The Little Big Things

by Thomas J Peters

  Herewith:

  1. “Thank you.” Minimum several times a day. Measure it!

  The rarest (and most powerful) of gifts:

  “Thank You!”

  Recognition for contributions or support is of inestimable value in cementing relationships—and inducing future contributions and word-of-mouth support. By the way, you can practice “thank-yous”— proffering thereof is a learnable skill. And a measurable one.

  Bottom line: This must become habit-ritual in order to be successful.

  Bottom line: Measure it!

  2. “Thank you,” “Thank you,” and “Thank you” again. “Thank all of you!”

  Message: Thank everyone even peripherally involved in some activity—especially those “deep in the hierarchy.” There are no “small” acts of support. The “real work” of organizations happens several levels below the “top.” Recognition and inclusion of “support” members of a team, no matter how indirect, has multiplicative value when it comes to getting things done—perhaps nothing is of greater import.

  3. Smile. Work on it.

  Smiles change the world—think Nelson Mandela, Dwight D. Eisenhower. Their smiles kept Allies together at D-Day in Eisenhower’s case (his was called “an irresistible grin”) and washed hatred away to an astounding degree in Mandela’s. Smiles are key to customer retention—think Starbucks. And, no joke, you can work on it/at it.

  4. Apologize. Even if “they” are “mostly” to blame.

  Apologize if you are 10 percent to blame. Or 1 percent. Apologize especially if it hurts, especially if the person you’re apologizing to is an “enemy.” Keep track of your efforts. “Apology power” is, literally, without peer. Accurate term: “without peer.”

  5. Jump all over those who play the “blame game.”

  And if they play it constantly, and can’t let it go, then let them go. The blame game slows things down, savages cooperation across internal borders (all-important!!), and can sour the entire organization.

  6. Hire enthusiasm.

  Enthusiasm is the ultimate virus. Its power is stunning. It can and has literally moved mountains. The likes of our Transcontinental Railroad and the Panama Canal are built on the back of enthusiasm as much as hard labor. Measure this trait in hiring and promotions. As to yourself, never let it flag—especially when it’s apparently “impossible” to sustain.

  7. Low enthusiasm. No hire. Any job. No promotion. Ever.

  Bottom line: The VERY FIRST ITEM on EVERY job criteria list shall (should) be: “Enthusiast.”

  8. Hire optimists. Everywhere.

  Don’t confuse a “positive outlook on life” with mindless optimism. As Harvard psychology professor Tal Ben-Shahar told Time, “Healthy optimism means being in touch with reality. It certainly doesn’t mean being Pollyannaish and thinking everything is great and wonderful.” Time adds, “Ben-Shahar describes realistic optimists as ‘optimalists’— not those who believe everything happens for the best, but those who make the best of things that do happen.”

  Again, my mantra: Such “soft” traits aren’t—“soft,” that is. They are in fact, collectively, of the utmost “strategic” importance. Take them seriously. Make looking for them (hiring, promoting) formal practice.

  9. Hiring criteria for 100 percent of jobs: Would you like to go to lunch with him-her?

  We must test “personable” in every serious candidate for any and all jobs. You need not “fall in love” with a candidate, but good chemistry and “falling in like” matter. After all, it is social glue that leads to a team’s success—in field hockey or HR. (And. Repeat. In working across functional and internal-external barriers!)

  10. Hire for good manners.

  If any success I’ve had has a singular cause, it is the obsession with good manners that my mother conveyed. I bridled then, I get down on my knees and give thanks now. (And, hey, it worked for George Washington!)

  11. Do not reject “troublemakers”—that is, those who are uncomfortable (furious) with the status quo.

  Hire for manners. And hire for rude. Pissed-off people are the prime (perhaps sole) source of innovation, small and large. There’s a fine line between the chronic complainer and the entrepreneur (internal or external) aiming to fix things that bug her. The entrepreneur turns her anger into action.

  12. Expose all would-be hires to something unexpected-weird. Observe their reaction.

  Somehow or other we have to get a handle on resilience. A staged weird occurrence is admittedly a pretty lame strategy; the suggestion is just meant to raise the issue. Another possibility is looking for major glitches and setbacks during a person’s voyage—and assessing the agility and strength of character exhibited in their response.

