1. Welcome to Tom Peters “PowerPoint World”
Welcome to Tom Peters “PowerPoint World”! Beyond the set of slides here, you will find at tompeters.com the last eight years of presentations, a basketful of “Special Presentations,” and, above all, Tom’s constantly updated Master Presentation—from which most of the slides in this presentation are drawn. There are about 3,500 slides in the 7-part “Master Presentation.” The first five “chapters” constitute the main argument:
Part I is context. Part II is devoted entirely to innovation—the sine qua non, as perhaps never before, of survival. In earlier incarnations of the “master,” “innovation” “stuff” was scattered throughout the presentation—now it is front and center and a stand-alone. Part III is a variation on the innovation theme—but it is organized to examine the imperative (for most everyone in the developed-emerging world) of an ultra high value-added strategy. A “value-added ladder” (the “ladder” configuration lifted with gratitude from Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore’s Experience Economy) lays out a specific logic for necessarily leaving commodity-like goods and services in the dust. Part IV argues that in this age of “micro-marketing” there are two macro-markets of astounding size that are dramatically under-attended by all but a few; namely women and boomers-geezers. Part V underpins the overall argument with the necessary bedrock—Talent, with brief consideration of Education & Healthcare. Part VI examines Leadership for turbulent times from several angles. Part VII is a collection of a dozen Lists—such as Tom’s “Irreducible 209,” 209 “things I’ve learned along the way.”
Enjoy! Download! “Steal”—that’s the whole point!

2. NOTE: To appreciate this presentation [and ensure that it is not a mess], you need Microsoft fonts: “Showcard Gothic,” “Ravie,” “Chiller” and “Verdana”

3. Tom Peters’ X25. EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS
Tom Peters’ X25* EXCELLENCE. ALWAYS. World Marketing and Innovation Forum Madrid/19 November *In Search of Excellence

4. #1/14

5. Source: Anon. (Posted @ tompeters.com by
“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. tompeters.com by
K.Sriram, November 27, :17 AM)

6. If Not
Excellence,
What?

7. #2

8. 25

9. #3-4

10. Conrad Hilton, at a gala celebrating his life, was asked, “What was the most important lesson you’ve learned in your long and distinguished career?” His immediate answer: “remember to tuck the shower curtain inside the bathtub” 10

11. “Execution is strategy.” —Fred Malek

12. <TGW vs. >TGR

13. #5

14. “one idea.”

15. What makes God laugh?

16. People making plans!

17. 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. Screw it up. Try it. Try it. Try it. Try it. Try it. Try it. Try it. Screw it up. it. Try it. Try it. try it. Try it. Screw it up. Try it. Try it. Try it.

18. “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

19. ready with wires and screws, we are on version
“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

20. “Fail . Forward. Fast.” High Tech CEO, Pennsylvania

21. “The secret of fast progress is inefficiency, fast and furious and numerous failures.” —Kevin Kelly

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

23. #6

24. The last word: There is no “last word.”24

25. Headline, Wall Street Journal,
3 October 2007: “Wal*Mart Era Wanes Amid Big Shifts In Retail: Rivals Find Strategies To Defeat Low Prices; World Has Changed”
Sentence #1: “The Wal*Mart Era, the retailer’s time of overwhelming business and social influence in America, is drawing to a close.”

26. Built to Last vs Built to Change/Rock the World

27. #7

28. TP: “How to flush $500,000 down the toilet in one easy lesson!!”

29. < CAPEX > People!

30. Brand = Talent.

31. #7A

32. 

33. #7B

34. 53 = 53 34

35. #7c

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

37. “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

38. #7d

39. “Leaders ‘SERVE’ people. Period.” —inspired by Robert Greenleaf

40. “We are a ‘Life Success’ Company.” Dave Liniger, founder, RE/MAX

41. #8

42. “Do one thing every day that scares you.” —Eleanor Roosevelt

43. Kevin Roberts’ Credo 1. Ready. Fire. Aim. 2. If it ain’t broke
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 Avoid moderation!

