Managementversus (????)Leadership

Tom Peters/07.21.06

RIGHT

THINGS.THINGS RIGHT.

Not!“Leadership is doing the right

things. “Management is

doing things right.” —WB et al.

So What???????

MANAGERS “do things right”

LEADERS “do the right things”

The Twain SHALL Meet!

Leadership: Invite Associates/Colleagues/Talent to join

a Gaspworthy Adventure in EXCELLENCE which will provide

matchless Personal and Professional Growth and be of Dramatically Different Service

to selected Clients

Management: Do it!

LEADERSHIP (Eternal!): Invigorate a sizeable # of

people to Aspire to Excellence in pursuit of a Common

(Noble) Goal that revolves around service-of-exceptional-

value to Clients

“Execution is the job of the

business leader.” —Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

DRUCKER’S GREAT CONTRIBUTION: management

per se as a/the principal determinant of institutional

effectiveness

Remembering

the “Missing

98%”

“Never forget implementation boys. In our work it’s what I

call the ‘missing 98 percent’ of the client

puzzle.” —Al McDonald, former Managing Director,

McKinsey & Co.

“Leadership” v. “Management”

“In [President Bush’s] belief that America needed to respond resolutely to the dangers of

terrorism, tyranny and proliferation, he was mainly right. His chief failures stem

from incompetent execution.” —The Economist/05.13.2006

“This is so simple it sounds stupid, but it is amazing how few oil people really

understand that you only find oil if you drill wells. You may

think you’re finding it when you’re drawing maps and

studying logs, but you have to drill.”

Source: The Hunters, by John Masters, Canadian O & G wildcatter

You only find oil if

you drill wells.

Source: The Hunters, by John Masters, Canadian O & G wildcatter

“We have a ‘strategic’ plan. It’s

called doing things.” — Herb Kelleher

Duct Tape Rules!

“Andrew Higgins, who built landing craft in WWII, refused to hire graduates of

engineering schools. He believed that they only teach you what you can’t do in engineering school. He started off with 20 employees, and by the middle of the

war had 30,000 working for him. He turned out 20,000 landing craft. D.D. Eisenhower told me, ‘Andrew Higgins won the war for us. He did it without

engineers.’ ” —Stephen Ambrose/Fast Company

A man approached JP Morgan, held up an envelope, and said, “Sir, in my hand I hold a guaranteed formula for success, which I will

gladly sell you for $25,000.”

“Sir,” JP Morgan replied, “I do not know what is in the envelope, however if you show me, and I like it, I give you my word as a

gentleman that I will pay you what you ask.”

The man agreed to the terms, and handed over the envelope.JP Morgan opened it, and extracted a single sheet of paper.

He gave it one look, a mere glance, then handed the piece of paper back to the gent.

And paid him the agreed-upon $25,000 …

1. Every morning, write a list of the things that need to be done that day.

2. Do them. Source: Hugh MacLeod/tompeters.com/NPR

Excellence1982: The Bedrock “Eight Basics”

1. A Bias for Action2. Close to the Customer3. Autonomy and Entrepreneurship4. Productivity Through People5. Hands On, Value-Driven6. Stick to the Knitting7. Simple Form, Lean Staff8. Simultaneous Loose-Tight Properties”

Management

andLeadership

“Pee Cee Eee-squared X-squared/PCEEXX:

PeopleCustomersEnthusiasm

EnergyeXecutioneXcellence

Excellence1982: The Bedrock “Eight Basics”

1. A Bias for Action2. Close to the Customer3. Autonomy and Entrepreneurship4. Productivity Through People5. Hands On, Value-Driven6. Stick to the Knitting7. Simple Form, Lean Staff8. Simultaneous Loose-Tight Properties”

Grantfrom the “seminal” biography by:

