Tom Peters The Excellence Dividend Excellence Through REALLY

Tom Peters’ The Excellence Dividend: Excellence Through [REALLY] Putting People First Leadership Development Institute Parkview Health 26 October 2018 (This presentation/10+ years of presentation slides at tompeters. com; also see our annotated 23 -part Monster-Master at excellencenow. com)

Dr. D. A. Henderson, who led the international effort to eradicate smallpox, was asked what he wanted to eradicate next. His answer …

Dr. D. A. Henderson, who led the international effort to eradicate smallpox, was asked what he wanted to eradicate next. “Bad management. ” His answer: Source: Sabin Vaccine Institute

70%, 85%, 87%* = Shame on Us!! *% of people who dislike their job, are not engaged at work, unhappy, “sleepwalking, ” etc. (These numbers are extraordinarily consistent around the world. ) Source: Inc. , Gallup, Washington Post, etc.

Given/Axiomatic … THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR NOT MAKING ANY ORGANIZATION OF ANY SIZE IN ANY INDUSTRY A … GREAT PLACE TO WORK EVERY LEADER/2018 HAS A MORAL OBLIGATION TO DEVELOP PEOPLE SO THAT WHEN THEY LEAVE THEY ARE BETTER PREPARED FOR [CRAZY] TOMORROW THAN THEY WERE WHEN THEY ARRIVED.

MANAGING: A PAIN IN THE BUTT. Somebody’s got to do it; punching bag for higher ups on one end, grouchy employees on the other; blame magnet if things go wrong, big bosses abscond with the credit if things go right. MANAGING: THE PINNACLE OF HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT. The greatest life opportunity one can have [literally]. Mid- to long-term success is no more and no less than a function of one’s dedication to and effectiveness at helping team members grow and flourish as individuals and as contributing members to an energetic, selfrenewing organization dedicated to the relentless pursuit of EXCELLENCE

“The role of the Director is to create a space where the actors and actresses can become more than they have ever been before, more than they have ever dreamed of being. ” —Robert Altman, Oscar acceptance speech

PEOPLE SERVING PEOPLE NOT “human resources. ” People are NOT “our” “#1 asset. ” People are ARE people. Organizations ARE people (leaders) Organizations serving people (employees) serving people (customers).

36 YEARS 6 WORDS

52 Years/36 Years/18 Books/ 2, 500 Speeches = 6 Words “Hard is soft. Soft is hard. ” (You can Google it!)

Hard [numbers/plans] is Soft [relationships/culture] is Hard.

GOOGLE GETS A SURPRISE I “Project Oxygen [data from founding in 1998 to 2013] shocked everyone by concluding that, among the eight most important qualities of Google’s top employees, STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics] expertise comes in dead last. The seven top characteristics of success at Google are all SOFT SKILLS: being a good coach; communicating and listening well; possessing insights into others (including others’ different values and points of view); having empathy toward and being supportive of one’s colleagues; being a good critical thinker and problem solver; and being able to make connections across complex ideas. Those traits sound more like what one gets as an English or theater major than as a programmer. … Source: Valerie Strauss, “The surprising thing Google learned about its employees —and what it means for today’s students” ( Washington Post, 20 December 2017)

GOOGLE GETS A SURPRISE II “Project Aristotle [2017] further supports the importance of soft skills even in high-tech environments. Project Aristotle analyzes data on inventive and productive teams, . Google takes pride in it’s A-teams, assembled with top scientists, each with the most specialized knowledge and able to throw down one cutting-edge idea after another. Its data analysis revealed, however, that the company’s most important and productive ideas come from Bteams comprised of employees that don’t always have to be the smartest people in the room. Project Aristotle shows that the best teams at Google exhibit a range of soft skills: equality, generosity, curiosity toward the ideas of your teammates, empathy and emotional intelligence. And topping the list: emotional safety. No bullying. … Source: Valerie Strauss, “The surprising thing Google learned about its employees —and what it means for today’s students” ( Washington Post, 20 December 2017)

"When I was in medical school, I spent hundreds of hours looking into a microscope—a skill I never needed to know or ever use. Yet I didn't have a single class that taught me communication or teamwork skills—something I need every day I walk into the hospital. ” —Peter Pronovost, Safe Patients, Smart Hospitals

