SPRING 2018
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.”
MEET TOM PETERS
Tom Peters is coauthor of In Search of Excellence— the book that changed the way the world does business, and often tagged as the best business book ever. Seventeen books and 35 years later, he’ s still at the forefront of the“ management guru industry” he single-handedly invented. What’ s new? A lot. As CNN said,“ While most business gurus milk the same mantra for all its worth, the one-man brand called Tom Peters is still reinventing himself.” His most recent effort, forthcoming in April 2018, is The Excellence Dividend: Meeting the Tech Tide with Work that Wows and Jobs that Last. Tom’ s bedrock belief:“ Execution is strategy— it’ s all about the people and the doing, not the talking and the theory.” In November 2017, Tom received the Thinkers50 Lifetime Achievement Award.