, Man and Superman: The Revolutionists' Handbook.

“ Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.” —William Feather, author

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

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well preserved piece, but to skid across the line broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out, leaking oil, shouting ‘ GERONIMO!’ ” — Bill McKenna, professional motorcycle racer ( Cycle magazine)

“ Leaders ‘ do ’ people. Period.” —Anon.

“ Beware of the tyranny of making Small Changes to S mall Things. Rather, make Big Changes to Big Things.” —Roger Enrico, former Chairman, PepsiCo

On NELSON: “[other] admirals more frightened of losing than anxious to win”

EXCELLENCE. THE LEADERSHIP23.

Leadershi p 23/ML 1. Enthusiasm. Energy. Exuberance. 2. Action. Execution. 3. Tempo. Metabolism. 4. Relentless. 5. Master of Plan B. 6. Accountability. 7. Meritocracy. 8. Leaders “do” people. Mentor. (“Success creation business.”) 9. Women. Diversity. 10. Integrity. Credibility. Humanity. Grace. 11. Realism. 12. Cause. Adventures. Quests.

Leadershi p 23/ML 13. Legacy. 14. Best story wins. 15. On the edge. (“Wildest chimera of a moonstruck mind.”) 16. “Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre successes.” 17. Different > Better. (“Only ones who do what we do.”) 18. MBWA. Customer MBWA. 19. Laughs. 20. Repot. Curiosity. Why? 21. You = Calendar. “To Don’t.” Two. 22. Excellence. Always. 23. Nelsonian! (“Other admirals more afraid of losing than anxious to win.”)

Enthusiasm. Energy. Exuberance. Voracious Curiosity. Irritability/Dis-satisfaction. Relentlessness. Self-reliance. “Closer.” (Execution.) excellence. Always.

This list was first prepared for GE Energy sales & marketing people in January 2006. It started with a half-dozen items, and grew like Topsy. Possibly, given its origins, it’s a little tilted toward complex, engineering-based sales. Tom Peters

1. “Strategy” overrated, simply “doin’ stuff” underrated. See Kelleher and Bossidy: “We have a ‘strategic plan,’ it’s called doing things.”—Herb Kelleher. “Execution is a systematic process of rigorously discussing hows and whats, tenaciously following through, and ensuring accountability.” —Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan / Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done . Action has its own logic—ask Genghis Khan, Rommel, COL John Boyd, U.S. Grant, Patton, W.T. Sherman. 2. What are you personally great at? (Key word: “great.”) Play to strengths! “Distinct or Extinct.” You should aim to be “outrageously good”/B.I.W. at a niche area (or more). 3. Are you a “personality,” a de facto “brand” in the industry? The Dr Phil of ... 4. Opportunism (with a little forethought) mostly wins. (“Successful people are the ones who are good at Plan B.”) 5. Little starts can lead to big wins. Most true winners—think search & Google—start as something small. Many big deals—Disney & Pixar—could have been done as little-er deals if you’d had the guts to jump before the value became obvious.

“ Everyone lives by selling something.” — Robert Louis Stevenson

6. Non-obvious targets have great potential. Among many other things, everybody goes after the obvious ones. Also, the “non-obvious” are often good Partners for technology experiments. 7. The best relationships are often (usually?) not “top to top”! (Often the best: hungry division GMs eager to make a mark.) 8. IT’S RELATIONSHIPS, STUPID—DEEP AND FROM MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS. 9. In any public-sector business, you must become an avid student of “the politics,” the incentives and constraints, mostly non-economic, facing all of the players. Politicians are usually incredibly logical—if you (deeply!) understand the matrix in which they exist. 10. Relationships from within our firm are as important—often more important—as those from outside—again broad is as important as deep. Allies—avid supporters!—within and from non-obvious places may be more important than relationships at the Client organization. Goal: an “insanely unfair ‘market share’” of insiders’ time devoted to your projects!

