When I was in medical school, I spent

hundreds of hours looking into a

microscopea skill I never needed to

Yet I didn't
have a sin g le class that
tau g ht me
communication or
teamwork skills something I
know or ever use.

need every day I walk into the

hospital.

Peter Pronovost (introduced checklists to ICUs/healthcare)

Hard
Soft

[numbers, plans]

[people/relationships]

is Soft.
is Hard.

 If I could have chosen not to tackle the IBM culture headon,

I probably wouldnt have. My bias coming in was toward
strategy, analysis and measurement. In comparison,
changing the attitude and behaviors of hundreds of

Yet I
came to see in my time at
IBM that culture isnt just
one aspect of the game
thousands of people is very, very hard.

IT IS THE
G AME .
Lou Gerstner, Who Says Elephants Cant Dance

The Four Values/

Agile Project Management
Manifesto
Value #1: Individuals and interactions
over processes and tools
Value #2: Working software over
comprehensive
documentation
Value #3: Customer collaboration over
contract negotiation
Value #4: Responding to change over

Tom Peters

The Project Leadership

EXCELLENCE 42
PMI Leadership Institute Meeting 2014
Phoenix/23 October 2014
Slides at tompeters.com
(Also see our 23-part Master Compendium at excellencenow.com)

The Project Leadership EXCELLENCE 42

1. Politics as nuisance-distraction vs.

Politics Is Life . RELISH It .

2. IQ > EQ vs. EQ > IQ .
3. Buttoned down to a fault vs.

I am a dispenser of enthusiasm. Ben

Zander

4. We dont have time for niceties vs.

CIVILITY. ALWAYS.
5. Theres always some damn thing vs.

Live for the madness per se. ( Antifragile N.N.

Taleb )
6 . This is a time of enormous change, which must be
reflected in our work vs. The greatest

shortcoming of the human race is our

inability
to understand the exp onential function .
Albert Bartlett

 The root of our problem is not

that were in a Great Recession
or a Great Stagnation, but rather
that we are in the early

Great
Restructuring
throes of a

.
Our technologies are racing ahead,
but our skills and organizations
are lagging behind.
Source: Race AGAINST the Machine, Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew
McAfee

The median
worker is losing
the race against
the machine.
Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee,
Race AGAINST the Machine

 Mr. Foster and his McKinsey colleagues

collected detailed performance data stretching
back

40 years for 1,000

U.S. companies.

The y found that

NONE

of

the lon g -term survivors mana g ed

to out p erform the market. Worse,
the lon g er com p anies had been in
the database, the worse the y did .
Financial Times

China/Foxconn:

1,000,000
robots/next 3 years
Source: Race AGAINST the Machine, Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee

The Project Leadership EXCELLENCE 42

7 . Linearity/waterfall vs. Non-linearity/circularity/

AGILE

high tempo-O.O.D.A. Loop/

.
8 . Step-at-a-time vs. Demo or die/Serious Play/

READ Y. FIRE . AIM .

9. Optimistic-or-bust vs. UNDER-promise or bust.

10. In the office vs. Out of the Office/No office.
11. Nose to the grindstone vs.
This is a blastas cool as it gets.
12. Meetings as pain-in-the-butt vs.
Meetings as Leadership OPPORTUNITY #1.
13. Small leadership circle vs. Inclusive leadership
circle.
14. Formal customer-vendor relationships vs.
No barriers-fully integrated partnership with
customers-vendors.
15. No distractions, please vs.
Welcome to the Age of SOCIAL BUSINESS .

Lesson48:

WTTMSW

WHOEVER
TRIES
THE
MOST
STUFF
WINS

 EXPERIMENT
FEARLESSLY
Source: BusinessWeek , Type A Organization Strategies: How to Hit a Moving Target

Tactic #1

RELENTLESS
TRIAL
AND ERROR
Source: Wall Street Journal , cornerstone of effective approach to rebalancing company
portfolios in the face of changing and uncertain global economic conditions (11.08.10)

READY.
FIRE !
AIM .
H. Ross Perot

BFA:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

#1 in 1982/ #1 in 2014

A Bias For Action

Close to the Customer

Autonom y and Entre p reneurshi p
Productivity Through Peo p le
Hands On , Value-Driven
Stick to the Knitting
Sim p le Form, Lean Staff
Simultaneous Loose-Tight
Properties

The Project Leadership EXCELLENCE 42

7. Linearity/waterfall vs. Non-linearity/circularity/
high tempo- O.O.D.A. Loop/AGILE.
8. Step-at-a-time vs. Demo or die/Serious Play/
Ready. Fire. Aim.
9. Optimistic-or-bust vs. UNDER-promise or bust.
10. In the office vs. Out of the Office/No office.
11. Nose to the grindstone vs.
This is a blastas cool as it gets.
12. Meetings as pain-in-the-butt vs.

