5. The Twain SHALL Meet!
Leadership: Invite
Associates/Colleagues/Talent to
join a Gaspworthy Adventure in
EXCELLENCE which will provide
matchless Personal and Professional
Growth and be of Dramatically
Different Service
to selected Clients
Management: Do it!
6. LEADERSHIP (Eternal!):
Invigorate a sizeable # of
people to Aspire to Excellence
in pursuit of a Common
(Noble) Goal that revolves
around service-of-exceptional-
value to Clients
7. “Execution is
the job of the
business
leader.” —Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
10. “Never forget
implementation boys.
In our work it’s what I
call the ‘missing 98
percent’ of the client
puzzle.” —Al McDonald, former Managing Director,
McKinsey & Co.
11. “Leadership” v. “Management”
“In [President Bush’s] belief that
America needed to respond
resolutely to the dangers of
terrorism, tyranny and
proliferation, he was mainly
right. His chief failures stem
from incompetent execution.”
—The Economist/05.13.2006
12. “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
13. You only find
oil if you
drill wells.
Source: The Hunters, by John Masters, Canadian O & G wildcatter
15. Duct Tape Rules!
“Andrew Higgins, who built landing craft
in WWII, refused to hire graduates of
engineering schools. He believed that
they only teach you what you can’t do in
engineering school. He started off with
20 employees, and by the middle of the
war had 30,000 working for him. He
turned out 20,000 landing craft. D.D.
Eisenhower told me, ‘Andrew Higgins
won the war for us. He did it without
engineers.’ ” —Stephen Ambrose/Fast Company
16. 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 …
17. 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
18. 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”
20. “Pee Cee Eee-squared X-
squared/PCEEXX:
People
Customers
Enthusiasm
Energy
eXecution
eXcellence
21. 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”
23. “A generation of American officers had been schooled to believe the
art of generalship required rigid adherence to certain textbook
theorems.”/page 151 “The nature of Grant’s greatness has been a
riddle to many observers. … did not hedge his bets … disregarded
explicit instructions … nothing to fall back on … violating every
maxim held dear by the military profession … new dimension: ability
to learn from the battlefield … finished near the bottom of his [West
Point] class in tactics … carried the fight to the enemy … maintain
the momentum of the attack … military greatness is the ability to
recognize and respond to opportunities presented.”/152-3 “Grant
had an aversion to digging in.”/153 “Grant had an intangible
advantage. He knew what he wanted.”/153 “Grant’s seven-mile dash
changed the course of the war.”/157 “The one who attacks first will
be victorious.”/158 “dogged”/159 “unconditional surrender”/162
“simplicity and determination”/166 “quickness of mind that allowed
him to make on the spot adjustments … [his] battles were not
elegant set-piece operations”/166 “[other Union general] preferred
preparation to execution … became a friend of detail … suffered
from ‘the slows’ …”/170 Message to Halleck from McClellan: “Do not
hesitate to arrest him” [following great victory]/172 … “learned how
to withstand attacks from the rear” [Army politics]/179
24. “He never credited the enemy with the capacity to take the
offensive.”/185 “tenacity [like Wellington]”/187 “I haven’t despaired
of whipping them yet” [at avery low point]/195 “Both sides seemed
defeated and whoever assumed the offensive was sure to win.”/200
… “inchoate bond [between Grant and soldiers]”/201 … “The genius
of Grant’s command style lay in its simplicity. Grant never burdened
his division commanders with excessive detail. … no elaborate staff
conferences, no written orders prescribing deployment. … Grant
recognized the battlefield was in flux. By not specifying movements
in detail, he left his subordinate commanders free to exploit
whatever opportunities developed.”/202 “If anyone other than
Grant had been in command, the Union army certainly would have
retreated.”/204 Lincoln (urged to fire Grant): “I can’t spare this
man; he fights.”/205 “Grant turned defeat into Union victory.”/206
“moved on intuition, which he often could not explain or
justify.”/208 “instinctive recognition that victory lay in relentlessly
hounding a defeated army into surrender.”/213 Nathan Bedford
Forrest, successful Confederate commander: “amenable to no
known rules of procedure, was a law unto himself for all military
acts, and was constantly doing the unexpected at all times
and places.”/213
25. “The commanding general would be in the field”/228 Lincoln:
“What I want, and what the people want, is generals who will fight
battles and win victories. Grant has done this and I propose to stand
by him.”/231 “retains his hold upon the affections of his men”/232
“Grant’s moral courage—his willingness to choose a path frrom
which there could be no return—set him apart from most
commanders … were [Grant and Lee] were uniquely willing to take
full responsibility for their actions.”/233 “ … modest … honest …
nothing could perturb … never faltered …”/233 “plan was
breathtakingly simple but fraught with peril”/235 “demonstrating
the flexibility that had become his hallmark”/238 “But like any West
Point trained general, he had difficulty comprehending what Grant
was up to …”/240 “recognized the value of momentum … throw off
balance … blitzkreig … traveling light … headquarters in the
saddle”/243 “acted as quartermaster”/243 [rushed away so that he
couldn’t receive Halleck’s order] … “like Lord Nelson … telescope to
his blind eye” … “pressing ahead on his own”/245 “focus on the
enemy’s weakness rather than his own”/250
26. "The art of war is simple
enough. Find out where
your enemy is. Get at him
as soon as you can. Strike
at him as hard as you can
and as often as you can,
and keep moving on." —Grant,
courtesy Richard Cauley at tompeters.com
(original source unknown)
27. “The art of war does not
require complicated
maneuvers; the simplest are
the best, and common sense
is fundamental. From which
one might wonder how it is
generals make blunders; it is
because they try to be
clever.” —Napoleon on Simplicity, from
Napoleon on Project Management by Jerry Manas.