CULTURE IS THE GAME

CULTURE: IT IS THE GAME

“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 Yet I came to see in my time at IBM that culture isn’t just one aspect of the is very, very hard. game —IT IS THE GAME. ” —Lou Gerstner, Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance

CULTURE/CEO JOB #1 /THE RULES: CULTURE COMES FIRST. CULTURE IS EXCEEDINGLY DIFFICULT TO CHANGE. CULURE CHANGE CANNOT BE/MUST NOT BE EVADED OR AVOIDED. CULTURE MAINTENANCE IS ABOUT AS DIFFICULT AS CULTURE CHANGE. CULTURE MAINTENANCE: ONE DAY/ONE HOUR/ ONE MINUTE AT A TIME. CULTURE CHANGE/MAINTENANCE MUST BECOME A CONSCIOUS/PERMANENT/PERSONAL AGENDA ITEM. CULTURE CHANGE = AN “OUTSIDE-THE OFFICE JOB” = MBWA/MANAGING BY WANDERING AROUND. CULTURE CHANGE/MAINTENANCE IS MANIFEST IN “THE LITTLE THINGS” FAR MORE THAN IN THE BIG THINGS. REPEAT/CULTURE CHANGE/MAINTENANCE: ONE DAY/ONE HOUR/ONE MINUTE AT A TIME. FOREVER. AND EVER.

CULTURE: Think Small

“May I clean your glasses, sir? ”

“Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart. ” —Henry Clay [Epigraph, The Little Big Things]

"Let's not forget that small emotions are the great captains of our lives. " –—Van Gogh “We do no great things, only small things with great love. ” —Mother Teresa

“There is a misconception that supportive interactions require more staff or more time and are therefore more costly. Although labor costs are a substantial part of any hospital budget, the interactions themselves add nothing to KINDNESS IS FREE. the budget. Listening to patients or answering their questions costs nothing. It can be argued that negative interactions—alienating patients, being nonresponsive to their needs or limiting their sense of control— can be very costly. … Angry, frustrated or frightened patients may be combative, withdrawn and less cooperative —requiring far more time than it would have taken to interact with them initially in a positive way. ” Source: Putting Patients First, Susan Frampton, Laura Gilpin, Patrick Charmel (Griffin Hospital/Derby CT; Planetree Alliance)

“SMALL” >>>>> BIG

PUT PEOPLE !!] [REALLY FIRST

Your Customers/Patients /Guests Will Never Be Any Happier Than Your Employees

“What employees experience, Customers will. The best YOUR CUSTOMERS WILL NEVER BE ANY HAPPIER THAN YOUR EMPLOYEES. ” marketing is happy, engaged employees. —John Di. Julius, The Customer Service Revolution IF YOU WANT STAFF TO GIVE GREAT SERVICE, GIVE GREAT SERVICE TO STAFF. ” —Ari Weinzweig

“Who’s on Second? ” “Nobody comes home after a surgery saying, ‘Man, that was the best suturing I’ve ever seen!” or ‘Sweet, they took out the correct Instead, we talk about the people who took care of us, the ones who co-ordinated the whole procedure—everyone from the receptionist to the nurses to the surgeon. And we don’t just tell stories around the dinner kidney!’ table. We share our experiences through conversations with friends and colleagues and via social media sites. ” Patients Come Second: Leading Change By Changing the Way You Lead by Paul Spiegelman & Britt Berrett Source: from the chapter “What Does Come First? ” in

Press Ganey Assoc: 139, 380 former patients from 225 hospitals 0 of top 15 factors determining Patient Satisfaction referred to patient’s health outcome PS directly related to Staff Interaction PS directly correlated with Employee Satisfaction Source: Putting Patients First, Susan Frampton, Laura Gilpin, Patrick Charmel

Hiring

1/7, 500 “May I help you down the jetway …”

“We look for. . . listening, caring, smiling, saying ‘Thank you, ’ being warm. ” — Colleen Barrett, former President, Southwest Airlines

“The ultimate filter we use [in the hiring process] is that we only hire NICE people. … When we finish assessing skills, we do something called ‘running the gauntlet. ’ We have them interact with 15 or 20 people, and everyone of them have what I call a ‘blackball vote, ’ which means they can say if we should not hire I believe in culture so strongly and that one bad apple can spoil the bunch. that person. There are enough really talented people out there who are nice, you don’t really need to put up with people who act like jerks. ” —Peter Miller, CEO Optinose (pharmaceuticals) “When we talk about the qualities we want in people, EMPATHY is a big one. … If you can empathize with people, then you can do a good job. If you have no ability to empathize, then it’s difficult to help people improve. Everything becomes harder. —Stewart Butterfield, founder/CEO Slack, Flickr