  13. Overwhelming response to even the smallest screw-ups.

  Overwhelm = Overwhelm! Track/measure this. Spend $$ on it. Spend time on it. Talk about it. Set an absurdly high standard for response time and intensity. Remember the Iron Law, the Holy Axiom:

  The problem is rarely/never the problem. The response to the problem invariably ends up being the real problem.

  14. Perception is everything!

  Engineers hate this. (And I am one.) There are a million academic studies (or at least several thousand) that measure man’s irrationality. Our reaction to things is, pure and simple, emotional. I can handle a two-hour flight delay if you keep me informed—and grow furious at a 30-minute delay if you leave me in the dark. We must always—first and foremost—give thoroughgoing consideration to “perception.”

  Repeat the mantra: PERCEPTION IS ALL THERE IS.

  Hint: It is.

  15. Life is theater!

  All the world is a stage. Every one of us is an actor. (100 percent of the time.) This is as true in the provision of logistics services as in running a hotel—and is the reality of the third-grade classroom and in the U.S. Army at war and focused on creating community stability in Afghanistan’s remote mountain villages. “Getting” the “theater bit” is the essence of strategy. (One analyst said that the remarkable success of Pope John Paul II stemmed in part from his youthful training in theater—he used the matchless pageantry of his papacy to reignite faith around the globe.)

  16. Call a customer.

  Right now. (Stop reading this—make the call now!)

  17. Call another customer.

  Right now. (Stop reading this—make the call now!)

  18. Call an-oth-er customer.

  Right now. (Stop reading this—make the call now!)

  19. Hiring is probably the most important thing you do.

  Hiring, say some, is simply the most important thing an organization does. Hence and pure and simple, it must become an obsession! (We all agree it’s “damned important”—but I am indeed insisting on “obsession”; and, remarkably, that is rare.) You (every leader) must pursue a de facto Ph.D. in hiring. Message (redux): You can become a “Very Serious Student” of such “soft stuff.”

  20. Hire “weird.”

  For innovation’s sake and for the sake of perpetual renewal, we need a heavy dose of oddballs. “Odd,” as in far from the “normal” trajectory—e.g., spent three years in the Peace Corps in Africa after university; is a sailing champion; sings in a BBC choir. Beware sameness in hiring and promoting! (And beware being unaware of said sameness—which is frequently the case.)

  21. Become a student of all with whom you meet.

  Nelson Mandela studied his string of Robbins Island wardens as assiduously as someone aiming to become a doctor studies anatomy. Harvey Mackay brilliantly describes the process of becoming an expert on others with whom we interact in Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive. The “business” of effective leaders is first and foremost relationships. The best, like Bill Clinton, were obsessive students of people from a very early age. (Clinton kept notes on virtually everyone he met.) Work assiduously on your Ph.D. in relationships! Never go in “cold” even to the most informal of meetings—mimic Clinton, and see every contact as a �
��strategic” opportunity!

  22. Become a student of yourself.

  “To develop others,” says executive coaching guru Marshall Goldsmith, “start with yourself.” Sound self-absorbed? To an extent it is, but it is a cornerstone of any leader’s success. Bosses, especially senior bosses, tend to be woefully ignorant about how they come across to others. E.g., Richard thinks he’s maybe too easygoing; most of his colleagues think he’s constantly short-tempered. Richard also thinks he’s a good listener; “they” think he interrupts constantly. Language like this sounds like a caricature—trust me (don’t trust yourself!), it’s not.

  23. It ain’t “soft,” baby!

  Decency pays off. Big time.

  Thoughtfulness pays off. Big time.

  Kindness pays off. Big time.

  Integrity pays off. Big time.

  Respect pays off. Big time.

  Appreciation pays off. Big time.

  Courtesy pays off. Big time.

  Listening pays off. Big time.

  “Decency,” “thoughtfulness,” etc. are the true language of Excellent-Sustainable Relationships—and hence the true language of “profit maximization.”

  Period.