28. “Above all the troops appreciated Grant’s unassuming manner. Most
generals went about attended by a retinue of immaculately tailored
staff officers. Grant usually rode alone, except for an orderly or two
to carry messages if the need arose. Another soldier said the
soldiers looked on Grant ‘as a friendly partner, not an arbitrary
commander.’ Instead of cheering as he rode by, they would ‘greet
him as they would sddress one of their neighbors at home. ‘Good
morning, General,’ ‘Pleasant day, General’ … There was no
nonsense, no sentiment; only a plain businessman of the republic,
there for the one single purpose of getting that command over the
river in the shortest time possible.’” [Grant: 5-feet 8-inches with a
slouch]/232 After the victory at Chattanooga: “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.’”/ 281 “Grant was unhappy about going into winter
quarters. He saw no reason to keep the army idle, and the pause
would give the rebels time to reorganize.”/282
29. “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
30. From LEE KENNETT’s SHERMAN: “Grant tended to be a simple
listener when these two strategies [for taking Vicksburg] were
being discussed. His own preference may have been impelled as
much by natural inclination as by any arguments he heard. He
wrote afterward: ‘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.’”/ 202
31. “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
32. CWVA to MBWA: “In these
days of telegraph and
steam I can command
while traveling and
visiting about.”—U.S. Grant
Managing by wandering
around”—HP circa 1980
Source: Ulysses S. Grant, by Geoffrey Perret
33. TP’s take: Intuition takes precedence (listen attentively but act on
intuition) … Move today > perfect plan tomorrow [subsequent Patton
line] … Great advantage: When moving, you know what you’re up to
and you’re moving [the one sitting still is, thence, always reactive]
[Boyd: quickest O.O.D.A. loops/Observe. Orient. Decide. Act.
Disorient enemy] … Action! ... Keep moving! … Engage! … Offense!
[weakness-strength: can’t even imagine enemy counter-attacking;
little conception of defense] … Momentum! …. Keep ‘em off balance
… … Adjust … Adapt … … Opportunism! … Constantly revise in
accordance with conditions and opportunities in the field [life =
excellence at “Plan B”] … Doggedness … Relentless!! [trait shaped
in early childhhood] … Never retreat … Simplicity! … Wide latitude
for division commanders … minimum written orders, conferences,
etc … keep his own council … HQ is Grant & his horse … no retinue!
… commune with soldiers/exude quiet confidence/Approachable …
decent … Self-accountability! … Evade orders (or ignore) … Share
harm & hardship … total victory/ demand “unconditional
surrender”—G’s first claim to fame [Nelson: other Admirals avoid
loss, friend and foe as in Grant’s case vs Nelson’s seek victory] …
[Life 101: politics between the Generals:
E.g., Grant & Halleck]
34. Insubordinate (when it comes to
delays)/N
Action-oriented/Offense/
Total victory/N
Relentless
Troop Commander par Excellence/N
Leeway to Commanders/N
36. “I saw that leaders placed too much
emphasis on what some call high-
level strategy, on intellectualizing
and philosophizing, and not enough on
implementation. People would agree
on a project or initiative, and then
nothing would come of it.” —Larry Bossidy
& Ram Charan/
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
37. “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
38. “Execution is
the job of the
business
leader.” —Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
40. The Leader’s Seven Essential
Behaviors
*Know your people and your
business
*Insist on realism
*Set clear goals and priorities
*Follow through
*Reward the doers
*Expand people’s capabilities
*Know yourself
Source: Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things
45. “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
47. “The person who is a little less
conceptual but is absolutely determined
to succeed will usually find the right
people and get them together to achieve
objectives. I’m not knocking education
or looking for dumb people. But if you
have to choose between someone with a
staggering IQ and an elite education
who’s gliding along, and someone with a
lower IQ but who is absolutely
determined to succeed, you’ll always do
better with the second person.”
—Larry Bossidy (Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done)
48. Duct Tape Rules!
“Andrew Higgins, who built landing craft
in WWII, refused to hire graduates of
engineering schools. He believed that
they only teach you what you can’t do in
engineering school. He started off with
20 employees, and by the middle of the
war had 30,000 working for him. He
turned out 20,000 landing craft. D.D.
Eisenhower told me, ‘Andrew Higgins
won the war for us. He did it without
engineers.’ ” —Stephen Ambrose/Fast Company
49. Ye gads: “Thomas Stanley has not only
found no correlation between success
in school and an ability to accumulate
wealth, he’s actually found a negative
correlation. ‘It seems that school-related evaluations are
poor predictors of economic success,’ Stanley concluded. What did
predict success was a willingness to take risks. Yet the success-
failure standards of most schools penalized risk takers. Most
educational systems reward those who play it safe. As a result, those
who do well in school find it hard to take risks later on.”
—Richard Farson & Ralph Keyes, Whoever Makes the Most Mistakes Wins
51. 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 …
52. 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
