"...keeping you great"
HEADLINES:
| Courtesies of a small and trivial character are the ones which strike deepest in the grateful and appreciating heart | |
| Henry Clay (quoted in The Little BIG) | |
Tom Peters New Book -- you don't read Tom's book as much as scan it for ideas. And as he suggests himself, probably best scanned while sitting on the toilet! Entitled The Little BIG Things: 163 Ways to Pursue EXCELLENCE, it aligns in philosophy with Chip and Dan Heath's new book Switch -- it's the powerful LITTLE things that make the big difference, not necessarily big things -- there's definitely a common theme resonating as we start this new decade.
Just-Showing-Up -- Peters claims his inspiration for the new book came from reading Tom Stewart's book The Summer of 1787, a day-to-day account of the writing of the U.S. Constitution, the outcome of which was driven mostly by those who showed up (some states sent no delegates, teeny-weeny Delaware sent five who stayed the entire time); showed up with a draft document in tow; and then stuck around from the opening to the closing bell... "and bringing the right temperament to the party," notes Tom. This is an excellent formula for how to control the direction of your own industry -- "show up, control the ink, stick around, be nice."
Excellence -- if Peters owns a word, it's "Excellence" -- and as he declares "Excellence (always capitalized!) is a 'way of life,' a 'way of being' -- not a steady state to be 'achieved'" Or as Anon says, quoting from Peters' book:
| Excellence can be obtained if you: | |
| ...care more than others think is wise; | |
| ...risk more than others think is safe; | |
| ...dream more than others think is practical; | |
| ...expect more than others think is possible. |
Print this out and post it everywhere! And always strive for Excellence in all you do.
Favorite Ideas (at this moment):
#3 -- Flower Power -- flowers everywhere in the offices -- unlimited flower budget -- and send flowers to four people that have helped you recently -- they set an important tone
# 16 -- Bottom Line in Bad Times: Obsess Over the Top Line -- that's why sales & marketing are so critical this decade -- suck up every tool you can to power the top line
#22 -- Job One: Amuse Yourself -- if you're not "alive" how can your company and customers be? The key is to take "Internal Vacations" -- stay fresh, stay engaged, learn! Take the day "off." Spend the day in the lab with engineers. Learn about new projects. Monthly devote at least two work days to "far-out stuff" aimed at personal battery recharging. Ray King, founder of AboutUs.org (largest wiki in the world by page count), is spending a month in Barcelona, stepping away from the day-to-day of his third company, recharging and reinvigorating himself and his creativity (happy to help any of you do the same here in Barcelona).
#42/43 -- Work on Your First and Last Impressions -- notes Peters "I feel quite sure that we need constant reminding not just of the Power of First Impressions, but that there is a full-blown Science and Art of the Construction and Execution and Maintenance of Fantastic Beginnings.
Blinding Flashes of the Obvious -- OK, that's about a fourth of the way through the book. It's all "blinding flashes of the obvious" but that's the point. Business and life is about doing a 100 little things right -- and Peters has 163. Order the book, set it next to the porcelain throne, and pick up one good/great idea a day. Excellent work Tom!!
The Secret to Happy Employees -- Scott Nash, founder of MOM's Organic Market, pointed me to this March 9 NY Times blog written by a dear friend Jay Goltz. What is one of Goltz's keys to having happy employees? "I fire the unhappy employees!" (#39 on Peters List!). Take three minutes and enjoy this article.
Fortune "Venture" column -- here is a link to my new column in Fortune magazine (p. 70, March 22 edition) -- I share the six best pieces of advice I've ever given companies to drive their growth. Checkout the unique layout of the column in the paper magazine.
New Gazelles Logo -- using 12designer.com , one of the incubator firms within Grupo Intercom (leading Spanish internet incubator), Gazelles has a new, cleaner, logo with our own new "swish" -- which represents our willingness to bend-over backwards and push you forward in growing your business. Go to www.gazelles.com to take a look! And while there, book an "internal vacation" -- the Fortune Sales and Marketing Summit in Vegas.