Excellence Now: Extreme Humanism
By Tom Peters (Networld Publishing and Un / Teaching, 2021)
Tom Peters is an old man in a hurry. In his brief new volume, he tells us what he has told us in many of his previous books and he emphasizes that we need to run and do each and every one of them. At the moment. He started arguing. Lots of exclamation points and uppercase letters. By my reckoning the phrase “curse” appeared 19 times.
But the book, the best business book of the year on leadership, is significant for a big reason: it’s recognized Sum A man who has been the country’s chief management guru for decades. And at the heart of his new volume is the urgent recognition that, above all, leaders need to pay more attention to outsiders. To do this, they may need to rethink the intended purpose of their business.
For the traditionally pronounced Peters, the book is a model of economics. Excellence now In 1982 Jenny and Robert H. Waterman captures lifelong highlights of reading, thinking, and observation by the man who gained fame during the publication. In search of excellence, One of the most successful business books of all time. Some quotes are quite good, such as this crack of economist Paul Ormerd, which reflects Peters’ love for small and medium-sized enterprises: Do I build a small firm for myself? ‘ The answer seems obvious: buy a very large one and just wait. “
At the heart of this new volume is the urgent recognition that, above all, leaders need to pay much more attention to the people outside of here.
There are many traditional themes of Peters here, including the idea of excellence as a way of life and business as a way of virtue. The small is preferred to the large, and the verb to inertia. Get your hands dirty, damn it! Evaluate your frontline managers and treat your part-timers well. For heaven’s sake, go out and talk to customers and listen to people. Apologize when you need to, and do as you please. Profits are rarely mentioned; The business here is about making the world a better place, about beauty and empathy and money.
Peters has never ignored the humanitarian factor in business, and his contention that the focus will be on the people above all else may not be timely. For one thing, birth rates are declining in most countries around the world, often in countries that are already aging. So working-age people, though still billions in numbers, will in many cases become more scarce and expensive. That means companies will have to compete harder to win and retain both employees and customers. Businesses also need to maximize the productivity and adaptability of their existing employees, which can be difficult to replace. “Your main moral obligation as a leader,” Peters wrote, “is to develop the skills of each person in charge of you – temporary and semi-permanent – to the maximum extent of your ability and in the years to come” consistent with their ‘revolutionaries’.
Second, in a world of increasing prosperity, more and more people will simply demand better treatment and be able to pay for it. They also have new tools to claim it, such as social media, where they can broadcast the company’s cruelty to employees or indifference to customers. A third reason to focus on people is the growing feeling that free enterprise we know can be skating on thin ice. Last year, in an Edelman survey of more than 34,000 people in 28 countries, 56% of respondents agreed that “today’s capitalism does more harm than good in the world.” In the United States, for example, economic populism is on the rise, with skepticism about free trade and market centralization. In a nutshell: Leaders may find it essential that they show concern for citizens rather than just shareholders when they expect to maintain the support of voters, legislators and consumers.
Fourth, there is the earthquake and long-term inadequate rise of women in society and especially in business. The incident was not lost on Peters, who insisted that women were better directors than men, and who opened the book by dedicating 11 women. “It’s not a dedication to the ‘women of my life,'” she wrote. “It is dedicated to 11 outstanding professional women who have shaped my views on effective, diverse, humane and ethically centered initiatives.” Her emphasis in the book is on business communication, aesthetics, empathy, money and most of all People An inherent recognition of the extraordinary importance that women have as staff, customers and voters.
Finally, although rapid advances in artificial intelligence can eliminate staff shortages নির্ eliminating jobs প্রতিষ্ঠান organizations and societies must similarly address the social, economic, and political implications of a technology that increasingly does things that people have traditionally done, only better. Peters, always optimistic, hopes businesses can use AI to grow and empower employees. Meanwhile, his advice to executives is to include all parties, including customers, in the discussion. “Don’t run or hide when you hear the song ‘AI is coming around the corner’ …. it should be a personal priority.”
Peters is passionate about diversity and climate change. But the desire of one The 78-year-old writer has faced some of the more inherent challenges in his enthusiasm. It’s great to prioritize people, but which people? If a family-friendly auto shop closes at 5pm on Fridays and reopens at 9am on Mondays, how friendly are the families of working single parents and other customers whose only window to get a car on the weekend? Is inclusion and superiority never contradictory? What should you do if they are? Anyone looking for excellence in business and leadership should not ignore these difficult questions.
The value of Peter’s book ভর full of optimism, enthusiasm, and faith in people যে is how it grips us and repeats the humanitarian message of his work for the last time in the most direct possible way. “Take care of people.” “Improve … products and services that inspire our customers and make us smile and proud.” “Embrace the urgency needed to address the catastrophic effects of climate change – in your case.” “Always behave respectfully and be a member of a nice and strong community and a moral leader.” “Look for excellence day by day, not as a great aspiration, but as a way of life.”
Peter’s latest and perhaps last book রয়েছে there’s a recognized air about it না doesn’t make as much of an argument as inspiration. And at this juncture, that’s more than good enough. When it comes to big business, Peters is right. Damn! Ash!
Honorable mention:
Digital Body Language: How to build trust and connection, no matter the distance
By Erica Dhawan (St. Martin’s Press, 2021)
As 2020 accelerates our progress in a virtual world, we’re focused on acquiring the technological skills needed to connect — but without thinking much about how to make an impact and show favor when we no longer meet in person. Erica Dhawan, a writer, speaker and consultant, explores the specifics of what makes for effective digital communication, from email protocols to professional display in Zoom. In doing so, he has created one of the most practical and user-friendly books of this or any other year.
Conversation: How to find and speak the truth about racism
Can radically transform individuals and organizations
By Robert Livingston (Coin, 2021)
Business leaders are now called upon to engage constructively and effectively with issues that may not come naturally to them, such as issues of ethnic and social justice. Robert Livingston, a Harvard social psychologist who often works with companies, offers highly practical advice on how to keep difficult conversations – and then turn the emotions and energy they express into practical change.
Author Profile:
- Daniel Axta Is a business writer, author and novelist based in Hudson Valley, New York. His books are included Temptation: Seeking self-control in old age.