Meetings/

Leadershi p OPPORTUNITY # 1 .

13. Small leadership circle vs. Inclusive leadership

circle.
14. Formal customer-vendor relationships vs.
No barriers-fully integrated partnership with
customers-vendors.
15 . No distractions, please vs.
Welcome to the Age of

BUSINESS .

SOCIAL

Biz 2014: Get Aboard the S-Train

SM /Social Media.
SX /Social eXecutives.

SE /Social Employees.
SO /Social

Organization.

Seven Characteristics of the Social

Employee:

Empowerment On
Steroids

1. Engaged
2. Expects Integration of the
Personal and Professional
3. Buys Into the Brands Story
4. Born Collaborator
5. Listens
6. Customer-Centric
7. Empowered Change Agent

The Project Leadership EXCELLENCE 42

16. Information as needed vs.

WILDLY over-communicate with EVERYONE.

17. Confidentiality often necessary vs.

Confidentiality 99% nonsense/Inform everyone
of everything.

FACE

FACE

18. Email/IM vs.

-TO/frequent-flyer
miles.
19. Over-scheduled vs. 50% unscheduled time.

PAPER CHECKLIST

20 . Latest tech vs.

.
21. Lunch with colleagues/Lunch as respite vs.
LUNCH as #1 Networking Opportunity/Lunch PLUS/
On the docket RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
22. Suck UP for Success vs. Suck DOWN for Success.
23. Fend off enemies vs. recruit and nurture
ALLIES ALLIES MORE ALLIES.

 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

it is
because the y
tr y to be
clever .
blunders;

Napoleon

The Project Leadership EXCELLENCE 42

16. Information as needed vs.
WILDLY over-communicate with EVERYONE.
17. Confidentiality often necessary vs.
Confidentiality 99% nonsense/Inform everyone
of everything.
18. Email/IM vs. FACE-TO-FACE/frequent-flyer miles.
19. Over-scheduled vs. 50% unscheduled time.
20. Latest tech vs. Paper checklist.
21 . Lunch with colleagues/Lunch as respite vs.

LUNCH as #1 Networking Opportunity/

Lunch PLUS/On the docket RELATIONSHIP

BUILDING
22. Suck UP for Success vs. Suck DOWN for Success.
23. Fend off enemies vs. recruit and nurture
ALLIES ALLIES MORE ALLIES.

The sacred
220 ABs.*
*At bats

The Project Leadership EXCELLENCE 42

16. Information as needed vs.
WILDLY over-communicate with EVERYONE.
17. Confidentiality often necessary vs.
Confidentiality 99% nonsense/Inform everyone
of everything.
18. Email/IM vs. FACE - TO- FACE /
frequent-flyer miles.
19. Over-scheduled vs. 50% unscheduled time.
20. Latest tech vs. Paper checklist.
21. Lunch with colleagues/Lunch as respite vs.
LUNCH as #1 Networking Opportunity/Lunch PLUS/
On the docket RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
22. Suck UP for Success vs.

DOWN

Suck
for Success.
23 . Fend off enemies vs. recruit and nurture
ALLIES

ALLIES

ALLIES .

MORE

Spend

80 %

of your time on allies

finding and developing and
nurturing allies
of every size and shape
is the name of the
winning game.

24. Silos are inevitable vs. INTENSIVELY MANAGED

XFX/
Cross-Functional eXcellence.
25. Not our fault vs. WILDLY over-respond to screwups/
Apology as Relationship-Building Mainstay.

Constant
recognition, es p eciall y for little
stuff/Celebrate-ever y -damnmilestone ima g inable, make em u p if need
be/BIG MO rules .
26 . Recognition-as-deserved vs.

27. Talk vs. LISTEN/Listening-as-Strategic Tool #1

28. Heres the deal vs. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
29. We want people who know what they are doing
vs.
We want people with an insatiable thirst for
growth.
30. If hire good folks, little need for training vs.
Training = Investment #1 (Even on a BRIEF
project).