Observed closely during Mayo Clinic employment interviews (for renown surgeons as well as others): The frequency of use of “I” or “We ”. Source: Leonard Berry & Kent Seltman, chapter 6, “Hiring for Values, ” Management Lessons From Mayo Clinic

“I am hundreds of times better here [than in my prior hospital assignment] because of the support system. It’s like you were working in an organism; you are not a single cell when you are out there practicing. ’” —quote from Dr. Nina Schwenk, in Chapter 3, “Practicing Team Medicine, ” from Leonard Berry & Kent Seltman, from Management Lessons From Mayo Clinic

USE THESE WORDS LISTENING. CARING. SMILING. SAYING “THANK YOU. ” BEING WARM. NICE. EMPATHY.

Training = Investment 1! #

In the Army and Navy, 3 -star generals/ admirals obsess on training. In most businesses, it's a “ho-hum” mid-level staff function.

If you don't believe that training is “Investment #1, ” ask an admiral, general, police chief, fire chief, orchestra conductor, football coach, archery coach, movie director, actor [age 22 or 62], prima ballerina, , nuclear power plant operator. . . [or me].

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 45 -min “tour d’horizon” of their biz, would NOT mention training. Bet #4:

“Train ’em and they’ll leave. ” Or …

“TRAIN PEOPLE WELL ENOUGH SO THEY CAN LEAVE, TREAT THEM WELL ENOUGH SO THEY DON’T WANT TO. ” —Richard Branson

st 1 -Line Leaders

If the regimental commander lost most of his 2 nd lieutenants and 1 st lieutenants and captains and IF HE LOST HIS SERGEANTS IT WOULD BE A CATASTROPHE. The Army and majors, it would be a tragedy. the Navy are fully aware that success on the battlefield is dependent to an extraordinary degree on its Sergeants and Chief Petty Officers. Does industry have the same awareness?

Front-line Chiefs [Full Complement of] : Principal determinants of … enterprise productivity. Principal determinants of … employee retention. Principal determinants of … product/ service quality. Principal carriers/embodiments of … corporate culture. Principal visible “spear carriers” for … Excellence. Principal champions/enablers of … sustained employee development.

Promoting

Promotion Decisions/2 per Year = Legacy “life and death decisions” Source: Peter Drucker, The Practice of Management

! Women Rule

“Women are rated higher in fully 12 of the 16 competencies that go into outstanding leadership. And two of the traits where women outscored men to the highest degree — taking initiative and driving for results — have long been thought of as particularly male strengths. ” —Harvard Business Review

Lawrence A. Pfaff & Assoc. — 2 Years, 941 mgrs (672 M, 269 F); 360º feedback — Women: better in 20 of 20 categories; 15 of 20 with statistical significance — “Men are not rated significantly higher by any of the raters in any of the areas measured. ” (LP)

“Research suggests that to succeed, start by promoting women. ” [by Mc. Kinsey & Co. ] —Nicholas Kristof/New York Times

LEADING

MBWA (Managing By Wandering Around)

MBWA (Managing By Wandering Around)

“I’m always stopping by our at least a week. stores— 25 I’m also in other places: Home Depot, Whole Foods, Crate & Barrel. I try to be a sponge to pick up as much as I can. ” —Howard Schultz Source: Fortune, “Secrets of Greatness”

“Tom, you left out one thing …”

“Tom, you left out the #1 Leaders enjoy leading!” thing …

Monday Morning —

Monday/Tomorrow/Courtesy NFL: “Script” your first 5 -10 “plays. ” (I. e. , carefully launch every day/week in a purposeful fashion. )

50%!