44. #8a

45. “Every child is born an artist. The trick is to remain an artist
“Every child is born an artist. The trick is to remain an artist.” —Picasso

46. “My wife and I went to a [kindergarten] parent-teacher conference and were informed that our budding refrigerator artist, Christopher, would be receiving a grade of Unsatisfactory in art. We were shocked. How could any child—let alone our child—receive a poor grade in art at such a young age? His teacher informed us that he had refused to color within the lines, which was a state requirement for demonstrating ‘grade-level motor skills.’ ” —Jordan Ayan, AHA!

47. 15 “Leading” Biz Schools Design/Core: 0 Design/Elective: 1 Creativity/Core: 0 Creativity/Elective: 4 Innovation/Core: 0 Innovation/Elective: 6 Source: DMI/Summer 2002/Research by Thomas Lockwood

48. “Deutsche Bank Moves Half of Its Back-office Jobs to India”/ headline/FT/0327 (500 of 900 Research)48

49. Muhammad Yunus: “All human beings are entrepreneurs
Muhammad Yunus: “All human beings are entrepreneurs. When we were in the caves we were all self-employed finding our food, feeding ourselves. That’s where human history began As civilization came we suppressed it. We became labor because they stamped us, ‘You are labor.’ We forgot that we are entrepreneurs.”
Source: Muhammad Yunus/2006 Nobel Peace prize winner, father of micro-lending /The News Hour—PBS/

50. #9

51. Single greatest act of pure imagination
web

52. 24%
web

53. dubai
web

54. $20,000,000,000
web

55. No Wiggle Room. “Incrementalism is innovation’s worst enemy
No Wiggle Room! “Incrementalism is innovation’s worst enemy.” —Nicholas Negroponte

56. 3M’s Innovation Crisis: How Six Sigma Almost Smothered Its Idea Culture Source: Title/Cover Story, BW, (“What’s remarkable is how fast a culture can be torn apart,” 3M lead scientist; “In an innovation economy, [6 Sigma] is no longer a cure all”/BW)

57. #10

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

59. 3. Autonomy and Entrepreneurship 4. Productivity Through People
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”

60. *In Search of Excellence
“Breakthrough” 82*
People!
Customers!
Action!
Values!
*In Search of Excellence

61. Why in the
World did you
go to Siberia?
web

62. Enterprise* ** (*at its best): An emotional, vital, innovative, joyful, creative, entrepreneurial endeavor that elicits maximum
concerted human
potential in the wholehearted service of others.** **Employees, Customers, Suppliers, Communities, Owners, Temporary partners 62

63. *TP: An “organization” is, in fact and after all
“I have always believed that the purpose of the corporation is to be a blessing to the employees.” * —Boyd Clarke
*TP: An “organization” is, in fact and after all
is said and done, a/the “house” in which most of us “live” most of the time.

64. Organizations exist to serve. Period. Leaders live to serve. Period.
Passionate servant leaders, determined to create a legacy of earthshaking transformation in their domain create/must necessarily create organizations which are … no less than Cathedrals in which the full and awesome power of the Imagination and Spirit and native Entrepreneurial flair of diverse individuals is unleashed … In passionate pursuit of jointly perceived soaring purpose and personal and community and client service Excellence.

65. #11

66. I’m so angry I could scream* (*so I will!)

67. Rocket Science? Buffett I: But what about the value of the underlying asset?

68. #11A

69. Hard Is Soft Soft Is Hard

70. Hard Is Soft (Plans, #s) Soft Is Hard (people, customers, values, relationships))

71. Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance
“If I could have chosen not to tackle the IBM culture head-on, I probably wouldn’t have. My bias coming in was toward strategy, analysis and measurement. In comparison, changing the attitude and behaviors of hundreds of thousands of people is very, very hard. [Yet] I came to see in my time at IBM that culture isn’t just one aspect of the game —it is the game.” —Lou Gerstner,
Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance

72. #11B

73. Hard Is Soft Soft Is Hard

74. 95%

75. “What I learned from my years as a hostage negotiator is that we do not have to feel powerless—and that bonding is the antidote to the hostage situation.” —George Kohlrieser, Hostage at the Table