 Courtesies of a small and trivial

character are the ones which
strike deepest in the grateful and
appreciating heart. Henry Clay
The deepest principle in human
nature is the cravin g* to be
appreciated.
William James

*Craving, not wish or desire or longing/Dale Carnegie, How to Win

Friends and Influence People (The BIG Secret of Dealing With People)

The deepest urge in human nature

is the desire to be important. John Dewey

 When dealing with people,

remember you are not
dealing with creatures of
logic, but with creatures of
emotion, creatures bristling
with prejudice and
motivated by pride and
vanity. Dale Carnegie
(from Timeless Wisdom , compiled by Gary Fenchuk)

The Project Leadership EXCELLENCE 42

24. Silos are inevitable vs. INTENSIVELY MANAGED

XFX/
Cross-Functional eXcellence.
25. Not our fault vs . WILDLY over-respond to screwups/
Apology as Relationship Building Mainstay.
26. Recognition-as-deserved vs. Constant recognition,
especially for little stuff/Celebrate-every-damnmilestone-imaginable, make em up if need be/
BIG MO rules.

LISTEN

27 . Talk vs.
/Listening-as-Strategic Tool
#1.
28. Heres the deal vs. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
29. We want people who know what they are doing
vs.
We want people with an insatiable thirst for
growth.
30. If hire good folks, little need for training vs.
Training = Investment #1 [Even on a BRIEF
project].
31. Noisy vs. Quiet [Introverts are probably

The doctor
interrupts
after *
*Source: Jerome Groopman, How Doctors Think

18

18

seconds !

Suggested

Core Value

#1: We are Effective

Listenerswe treat
Listening EXCELLENCE as
the Centerpiece of our
Commitment to Respect
and Engagement and
Community and Growth.

Listen!
An [obsession with] Listening is ... the ultimate mark of Respect.
Listening is ... the heart and soul of Engagement.
Listening is ... the heart and soul of Kindness.
Listening is ... the heart and soul of Thoughtfulness.
Listening is ... the basis for true Collaboration.
Listening is ... the basis for true Partnership.
Listening is ... a Team Sport.
Listening is ... a Developable Individual Skill.
Listening is ... the basis for Community.
Listening is ... the bedrock of Joint Ventures that work.
Listening is ... the bedrock of Joint Ventures that grow.
Listening is ... the core of effective Cross-functional Communication.*
(*Which is in turn Attribute #1 of organization effectiveness.)
Listening is ... the engine of superior EXECUTION.
Listening is ... the key to making the Sale.
Listening is ... the key to Keeping the Customers Business.
Listening is ... Service.
Listening is ... the engine of Network development.
Listening is ... the engine of Network maintenance.
Listening is ... the engine of Network expansion.
Listening is ... Social Networkings secret weapon.
Listening is ... Learning.
Listening is ... the sine qua non of Renewal.
Listening is ... the sine qua non of Creativity.
Listening is ... the sine qua non of Innovation.
Listening is ... the core of taking diverse opinions aboard.
Listening is ... Strategy.
Listening is ... Source #1 of Value-added.
Listening is ... Differentiator #1.
Listening is ... Profitable.* (*The R.O.I. from listening is higher than from any
other single activity.)
Listening is the bedrock which underpins a Commitment to EXCELLENCE!

The Project Leadership EXCELLENCE 42

24. Silos are inevitable vs. INTENSIVELY MANAGED
XFX/
Cross-Functional eXcellence.
25. Not our fault vs . WILDLY over-respond to screwups/
Apology as Relationship Building Mainstay.
26. Recognition-as-deserved vs. Constant recognition,
especially for little stuff/Celebrate-every-damnmilestone-imaginable, make em up if need be/
BIG MO rules.
27. Talk vs. LISTEN/Listening-as-Strategic Tool #1
28. Heres the deal vs. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
29. We want people who know what they are doing
vs.
We want people with an insatiable thirst for
growth.
30 . If hire good folks, little need for training vs.

TRAINING = INVESTMENT # 1

(Even on a BRIEF project).