Jean Edward Smith

“A generation of American officers had been schooled to believe the art of generalship required rigid adherence to certain textbook

theorems.”/page 151 “The nature of Grant’s greatness has been a riddle to many observers. … did not hedge his bets … disregarded

explicit instructions … nothing to fall back on … violating every maxim held dear by the military profession … new dimension:

ability to learn from the battlefield … finished near the bottom of his [West Point] class in tactics … carried the fight to the enemy …

maintain the momentum of the attack … military greatness is the ability to recognize and respond to opportunities presented.”/152-3 “Grant had an aversion to digging in.”/153 “Grant had an intangible advantage. He knew what he wanted.”/153 “Grant’s seven-mile dash changed the course of the war.”/157 “The one who attacks first will be victorious.”/158 “dogged”/159 “unconditional surrender”/162

“simplicity and determination”/166 “quickness of mind that allowed him to make on the spot adjustments … [his] battles were not

elegant set-piece operations”/166 “[other Union general] preferred preparation to execution … became a friend of detail … suffered

from ‘the slows’ …”/170 Message to Halleck from McClellan: “Do not hesitate to arrest him” [following great victory]/172 … “learned how

to withstand attacks from the rear” [Army politics]/179

“He never credited the enemy with the capacity to take the offensive.”/185 “tenacity [like Wellington]”/187 “I haven’t despaired of whipping them yet” [at a very low point]/195 “Both sides seemed defeated and whoever assumed the offensive was sure to win.”/200 … “inchoate bond [between Grant and soldiers]”/201 … “The genius of Grant’s command style lay in its simplicity. Grant never burdened his division commanders with excessive detail. … no elaborate staff

conferences, no written orders prescribing deployment. … Grant recognized the battlefield was in flux. By not specifying movements

in detail, he left his subordinate commanders free to exploit whatever opportunities developed.”/202 “If anyone other than

Grant had been in command, the Union army certainly would have retreated.”/204 Lincoln (urged to fire Grant): “I can’t spare this

man; he fights.”/205 “Grant turned defeat into Union victory.”/206 “moved on intuition, which he often could not explain or

justify.”/208 “instinctive recognition that victory lay in relentlessly hounding a defeated army into surrender.”/213 Nathan Bedford Forrest, successful Confederate commander: “amenable to no

known rules of procedure, was a law unto himself for all military acts, and was constantly doing the unexpected at all times

and places.”/213

“The commanding general would be in the field”/228 Lincoln: “What I want, and what the people want, is generals who will fight

battles and win victories. Grant has done this and I propose to stand by him.”/231 “retains his hold upon the affections of his men”/232

“Grant’s moral courage—his willingness to choose a path from which there could be no return—set him apart from most

commanders … were [Grant and Lee] were uniquely willing to take full responsibility for their actions.”/233 “ … modest … honest …

nothing could perturb … never faltered …”/233 “plan was breathtakingly simple but fraught with peril”/235 “demonstrating

the flexibility that had become his hallmark”/238 “But like any West Point trained general, he had difficulty comprehending what Grant

was up to …”/240 “recognized the value of momentum … throw off balance … blitzkreig … traveling light … headquarters in the

saddle”/243 “acted as quartermaster”/243 [rushed away so that he couldn’t receive Halleck’s order] … “like Lord Nelson … telescope

to his blind eye” … “pressing ahead on his own”/245 “focus on the enemy’s weakness rather than his own”/250

"The art of war is simple enough. Find out where

your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike at him as hard as you can and as often as you can,

and keep moving on." —Grant, courtesy Richard Cauley at tompeters.com

(original source unknown)

“The art of war does not require complicated

maneuvers; the simplest are the best, and common sense is fundamental. From which one might wonder how it is

generals make blunders; it is because they try to be

clever.” —Napoleon on Simplicity, from Napoleon on Project Management by Jerry Manas.