11. Interesting outsiders are essential to innovative proposal and sales teams. An “exciting” sales-proposal team is as important as a prestigious one. 12. Is the proposal-sales team weird enough—weirdos come up with the most interesting, game-changer ideas. Period. 13. Lunch with at least one weirdo per month. (Goal: always on the prowl for interesting new stuff.) 14. Gratuitous comment: Lunches with good friends are typically a waste of (professional) time. 15. Don’t short-change (time, money, depth) the proposal process. Miss one tiny nuance, one potential incentive that “makes my day” for a key Client player—and watch the whole gig be torpedoed. 16. “Sticking with it” sometimes pays, sometimes not—it takes a lot of tries to forge the best path in. Sometimes you never do, after a literal lifetime. (Ah, life.) 17. WOMEN ARE SIMPLY BETTER AT RELATIONSHIPS—don’t get hung up—particularly in tech firms—on what industries-countries “ women can’t do.” (Or some such bullshit.)

18. Work incessantly on your “story”—most economic value springs from a good story (think Perrier)! In sensitive public or quasi-public negotiations, a compelling story is of immense value—politics is about the tension among competing stories. (If you don’t believe me, ask Karl Rove or James Carville.) (“Storytelling is the core of culture.” — Branded Nation: The Marketing of Megachurch, College Inc., and Museumworld , James Twitchell) 19. Call this 18A, or 18 repeat: Become a first-rate Storyteller! (“A key – perhaps the key – to leadership is the effective communication of a story.”—Howard Gardner, Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership ) 20. Risk Assessment & Risk Management is more about stories than advanced math—i.e., brilliant scenario construction. 21. Good listeners are good sales people. Period. 22. Lousy listeners are lousy sales people. Period. 23. GREAT LISTENERS ARE GREAT SALES PEOPLE. (Listening “skills” are hard to learn and subject to immense effort in pursuit of Mastery. A virtuoso “listener” is as rare as a virtuoso cello player.) (“If you don’t listen, you don’t sell anything.”—Carolyn Marland/MD/Guardian Group)

24. Things that are funny to me (American) are often-mostly not funny to those in other cultures. (Humor is as fine-edged as it gets, and rarely travels.) 25. You don’t know Jack Squat about other peoples’ cultures—especially if you are a typically myopic American. (Like me.) 26. Are you a great interviewer? It’s a make or break skill. (Think Barbara Walters’ skill at extracting unwanted truths from pros in persona-protection ... in front of 10s of millions of people. 27. Are you a great (not merely “good”) presenter? Mastering presentation skills is a life’s work—with stupendous payoff. 28. Work like hell on the Big 2: LISTENING/INTERVIEWING, PRESENTING. These are “the essence of [sales] life”—and usually picked-up in an amateurish fashion. Mistake! (Become a “professional student” of these two areas, achieve Mastery.) 29. Are you good at flowers? Think: FLOWER POWER ! (see Harvey Mackay’s “Mackay 66”—what you should know about a Client; e.g., birthdays & anniversaries.) (My “flowers budget” is out of control. Hooray for me.) 30. You can’t do it all—be clear at what you are good at, bad at, indifferent at. Hubris sucks.

31. The point is not to “prove yourself.” (That’s ego-talk.) Let the best person present to the Client—perhaps a “lower level” geek. (“Control freaks” get their just desserts in the long haul—or sooner.) 32. The numbers will more or less take care of themselves over the long haul— if the relationship/s is/are solid gold. 33. The Gold Standard in selling: INDISPENSABLE to the Client. No other goal is worthy. 34. Never stop growing-broadening-deepening the relationship. The key to “indispensability” is to get the Client more and more … and more … and then more … imbedded in “our” web. Hence the so-called “selling process” is only the first step! 35. USE THE WORD “WE” … CONSTANTLY & RELIGIOUSLY! (E.g.: “We”—the Client & me—“are going to change the world with this service.”) 36. Don’t waste your time on jerks—it’ll rarely work out in the mid- to long-term. 37. Genius is walking away from lousy “scores” (deals)—and accepting the attendant heat. Big Business is the premier home to Big Egos overpaying by a factor of 2 to 22 with billion$$$$ at stake. (Think Jerry Levin and AOL Time Warner.)