31. Noisy vs. Quiet (Introverts are probably
under-represented on your teamfix it).

Gamblin Man
>> 5 of 10 CEOs see training as
expense rather than investment.
Bet #2: >> 5 of 10 CEOs see training as
defense rather than offense.
Bet #3: >> 5 of 10 CEOs see training as
necessary evil rather than strategic
opportunity.
Bet #1:

>> 8 of 10 CEOs, in a
45-minute tour dhorizon
of their business, would
NOT mention training .
Bet #4:

The Project Leadership EXCELLENCE 42

24. Silos are inevitable vs. INTENSIVELY MANAGED
XFX/
Cross-Functional eXcellence.
25. Not our fault vs . WILDLY over-respond to screwups/
Apology as Relationship Building Mainstay.
26. Recognition-as-deserved vs. Constant recognition,
especially for little stuff/Celebrate-every-damnmilestone-imaginable, make em up if need be/
BIG MO rules.
27. Talk vs. LISTEN/Listening-as-Strategic Tool #1
28. Heres the deal vs. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
29. We want people who know what they are doing
vs.
We want people with an insatiable thirst for
growth.
30. If hire good folks, little need for training vs.
Training = Investment #1 (Even on a BRIEF
project).
31. Noisy vs.

Quiet (Introverts are probably

The Project Leadership EXCELLENCE 42

32. Millenials are different vs. Millenials want stuff
smart
people-1st companies (e.g., Virgin, Southwest)
have
been giving non-millenials for decades.
33. Supervisors are 1st and foremost paid to
keep on top of things vs.
Supervisors are in the people development
business.
34 . Bosses aim to help people be successful vs.

Bosses help people GROW

(2014: Grow or die./Holds on
even BRIEF projects)*

35. Lieutenants & captains & majors vs.

Sergeants, sergeants, sergeants.
36. Gender balance an important goal vs.
Women are the best leaders.
(And usually primary end-users).

Your
principal moral obligation as a
leader is to develop the skillset,
soft and hard, of every one
of the people in your charge
(temporary as well as semipermanent) to the maximum
extent of your abilities. The
good news: This is also the
#1 mid- to lon g -term
p rofit maximization strate gy!
CORPORATE MANDATE #1 2014:

#2: Help people

be
successful.*
#1: Help people
grow.** ***
*Especially circa 2014; Grow or die (professionally) is fact, not hyperbole.
**With a nod to Matthew Kellys The Dream Manager
***#2 and #1 are clearly related, but #1/grow has more to do with
long-term preparedness.

The Project Leadership EXCELLENCE 42

32. Millenials are different vs. Millenials want stuff
smart
people-1st companies (e.g., Virgin, Southwest)
have
been giving non-millenials for decades.
33. Supervisors are 1st and foremost paid to
keep on top of things vs.
Supervisors are in the people development
business.
34. Bosses aim to help people be successful vs.
Bosses help people GROW (2014: Grow or die./
Holds on even BRIEF projects)*
35. Lieutenants & captains & majors vs.
Sergeants, sergeants, sergeants.
36 . Gender balance an important goal vs.

WOMEN ARE THE BEST LEADERS .

(And usually primary end-users).

 AS
LEADERS,
WOMEN
RULE :

New Studies find

that female managers outshine their male

counterparts in almost every measure
TITLE/ Special Report/ BusinessWeek

 Research suggests that

to succeed, start by
promoting women. Nicholas
Kristof, Twitter, Women, and Power,
NYTimes , 1024.13

In my experience, women
make much better
executives than men.
Kip Tindell, CEO, Container Store,
from UNCONTAINABLE

For One [ BIG ] Thing

McKinsey & Company found that
the international companies with
more women on their corporate
boards far outperformed the
average company in return on
equity and other measures.
Operating profit was

56 %

higher.

Source: Nicholas Kristof, Twitter, Women, and Power, NYTimes , 1024.13

 I speak to you with a feminine voice.

Its the voice of democracy, of equality.

that
this will be
the womans
centur y.
I am certain, ladies and gentlemen,

In the Portuguese language,

words such as life, soul, and hope are of the feminine
gender, as are other words like courage and
sincerity.
President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil , 1st woman to
keynote the United Nations General Assembly (2011)

The Project Leadership EXCELLENCE 42

37. Concentration/no nonsense vs.
Daydreaming/READING/Freak Fridays.

WOW - ification

38 . Kaizen vs.
.
39. Design is important vs. You know a design is
good
when you want to lick it.Steve Jobs
(Apple > Exxon)
40. Minimize TGWs vs. Maximize TGRs.
41. Make a damn good product vs. Good product PLUS
enhance the SERVICES ENVELOPE.
42. Good work vs. EXCELLENCE !