“Above all the troops appreciated Grant’s unassuming manner. Most generals went about attended by a retinue of immaculately tailored staff officers. Grant usually rode alone, except for an orderly or two

to carry messages if the need arose. Another soldier said the soldiers looked on Grant ‘as a friendly partner, not an arbitrary

commander.’ Instead of cheering as he rode by, they would ‘greet him as they would address one of their neighbors at home. ‘Good

morning, General,’ ‘Pleasant day, General’ … There was no nonsense, no sentiment; only a plain businessman of the republic, there for the one single purpose of getting that command over the river in the shortest time possible.’” [Grant: 5-feet 8-inches with a slouch]/232 After the victory at Chattanooga: “The [Union senior] officers rode past the Confederates smugly without any sign of

recognition except by one. ‘When General Grant reached the line of ragged, filthy, bloody, despairing prisoners strung out on each side

of the bridge, he lifted his hat and held it over his head until he passed the last man of that living funeral cortege. He was the only

officer in that whole train who recognized us as being on the face of the earth.’”/ 281 “Grant was unhappy about going into winter

quarters. He saw no reason to keep the army idle, and the pause would give the rebels time to reorganize.”/282

“The [Union senior] officers rode past the Confederates smugly without any sign of recognition except by one. ‘When

General Grant reached the line of ragged, filthy, bloody, despairing

prisoners strung out on each side of the bridge, he lifted his hat and held it over his head until he passed the last man of that living funeral cortege. He was the only officer in that whole train

who recognized us as being on the face of the earth.’*”

*quote within a quote from diary of a Confederate soldier

From LEE KENNETT’s SHERMAN: “Grant tended to be a simple listener when these two strategies [for taking Vicksburg] were

being discussed. His own preference may have been impelled as much by natural inclination as by any arguments he heard. He

wrote afterward: ‘One of my superstitions had always been when I started to go anywhere or to do anything, not to turn back, or stop,

until the thing intended was accomplished.’”/ 202

“This [adolescent] incident [of getting from point A to point B] is notable not only because it underlines Grant’s fearless

horsemanship and his determination, but also it is the first known

example of a very important peculiarity of his character:

Grant had an extreme, almost phobic dislike of

turning back and retracing his steps. If he set out for somewhere, he would get

there somehow, whatever the difficulties that lay in his way. This idiosyncrasy would turn out to be one the factors that made him

such a formidable general. Grant would always, always press on—

turning back was not an option for him.”

—Michael Korda, Ulysses Grant

CWVA to MBWA: “In these days of telegraph

and steam I can command while traveling and visiting about.” —U.S. Grant

Managing by wandering around” —HP circa 1980

Source: Ulysses S. Grant, by Geoffrey Perret

TP’s take: Intuition takes precedence (listen attentively but act on intuition) … Move today > perfect plan tomorrow [subsequent Patton line] … Great advantage: When moving, you know what you’re up to and you’re moving [the one sitting still is, thence,

always reactive] [Boyd: quickest O.O.D.A. loops/Observe. Orient.

Decide. Act. Disorient enemy] … Action! ... Keep moving! … Engage! … Offense! [weakness-strength: can’t even imagine enemy

counter-attacking; little conception of defense] … Momentum! …. Keep ’em off balance … … Adjust … Adapt … … Opportunism! …

Constantly revise in accordance with conditions and opportunities in the field [life = excellence at “Plan B”] … Doggedness …

Relentless!! [trait shaped in early childhood] … Never retreat … Simplicity! … Wide latitude for division commanders … minimum written orders, conferences, etc … keep his own council … HQ is Grant & his horse … no retinue! … commune with soldiers/exude

quiet confidence/Approachable … decent … Self-accountability! … Evade orders (or ignore) … Share harm & hardship … total victory/

demand “unconditional surrender”—G’s first claim to fame [Nelson: other Admirals avoid loss, friend and foe as in Grant’s case vs

Nelson’s seek victory] … [Life 101: politics between the Generals: E.g., Grant & Halleck]