  24. “d”iverse always wins.

  I call it “lowercase ‘d’ diversity.” I’m not talking about social justice—my shtick is enterprise effectiveness. Or, at least, that’s the part you’ve come to these pages for. More and more research is discrediting overdependence on experts. (And that was before the current financial fiasco, born on the backs of the very best and very brightest.) Bottom line: Any decision-making or execution process simply must include every form of diversity you can conjure up—M, F, black, white, top university, no university, preachers, teachers, short, tall … whatever. Measure it! (I repeat: The evidence supporting this notion is 10 miles wide and 10 miles deep.)

  25. “New Diverse”—welcome the Crowd.

  “Crowdsourcing” is shaping up to be the most powerful innovation and execution and marketing tool—ever. From Wikipedia to finding new gold fields, working-the-electronic-crowd is a priceless WMC—Weapon of Mass Creation. Application: Everyone. Every business. Everywhere.

  26. Do lunch with folks in other functions.

  For the umpteenth time in this book (and, yes, a bit more to come):

  I hereby re–re–declare that screwed-up cross-functional communications, or “silo-ing,” are invariably Cause #1 of execution problems and Cause #1 of missed innovation opportunities.

  (Repeat! Yup!)

  I have come to believe, almost “religiously,” that the “simple” “social” remedies are far more important than formal systems and fantabulous-sexy-slick software. It’s a religious devotion to lunch with folks in other functions. It’s having folks in other functions at every weekly review meeting. It’s awards ceremonies for those in other functions who’ve helped your team. Send “thank-you” notes heaped atop “thank-you” notes to those in other places who’ve helped out. (OVER 50 PERCENT OF YOUR THANK-YOU NOTES SHOULD BE TO OTHER FUNCTIONS’ FOLK. MEASURE IT.) Do not let a single solitary day pass without proactively fostering the dismantling of the functional walls via “social tools.”

  27. Lunch “down”—“wire” customer operations and you will win the sale and keep the business.

  Most of the decision making concerning the purchase or implementation of a new system (telecoms, software) is heavily influenced by “down-the-line” prospective users—and the “go”–“no go” analysis of your service or widget is usually more or less, mostly more, made three levels “down” in the Client organization. Your goal is to patiently ferret out and cultivate these “three-down” folks. (Hint: Women are much better at this than men; women tend to be more willing to ignore formal rank and invest anywhere and everywhere according to prospective value.)

  28. Lunch “down”—“wire” your own operation two or three or more “levels” “down,” and watch your implementation success soar!

  The “real work” in any sizable enterprise is done two or three or four levels “down”—even in today’s hyper-wired somewhat flattened organizations; quash your ego, and invest “down there.” Among other things, those “down there” tend not to be appreciated; hence, your attention will be very welcome—and your DTN (Down There Network) will pay huge dividends. (I’d be tempted to put this on my personal “Top 1” list when I review my successes in big organizations such as the U.S. Navy, the White House, and McKinsey & Co.)

  29. Manage the “Hang Out Axiom” as if it were a life or death issue—it is.

  We are—unequivocally—who we hang out with. Hang out with “interesting”—get more interesting. Hang out with “dull”—become more dull. Hang out with those in other functions—improve cross-functional communication. Hang out with weird customers and vendors—get dragged into the future. Hang out with 19-year-olds—and watch your use of the Web get more interesting and extensive. Little, if anything, is more important for innovation than precise “hang out management.” Manage it! Measure it! (Scary thought of the day: “You will become like the five people you associate with the most—this can be either a blessing or a curse.”—Billy Cox)

  30. You are where you sit.

  The way you lay out your office’s physical space can help erase barriers and (wildly) alter communication patterns—and critical outcomes. Talk about a “power tool”—and one that’s woefully underutilized and misunderstood. A CEO hires her first corporate head of design—and plants the new Chief Design Guru next to the CEO’s office; soon, everyone in the senior management ranks is humming “the design anthem.” Oddball task to be done that challenges conventional wisdom—put the work team in an office 6,000 miles away. (Or at least 60.)