 INSANELY GREAT
STEVE JOBS

RADICALLY
THRILLING
BMW

 Astonish me!
(Sergei Diaghlev, to a lead dancer)

Build something great!

( Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo, to a senior game designer)

Make it immortal!
(David Ogilvy, to a copywriter)

Innovation Index : How many of your

Top Five Projects score eight or
higher (out of 10) on a Weird/
Profound/WOW/Game-changer
Scale?
WOW-ification Index : Move every
project (definition) that scores six
or less two notches up on the
WOW-ification Scale within the
next two weeks. If your principal
current project scores six or less,
bring it up one (or two!) notches by
noon on Monday.* (*This tweet was written on a
Sunday.)

Kevin Roberts Credo

1 . Ready. Fire! Aim.

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

If it aint broke ... Break it!

Hire crazies.
Ask dumb questions.
Pursue failure.
Lead, follow ... or get out of the way!
Spread confusion.

The Project Leadership EXCELLENCE 42

37. Concentration/no nonsense vs.
Daydreaming/READING/Freak Fridays.
38. Kaizen vs. WOW-ification/The Craigs list option.
39. Design is important vs. You know a design is
good
when you want to lick it.Steve Jobs

( A pp le > Exxon)
40 . Minimize TGWs vs. Maximize TGR s .

41. Make a damn good product vs. Good product PLUS

enhance the SERVICES ENVELOPE.
42. Good work vs. EXCELLENCE !

<TGW
<TG
and

>TGR
[Things Gone

WRONG -Things Gone RIGHT ]

Conveyance: Kingfisher Air

Location: Approach to New Delhi

 May I clean
your
glasses,
sir?

Customers describing their service

experience as superior:

8%

Com p anies describing

the service experience they provide
as

superior:

80 %

The Project Leadership EXCELLENCE 42

37. Concentration/no nonsense vs.
Daydreaming/READING/Freak Fridays.
38. Kaizen vs. WOW-ification/The Craigs list option.
39. Design is important vs. You know a design is
good
when you want to lick it. Steve Jobs
(Apple > Exxon)
40. Minimize TGWs vs. Maximize TGRs.
41 . Make a damn good product vs.

Good

product
PLUS (wildly) enhance the
SERVICES ENVELOPE .
42. Good work vs. EXCELLENCE !

PS
UP S

to

 Rolls-Royce now earns

MORE from tasks

such as managing clients

overall procurement
strategies and
maintaining aerospace
engines it
sells than it does from
making them. Economist

The Project Leadership EXCELLENCE 42

37. Concentration/no nonsense vs.
Daydreaming/READING/Freak Fridays.
38. Kaizen vs. WOW-ification/The Craigs list option.
39. Design is important vs. You know a design is
good
when you want to lick it.Steve Jobs
(Apple > Exxon)
40. Minimize TGWs vs. Maximize TGRs.
41. Make a damn good product vs. Good product PLUS
enhance the SERVICES ENVELOPE.
42 . Good work vs.

EXCELLENCE !

EXCELLENCE is

NOT

a long-term

"aspiration.

EXCELLENCE is not a longterm "aspiration.

EXCELLENCE is THE

NEXT

MINUTES . *

(*Or NOT.)

EXCELLENCE is not an "aspiration."

EXCELLENCE is THE NEXT FIVE MINUTES.
EXCELLENCE is
Or not.
EXCELLENCE is
Or not.
EXCELLENCE is
Or not.
EXCELLENCE is
Or not.
EXCELLENCE is
Or not.
EXCELLENCE is
Or not.
EXCELLENCE is
Or not.
EXCELLENCE is
Or not.
EXCELLENCE is
schedule.
Or not.
EXCELLENCE is
think.
Or not.
EXCELLENCE is
Or not.
EXCELLENCE is
EXCELLENCE.

your next conversation.

your next meeting.
shutting up and listeningreally listening.
your next customer contact.
saying Thank you for something small.
the next time you shoulder responsibility and apologize.
waaay over-reacting to a screw-up.
the flowers you brought to work today.
lending a hand to an outsider whos fallen behind
bothering to learn the way folks in finance (or IS or HR)
waaay over-preparing for a 3-minute presentation.
turning insignificant tasks into models of

EXCELLENCE.
Always.
If not EXCELLENCE,
what?
If not EXCELLENCE
now, when?