EXCELLENCE
“blazing speed,” Apple was on a quest for perfection, slowing
the company down considerably in introducing new
technologies. Although Microsoft’s products—arguably
launched prematurely at times—could contain flaws, the
company would simply correct these problems in its next
release.
The challenge, says Peters, is that the pursuit of WTTMSW
requires a WTTMSW culture, one in which “you are ready,
willing, and able to seriously play.”
“‘Serious play’ is not an oxymoron,” he adds. “It is the essence of
innovation.” Unfortunately, research shows that even young
children are conditioned to shy away from trying new things
after hearing the word “no” many times more often than the
word “yes.” Peters laments the loss of the “playfulness” aspect of
work, which he describes as “teammates taking immense
pleasure in the messy process of many approximations and
wrong turns and dead ends on the way to market.”
Of course, this type of freewheeling corporate culture must
come from the top down. Many companies get so absorbed in
developing strategies that they get stalled by numerous
roadblocks before any implementation has even been started, he
notes.
“A detailed strategy is stuff and nonsense,” says Peters. “You
head off in that general direction, and as you go, the
environment shifts shape again and again. The key is to be
flexible and open to opportunities that may crop up along the
way.”
Another critical roadblock to action is often the lack of
cross-functional collaboration, Peters says. “I fervently believe
that in most any organization of more than a dozen people, the
number one issue that causes delays, implementation failures in
general, employee angst, and customer ire is failure of cross-
functional communication and integration,” says Peter. Internal
barriers can be more of an impediment to effective execution
than competitors’ actions, whereas teams that can support one
another can improve operational performance through
coordinated execution.
Most companies don’t need expensive training sessions or
management overhauls to make strides toward a more engaged
and productive workforce, Peters has found. There are ways to
reset the corporate culture using simple tools that have been in
our personal arsenals all along, he says. Most of the solution
boils down to people—how you hire them, treat them, and
reward them. On his list are some simple recommendations like
really listening to employees without interruption, hiring nice
people, and managing by wandering around so you really have
the opportunity to get to know your employees.
Listening earns its place at the top of this list because while
most of us agree that listening is important, according to
Peters, we don’t behave accordingly. “We probably think we’re
pretty good at it, but with all due respect, in five out of six
cases, we are likely delusional,” he says.
When a doctor, for example, interrupts you while you are telling
your story and whips out the prescription pad, he or she may
not have extracted enough useful data to make a truly informed
decision. The doctor in this case has marginalized the patient
and not created an environment for true engagement and
co-ownership of the problem.
Listening, says Peters, is the ultimate mark of respect—the core
of effective cross-functional communication, the key to making
the sale, and the bedrock that underpins a commitment to
excellence. A good listener “exists totally for the given
conversation,” giving the other person time to reach clarity
without interruption, he says. A good listener never finishes the
other person’s sentence.
Other paths toward strong leadership include running effective
meetings, nurturing allies throughout the organization,
dispensing enthusiasm, and even fine-tuning your body
language. Becoming a student of excellence is not easy, but a
great deal of the process relies on common sense to move your
organization forward in a positive way. When asked to
hypothesize about the long term, Peters says in his typical blunt
way, “I don’t know what will happen 25 years from now, but I
know you have a good shot of surviving if you keep getting
better and continue to work your backside off.”
Tom Peters is a leading business management guru and founder of the Tom Peters
Company. He continues to be in constant demand for lectures and seminars. Peters is
the author of 16 books, including In Search of Excellence (with Robert H. Waterman,
Jr.), which is often cited as among the best business books ever written. He lives in
Massachusetts.
TOMPETERS.COM
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