  31. Work on everyone’s listening skills.

  Effective listening should be near the/at the top of everyone’s skill set. It is indeed as “strategic” as it gets! Most of us, especially bosses of long standing, are terrible listeners—almost all men, bosses or not, are pretty terrible. The good news, as Stephen Covey and others have taught us: Listening is a learnable and improvable skill. The Golden Equation:

  Better Listening = Better Managing = Better Selling = Better Implementation. Believe it!! Learn it—if it kills you!!

  32. Become a serious student of interviewing.

  You’ve seen great interviewers on TV. They seem to be able to extract anything from anybody. A keystone of professional life is extracting information effectively. Beyond general listening skills (see immediately above), work on interviewing skills—once again, a topic worthy of formal study and significant investment.

  33. Become a serious student of presentation giving.

  Listen! Talk! We spend much/most of our time on these two activities. So, why are there so damn few of us who are Serious Students of these two Fundamental Human Skills? Getting good, really really really good, at either one is as tough as getting good, really good, at neurosurgery. Failure to give superb presentations—two minutes or two hours, planned for a month or spontaneous—has stopped a jil-lion high-potential careers dead in their tracks. As “D.A.W.” put it in The [Martha’s] Vineyard Gazette: “Pens are mightier than swords. But nothing compares with vocal cords.”

  34. Aim for no less than the “world’s best” first-line managers.

  The evidence is extensive—and clear. Employees’ satisfaction (retention, etc.) is most influenced by the quality of their supervisor—particularly their first-line supervisor. Hence, one could accurately say that first-line supervisor selection and development is one of the most important “strategic” activities a firm undertakes. Although few take the promotion decision to first-line supervisor lightly, very few obsess on it to the extent they should, given the importance score. Moreover, the general observation is that the quality of frontline supervisor training and mentoring is by and large appalling, slapdash at best.

  35. Leaders from day one. “Everybody a leader”?

  This is entirely possible—and
of inestimable value. Whether it’s a lead role in a small bit of a Memorial Day employee picnic, or responsibility for logistics for a field trip, give the most junior folks in the place leadership responsibility from the outset—if not Day #1, then within the first month. Hence “leadership development” becomes an overarching theme-activity from the get-go, “24/7.” This is so, so, so important—leading even tiny tasks teaches (1) responsibility for others and results, (2) “breaking the rules” when necessary, (3) accountability, (4) the power of teamwork, (5) plain old hustle, (6) etc., (7) many etc.!

  36. You = Your (few) promotion decisions.

  The boss-of-bosses gets, on average, two serious promotion decisions a year, maybe just one. Suppose you’re in a job five years. That’s no more than 10 promotion decisions. Premise: Those decisions more or less determine your legacy. At the end of a career, your most important “product” is the people you develop. The “bottom line” is obvious: You cannot put too much effort into these decisions!!

  37. “People people.” Period.

  “There are two kinds of people.” What a foolish statement! Yet on one dimension I believe it’s more or less true: There are people who “get off on” people, and those who don’t. The latter can be incredibly important “individual contributors,” but by and large should not manage others. I have tried this hypothesis out on numerous very successful leaders, especially business owners; simply put, they agree—100 percent would not be much of an exaggeration. Ms./Mr. X should be a talented financial person to run a finance department, or talented logistician to run a logistics department. But the great logistics leader will achieve superb results by developing superstars, a super team—and getting things implemented throughout his/her superior “people network” in the organization as a whole.

  38. The “life success” business.

  The customer is served well exactly to the extent to which the person who is serving the customer is served well. Or not. This is obvious—and as often as not, or more often than not, honored in the breach. Recall that RE/MAX founder Dave Liniger says he’s in the “life success” business—his goal is to break his back enabling his real estate agents and brokers to become successful. Matthew Kelly, in The Dream Manager, says that making your customers’ dreams come true is dependent upon making the dreams of the people who serve the customer come true—hence, helping the latter realize their dreams becomes the manager’s appropriate preoccupation. In general, then, commitment to the growth of those who serve your customer, rather than the customer per se, becomes the boss’s true Job One—and, in turn, the ultimate “profit maximizer’s” task.