“ If you don’t listen, you don’t sell anything.” —Carolyn Marland/ Managing Director/ Guardian Group

38. You haven’t a clue as to how this situation will actually play out—be prepared to move fast in a different direction. 39. Keep your word. 40. KEEP YOUR WORD. 41. Underpromise (i.e., don’t over-promise; i.e., cut yourself a little slack) even if it costs you business—winning is a long-term affair. Over-promising is Sign #1 of a lack of integrity. You will pay the piper. 42. There is such a thing as a “good loss”—if you’ve tested something new and developed good relationships. A half-dozen honorable, ingenious losses over a two-year period can pave the way for a Big Victory in a New Space in year 3. 43. It’s a competitive world out there. New, innovative products are harder to sell than old stand-bys. Nonetheless, you will be a long-term star to the extent that you are willing to push the harder-to-sell-at-the-moment Innovative Products that cement long-term Client success (Indispensability!) —even if it means a #s hit this quarter. PART OF YOUR JOB: TAKE CLIENTS ON AN ADVENTURE THAT PUTS THEM AHEAD OF THE GAME CALLED (GAMECHANGING—hopefully) COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE!

“ You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” —Dale Carnegie

44. Think “legacy”—what the hell is all this really about for you and the world? (“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” —Mary Oliver) 45. THERE ARE NO “MODERATES” IN THE HISTORY BOOKS! 46. Keep it simple! (Damn it!) No matter how “sophisticated” the product. If you can’t explain it in a phrase, a page, or to your 14-year-old ... you haven’t got it right yet. 47. Know more than the next guy. Homework pays. (of course it’s obvious—but in my work it is too often honored in the breach.) 48. Regardless of project size, winning or losing invariably hinges on a raft of “little stuff.” Little stuff is and always has been everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!—or, “one man’s little stuff is another man’s 7.6 Richter deal-breaker.” 49. In public settings in particular, face saving is all. When something changes, allow the other guy to come out looking like a winner, especially if he has lost. (Even if you must accept the egg on your face—he will always remember you!) 50. Don’t hold grudges. (It is the ultimate in small mindedness—and incredibly wasteful and ineffective. There’s always tomorrow.)

51. IT’S ALWAYS “THE POLITICS”— wee private-sector deal or giant public sector deal. (Every player, small or large, is angling for something. Master the calculus of advantage.) 52. To beat the “turnover problem” in key Client posts amidst long negotiations, invest outrageous amounts of time building a wide & deep set of relationships with mid-level (& lower!!) “plodding” “careerists.” The invisible careerists are the bedrock upon which repeated success is built! (My “Capitol Hill Axiom”: It’s the 24-year-old LA who in the end briefs the Senator right before she goes to the Floor to vote.) 53. Speaking of “she”: Gender differences are Enormous—dealing with a woman and dealing with a man are different kettles of fish—you must become an A+ student of gender differences. (E.g.: Men are typically more interested in the short-term “score.” Women are more interested in the long-term consequences.) 54. “LITTLE PEOPLE” OFTEN HAVE BIG FRIENDS. 55. This is not war, damn it. All parties can win (or not lose, anyway). And losing bidders can walk away from a deal with increased respect for you and your team.

56. Never, ever dump on a competitor—the Tom Watson IBM glory-days mantra. 57. Never forget the “Law of Cousins!” In developing nations in particular, power brokers at all levels are at least cousins! Consideration for a second cousin can pay off big time. 58. Speaking of “favors,” jail sucks. 59. Work hard beats work smart. (Mostly.) 60. REPEAT: HE/SHE WHO HAS THE MOST-BEST RELATIONSHIPS WINS. RELATIONSHIPS ARE THE ESSENCE OF THE WORK OF THE SALESPERSON. THE HARD ... AND LONG ... WORK OF THE SALESPERSON. 61. Mano v mano “hardball” is seldom the answer—end runs based and patient multi-level relationship building via deeper-wider networks win. 62. If the deal is wired from below, truly wired, than the so-called “big negotiations” are essentially irrelevant. 63. If every quarter is a “little better” than the prior quarter—then you are not taking any serious risks. 64. Phones beat email.

“ Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm. ” — Samuel Taylor Coleridge

65. A THREE-MINUTE CALL TODAY CAN AVOID A GAME-LOSER OF A FIASCO NEXT MONTH. There was always a time when a little thing could have been addressed that headed off a subsequent big thing. As to avoiding that call, didn’t someone say, “Pride goeth before the fall”? 66. Be hyper-organized about relationship management—you are in the anthropology business. Study the great pols! Brilliant NRM (network relationship management) is not accidental! It is not catch-as-catch can. (Football analogies are cute—but deep political understanding pays the private-school tuition.) 67. Obsess on ROIR (Return On Investment In Relationships). 68. “THANK YOU” NOTES: World’s highest-return investment!! 69. The way to anyone’s heart: Doing a nice thing for their kid. (But, gawd, does this take a gentle touch.) 70. Scoring off other people is stupid. Winners are always in the business of creating the maximum # of winners—among adversaries at least as much as among “partners.” 71. Your colleagues’ successes are your successes. Period. (Trust me, my greatest personal success—financially as well as artistically—has been creating a bigger pond in which everyone wins, even if my “market share” is down.)

72. Lend a helping hand, especially when you don’t have the time. E.g. share relationships—the more you give away the more you get in return (just like they say in church). 73. Listen up: “It was much later that I realized Dad’s secret. He gained respect by giving it. He talked and listened to the fourth-grade kids in Spring Valley who shined shoes the same way he talked and listened to a bishop or a college president. He was seriously interested in who you were and what you had to say.” —Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Respect. (I.e., Respect is Cool.) 74. Mentoring is a thrill— and the practical payoff is enormous. The best mentors have the whole world working its buns off for them! 75. Hire for enthusiasm. Promote for enthusiasm. Cherish enthusiasm. REMOVE NON-ENTHUSIASTS—THEY ARE CANCERS. (“Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm.”—Samuel Taylor Coleridge. “A man without a smiling face must not open a shop.”—Chinese Proverb.) 76. IT’S ALWAYS YOUR PROBLEM—you sold it to them.

77. It’s never over: While there may be an excellent service activity in your company, the “relationship” belongs to You! Hence the “aftersales” “moments of truth” are at least as—if not more than*--important to the Continuing Relationship as the sale “transaction” itself. (*I vote for “more than.”) You’ll get your biggest “points” with the Client for being an effective after-the-fact go-between with your company. 78. Don’t get too hung up on “systems integration”—first & foremost, the individual bits have got to work. 79. For God’s sake don’t over promise on “systems integration”—it’s nigh on impossible to deliver. 80. On the other hand … winners clamber Up the Value-added Ladder, and offer ever so much more than “mere” product. ALL SUCCESSFUL SALES PEOPLE ARE IN THE “SOLUTIONS BUSINESS”—no matter how jargony that may sound.

81. “Systems” / “Solutions” selling means grappling directly with “culture change” in Client organizations. (“The business of selling is not just about matching viable solutions to the customers that require them. It’s equally about managing the change process the customer will need to go through to implement the solution and achieve the value promised by the solution”—Jeff Thull, The Prime Solution: Close the Value Gap, Increase Margins, and Win the Complex Sale ) 82. Shit happens. That’s what they pay you for. 83. This is not a “GE” or “Ben & Jerry’s” sale—it is a Joe Jones/Jane Jones sale. YOU ARE THE “BRAND” THE CLIENT BUYS—especially over the long haul. 84. Duh: You make money, the company makes money—on repeat business. 85. Master—yes, you—the “PR” Game. “Word of Mouth” is not accidental! You want Word of Mouth? Make it happen! 86. GOAL #1: MAKE YOUR CLIENT A HERO—YOU ARE NOT THERE TO GET CREDIT. (“Taking credit” is for egomaniacs. And losers.) 87. “Decent margins,” over the mid- to long-term, are a product of better relationships, not better “negotiating skill.” (Mostly.)

