My Introduction to Tom Peters
In the late 80’s a friend of mine was watching PBS as I walked through the front door of his rented house in East Vancouver. The program featured a speaker that was pacing back and forth on a stage in front of a few hundred people, working up quite a lather in a loud and seemingly abrasive manner. He was incredibly passionate about what he was raving about so I had to listen. This was my introduction to Tom Peters who wrote the best seller In Search of Excellence.
He talked about a minor league baseball team attracting more fans than some major league teams, he talked about the early success of Fed Ex and an American steel manufacturer that returned 35% to shareholders. I recorded the program next time it came on and eventually wore out the VHS tape.
For all of his examples he focused on the one thing – taking care of the customer; the one thing that will bring success to any organization. Give yourself and your staff permission to look out and help each and every one of your customers at every turn. Go the extra mile and smile while doing it.
Thinking back about this video and watching a short clip I found on YouTube, the numbers, statistics and hairstyles are dated but the concepts, ideas and passion presented are timeless.
He has a web site and you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook for a daily dose of management excellence.
Tom Peters still has the passion and is always in search of excellence.