Insubordinate (when it comes to delays)/N

Action-oriented/Offense/Total victory/N

Relentless

Troop Commander par Excellence/N

Leeway to Commanders/N

Bossidy

Execution: The Discipline of Getting

Things Done —Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan

“I saw that leaders placed too much emphasis on what some

call high-level strategy, on intellectualizing and

philosophizing, and not enough on implementation. People would agree on a project or initiative, and then nothing

would come of it.” —Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

“Execution is a systematic process of rigorously discussing

hows and whats, tenaciously following through, and ensuring

accountability.” —Larry Bossidy & Ram

Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

“Execution is the job of the

business leader.” —Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

(“Leaders ‘do’ people. Period.” —TP)

The Leader’s Seven Essential Behaviors

*Know your people and your business*Insist on realism*Set clear goals and priorities*Follow through*Reward the doers*Expand people’s capabilities*Know yourself

Source: Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things

Done

Action8/VPMR+/Peters on Bossidy*Knowledge/External Focus (Competitors/Customers)

*Realism/Truth-telling*Vision *Projects (Must add up to Vision) *Milestones*Commitment/Energy*RapidReview*Consequences (+/-)

“Realism is the heart of execution.”

—Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

“robust dialogue”

—Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

Relentless!*

*Churchill, Grant, Patton, Welch, Bossidy, Nardelli (GE execs), UPS, FedEx, Microsoft/Gates-Ballmer, Eisner, Weill, eBay, Nixon-Kissinger, Gerstner, Rice, Jordan,

Armstrong

“This [adolescent] incident [of getting from point A to point B] is notable not only because it underlines

Grant’s fearless horsemanship and his determination, but also it is the first known example of a very

important peculiarity of his character: Grant had an extreme, almost phobic dislike of turning back and retracing his steps. If he set out for

somewhere, he would get there somehow, whatever the difficulties that lay in his way. This idiosyncrasy would

turn out to be one the factors that made him such a formidable general. Grant would always, always press on—turning back was not an option for him.” —Michael

Korda, Ulysses Grant

1 of 2,400

6:15A.M.

“The person who is a little less conceptual but is absolutely determined

to succeed will usually find the right people and get them together to achieve objectives. I’m not knocking education or looking for dumb people. But if you

have to choose between someone with a staggering IQ and an elite education

who’s gliding along, and someone with a lower IQ but who is absolutely

determined to succeed, you’ll always do better with the second person.”

—Larry Bossidy (Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan/ Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done)

Duct Tape Rules!

“Andrew Higgins, who built landing craft in WWII, refused to hire graduates of

engineering schools. He believed that they only teach you what you can’t do in engineering school. He started off with 20 employees, and by the middle of the

war had 30,000 working for him. He turned out 20,000 landing craft. D.D. Eisenhower told me, ‘Andrew Higgins won the war for us. He did it without

engineers.’ ” —Stephen Ambrose/Fast Company

Ye gads: “Thomas Stanley has not only found no correlation

between success in school and an ability to accumulate wealth, he’s actually found a negative correlation. ‘It seems that school-related evaluations are poor predictors of economic success,’ Stanley concluded. What did predict success was a willingness to take risks. Yet the success-

failure standards of most schools penalized risk takers. Most educational systems reward those who play it safe. As a result, those

who do well in school find it hard to take risks later on.”

—Richard Farson & Ralph Keyes, Whoever Makes the Most Mistakes Wins

“We have a ‘strategic’ plan. It’s

called doing things.” — Herb Kelleher

A man approached JP Morgan, held up an envelope, and said, “Sir, in my hand I hold a guaranteed formula for success, which I will

gladly sell you for $25,000.”

“Sir,” JP Morgan replied, “I do not know what is in the envelope, however if you show me, and I like it, I give you my word as a

gentleman that I will pay you what you ask.”

The man agreed to the terms, and handed over the envelope.JP Morgan opened it, and extracted a single sheet of paper.

He gave it one look, a mere glance, then handed the piece of paper back to the gent.

And paid him the agreed-upon $25,000 …

1. Every morning, write a list of the things that need to be done that day.

2. Do them. Source: Hugh MacLeod/tompeters.com/NPR