“Most managers spend a great deal of time thinking about what they plan to do, but relatively little time thinking about what they plan not to do. As a result, they become so caught up … in fighting the fires of the moment that they cannot really attend to the long-term threats and risks facing the organization. So the first soft skill of leadership the hard way is to cultivate the perspective of Marcus Let me put it bluntly: every leader should routinely keep a substantial portion of his or her time—I would say as much as Aurelius: avoid busyness, free up your time, stay focused on what really matters. 50% —unscheduled. … Only when you have substantial ‘slop’ in your schedule—unscheduled time—will you have the space to reflect on what you are doing, learn from experience, and recover from your inevitable mistakes. Leaders without such free time end up tackling issues only when there is an immediate or visible problem. Managers’ typical response to my argument about free time is, ‘That’s all well and good, but Yet we waste so much time in unproductive activity—it takes an enormous effort on the part of the leader to keep free time for the truly important things. ” there are things I have to do. ’ Dov Frohman , Leadership The Hard Way — (Chapter 5, “The Soft Skills Of Hard Leadership”)

1

“If there is any ONE ‘secret’ to effectiveness, it is concentration. Effective executives do first things first … and they do ONE thing at a time. ” —Peter Drucker

Meetings ! ROCK (Make that: SHOULD Rock) (Make that CAN Rock) (Make that MUST Rock)

Meeting: Every meeting that does not stir the imagination and curiosity of attendees and increase bonding and co-operation and engagement and sense of worth and motivate rapid action and enhance enthusiasm is a permanently lost opportunity.

Meetings = #1 leadership opportunity* ** [*pure THEATER] [**prep prep!]

FYI: This is … not … a rant about “conducting better meetings. ”

Enterprise Core Value 1 #

“The doctor interrupts after 18 … Source: Jerome Groopman, How Doctors Think

18 … seconds!* *Are you an “ 18 -second manager”?

[An obsession with] of LISTENING is. . . the ultimate mark 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. * (*Though women are far better at it than men. ) 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 … Etc. , Etc.

Suggested Core Value #1: “We are Effective Listeners—we treat LISTENING EXCELLENCE as the Centerpiece of our Commitment to Respect and Engagement and Community and Growth. ”

Part ONE: LISTEN* (pp 11 -116, of 364) *“The key to every one of our [eight] leadership attributes was the vital importance of a leader’s ability to listen. ” (One of Branson’s personal keys to listening is notetaking—he has hundreds of notebooks. ) Source: Richard Branson, The Virgin Way: How to Listen, Learn, Laugh, and Lead

! Acknowledgement

“The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. ” —William James “Employees who don't feel significant rarely make significant contributions. ” —Mark Sanborn

“LITTLE” >>> “BIG”* [*Again] 30, 000 handwritten ‘Thank you’ notes to employees during the 10 CEO Doug Conant sent years [approx 15/work day] he ran Campbell Soup. Source: Bloomberg Business. Week

100%

“The problem with communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished. ” ——George Bernard Shaw

100%* *Your fault !

14 = 14* *14 people on your team? Bottom line; Each is radically different from the other 13. Hence each requires a different approach as you move forward. Every good 2 nd grade teacher understands that!! Alas, damn few bosses seem to “get it. ”

! Me

“Being aware of yourself and how you affect everyone around you is what distinguishes a superior leader. ” —Edie Seashore

“To develop others, start with yourself. ” —Marshall Goldsmith “Work on me first. ” —Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron Mc. Millan and Al Switzler/Crucial Conversations

THE FIVE MINUTE RULE

EXCELLENCE THE LAW OF 5

EXCELLENCE is not a “long- term” “aspiration. ”

EXCELLENCE is not a “long-term” "aspiration. ” EXCELLENCE is the ultimate shortterm strategy. EXCELLENCE is … THE NEXT 5 MINUTES. * (*Or NOT. )

EXCELLENCE is not an "aspiration. " EXCELLENCE is … THE NEXT FIVE MINUTES. EXCELLENCE is your next conversation. Or not. EXCELLENCE is your next meeting. Or not. EXCELLENCE is shutting up and listening—really listening. Or not. EXCELLENCE is your next customer contact. Or not. EXCELLENCE is saying “Thank you” for something “small. ” Or not. EXCELLENCE is the next time you shoulder responsibility and apologize. Or not. EXCELLENCE is waaay over-reacting to a screw-up. Or not. EXCELLENCE is the flowers you brought to work today. Or not. EXCELLENCE is lending a hand to an “outsider” who’s fallen behind schedule. Or not. EXCELLENCE is bothering to learn the way folks in finance [or IS or HR] think. Or not. EXCELLENCE is waaay “over”-preparing for a 3 -minute presentation. Or not. EXCELLENCE is turning “insignificant” tasks into models of … EXCELLENCE. Or not.