76. Women’s Negotiating Strengths
Women’s Negotiating Strengths *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 21st-century negotiator will need the female touch”

77. #11C

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

79. Women Leaders’ Time Has Come … Project team (old): 23 people, all from our company (More or less amenable to “orders”) Project team (new): 43 people from 7 companies in 4 countries on 3 continents (Moved only by effective persuasion and development of common commitment) “Worker,” circa 1982: Rote work, incl. most white-collar work (Amenable to “orders,” power exercised directly) “Worker,” circa 2007: Project work, team work, mixed-group work, creative work, co-creation with client—microprocessors do the “rote stuff” (Commitment is voluntary, leadership is by developing positive relationships, inducing “creatives” to stretch, power exercised indirectly)

80. Women Can Outsell Men, Nicki Joy & Susan Kane-Benson
“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

81. #11d

82. Hard Is Soft Soft Is Hard

83. R.O.I.R. 83

84. Return On Investment In Relationships84

85. #11e

86. Relationships (of all varieties): THERE ONCE WAS A TIME WHEN A THREE-MINUTE PHONE CALL WOULD HAVE AVOIDED SETTING OFF THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL THAT RESULTED IN A COMPLETE RUPTURE.

87. THE PROBLEM IS RARELY/NEVER THE PROBLEM
THE PROBLEM IS RARELY/NEVER THE PROBLEM. THE RESPONSE TO THE PROBLEM INVARIABLY ENDS UP BEING THE REAL PROBLEM.

88. “I’m really sorry.”

89. #12

90. Don’t forget the “it”!

91. “It suddenly occurred to me …

92. “It suddenly occurred to me that in the space of two or three hours he never talked about cars.” —Les Wexner            

93. Did one of ’em ever turn to the other and say: “Wow I wonder what unimaginable new tools, otherwise not possible, will be quickly brought forth for my 19-year-old daughter Anne because of this deal?”

94. #12A

95. Who buys-uses “it”/1: Sunset for men!

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

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

98. “Goldman Sachs in Tokyo has developed an index of 115 companies poised to benefit from women’s increased purchasing power; over the past decade the value of shares in Goldman’s basket has risen by 96%, against the Tokyo stockmarket’s rise
of 13%.” —Economist, April 15

99. Cases! Cases! Cases! McDonald’s (“mom-centered” to “majority consumer”; not via kids) Home Depot (“Do it [everything!] Herself”) P&G (more than “house cleaner”) DeBeers (“right-hand rings”/$4B) AXA Financial Kodak (women = “emotional centers of the household”) Nike (> jock endorsements; new def sports; majority consumer) Avon Bratz (young girls want “friends,” not a blond stereotype) Source: Fara Warner/The Power of the Purse

100. So what exactly is the point of men?
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
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?

101. “One thing is certain: Women’s rise to power, which is linked to the increase in wealth per capita, is happening in all domains and at all levels of society. Women are no longer content to provide efficient labor or to be consumers with rising budgets and more autonomy to spend. … This is just the beginning. The phenomenon will only grow as girls prove to be more successful than boys in the school system. For a number of observers, we have already entered the age of ‘womenomics,’ the economy as thought out and practiced by a woman.” —Aude Zieseniss de Thuin, Financial Times,

102. #12B

103. Who buys-uses “it”/2: Sunrise for old folks!

104. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“People turning 50 today have more than half of their adult life ahead of them.” —Bill Novelli, 50+: Igniting a Revolution to Reinvent America

105. 7/13

106. 2000-2010 Stats 18-44: -1% 55+: +21% (55-64: +47%)

107. We are the Aussies & Kiwis & Americans & Canadians
We are the Aussies & Kiwis & Americans & Canadians. We are the Western Europeans & Japanese. We are the fastest growing, the biggest, the wealthiest, the boldest, the most (yes) ambitious, the most experimental & exploratory, the most different, the most indulgent, the most difficult & demanding, the most service & experience obsessed, the most vigorous, (the least vigorous,) the most health conscious, the most female, the most profoundly important commercial market in the history of the world—and we will be the Center of your universe for the next twenty-five years. We have arrived!