“ You can’t behave in a calm, rational manner. You’ve got to be out there on the lunatic fringe.” — Jack Welch

88. In the immortal words of ex-GE Vice Chairman Larry Bossidy, more or less, “Realism rocks.” (“Bullshit artist” and “great salesperson,” contrary to conventional wisdom, are Diametric Opposites. “Truthteller” and Great Salesperson is more like it.) 89. Be the first to tell the Client bad news (e.g., slipped delivery); his intelligence sources will tell him fast—you want to be there first with your story and to enhance your rep as Truthteller! 90. Work like hell to get a reputation as a valued industry expert, to become an industry resource. 91. Work the Trade Association angle for all its worth—it may take a decade to pay off—e.g., when you become an officer or are on an important panel or testify Before Congress. 92. PAY YOUR DUES IN THE CLIENT ORG AND IN YOUR OWN ORG! 93. It’s all bloody tactics. 94. You must ... LOVE .... the product! (Period.) 95. YOU MUST LOVE THE PRODUCT! 96. Don’t over-schedule. “Running late” is inexcusable at any level of seniority; it is the ultimate mark of self-importance mixed with contempt.

97. Women are better salespeople. (See Addendum.) 98. Women alone understand Women. 99. Actually, Women by and large understand Men better than Men understand Men. 100.Women purchasers buy Stories and recommendations. 101. Women take longer to become Loyal purchasers, but then stay Loyal. 102. Men buy Stats. 103. Men decide fast, but are fickle. 104. Men & Women are … VERY, VERY … Different. 105. Women buy most things. Consumer. Increasingly, professional goods and services. 106. Women’s Market is Opportunity #1. 107. Boomers. Many, many. Lots & lots & lots of … $$$. 108. Boomers-Geezers are very different purchasers than those in other categories.

Women Rock … as Salespersons (From Item #97.) And the answers are? “ TAKE THIS QUICK QUIZ: Who manages more things at once? Who puts more effort into their appearance? Who usually takes care of the details? Who finds it easier to meet new people? Who asks more questions in a conversation? Who is a better listener? Who has more interest in communication skills? Who is more inclined to get involved? Who encourages harmony and agreement? Who has better intuition? Who works with a longer ‘to do’ list? Who enjoys a recap to the day’s events? Who is better at keeping in touch with others?” Source: Selling Is a Woman’s Game: 15 Powerful Reasons Why Women Can Outsell Men , Nicki Joy & Susan Kane-Benson

109. It takes time to get to know people. (DUH.) 110. The very idea of “efficiency” in relationship development is ... STUPID. 111. MBWA (still) rules. 112. “Preparing the soil” is the “first 98 percent.” (Or more.) 113. WORK THE PHONES! 114. Rule 5K-5M: 5K miles for a 5-Minute meeting often makes sense. (Yes, often.) (Even with constrained travel budgets.) (Thanks, super-agent Mark McCormack.) 115. Become a student! Study great salespeople! (Including Presidents.) (“Natural” is a little bit true—but then Naturals are always the ones who study hardest—e.g., Jerry Rice.) 116. Become a student! Yes, you can study Relationship Building. So, study … 117. Beware complexifiers and complicators. (Truly “smart people” ... Simplify things.)

118. The smartest guy in the room rarely wins—alas, he usually is aware he’s the smartest guy. (And needn’t waste his time on that “soft relationship crap.”) 119. Be kind. It works. 120. Be especially kind when there are screw-ups. (There’s plenty of time later to Play the Great Accountability Game.) 121. Presidents never tire of being treated like Presidents. 122. Luck matters. Good luck!

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