108. #13

109. “gurugate”: The Gurus’ fixation with “the wrong stuff”
“gurugate”: The Gurus’ fixation with “the wrong stuff”* *Not “they,” but “us.”

110. Over-rated: Big companies. Public companies. “Cool” industries
Over-rated: Big companies! Public companies! “Cool” industries! Stability (“Built to last”)! Famous CEOs!

111. Over-rated: Big companies. Public companies. “Cool” industries
Over-rated: Big companies! Public companies! “Cool” industries! Stability (“Built to last”)! Famous CEOs!

112. “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

113. “Mr. Foster and his McKinsey colleagues collected detailed performance data stretching back 40 years for 1,000 U.S. companies. They found that none of the long-term survivors managed to outperform the market. Worse, the longer companies had been in the database, the worse they did.” —Financial Times

114. Dick Kovacevich: You don’t get better by being bigger. You get worse.”

115. #4 Japan #2T china #2t USA #1 Germany

116. Reason!!! Mittelstand

117. Over-rated: Big companies. Public companies. “Cool” industries
Over-rated: Big companies! Public companies! “Cool” industries! Stability (“Built to last”)! Famous CEOs!

118. Family Businesses Two-thirds of total #s of companies One-half of biggest companies >One-half GDP >One-half employment 6% more profitable 7% better ROA Higher income growth Higher revenue growth Source: John Davis, HBS

119. Over-rated: Big companies. Public companies. “Cool” industries
Over-rated: Big companies! Public companies! “Cool” industries! Stability (“Built to last”)! Famous CEOs!

120. Jim’s Group

121. Jim’s Dog Wash Jim’s Mowing Jim’s Antennas Jim’s Bookkeeping
Jim’s Building Maintenance
Jim’s Carpet Cleaning
Jim’s Car Cleaning
Jim’s Computer Services
Jim’s Dog Wash
Jim’s Driving School
Jim’s Fencing
Jim’s Floors
Jim’s Painting
Jim’s Paving
Jim’s Pergolas [gazebos]
Jim’s Pool Care
Jim’s Pressure Cleaning
Jim’s Roofing
Jim’s Security Doors
Jim’s Trees
Jim’s Window Cleaning
Jim’s Windscreens
121

122. Over-rated: Big companies. Public companies. “Cool” industries
Over-rated: Big companies! Public companies! “Cool” industries! Stability (“Built to last”)! Famous CEOs!

123. “Natural selection is death
“Natural selection is death. ... Without huge amounts of death, organisms do not change over time. ... Death is the mother of structure. ... It took four billion years of death ... to invent the human mind ...” — The Cobra Event

124. Over-rated: Big companies. Public companies. “Cool” industries
Over-rated: Big companies! Public companies! “Cool” industries! Stability (“Built to last”)! Famous CEOs!

125. Mission impossible? $36B/’98 minus $675M/‘07
125

126. Market capitalization lost per day, 1998-2007: $10,000,000/Day
126

127. Lived in same town all adult life
*Lived in same town all adult life *First generation that’s wealthy/ no parental support *“Don’t look like millionaires, don’t dress like millionaires, don’t eat like millionaires, don’t act like millionaires” *“Many of the types of businesses [they] are in could be classified as ‘dull-normal.’ [They] are welding contractors, auctioneers, scrap-metal dealers, lessors of portable toilets, dry cleaners, re-builders of diesel engines, paving contractors …” Source: The Millionaire Next Door, Thomas Stanley & William Danko

128. The “Fabulous Five”:. SMEs. Private companies. “Dull” industries
The “Fabulous Five”: *SMEs! *Private companies! *“Dull” industries! *Productive churn: Built to Rock the World! *Laudable CEOs!

129. #14

130. And in conclusion …

131. Sir Richard’s Rules: Follow your passions. Keep it simple
Sir Richard’s Rules: Follow your passions. Keep it simple. Get the best people to help you. Re-create yourself. Play. Source: Fortune on Branson

132. 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

133. If Not
Excellence,
What?