The Work Matters: On Self-reliance,

Becoming a “Change Insurgent” and the

Power of Peculiarities

tom peters/0430.06

“Self-reliance never comes ‘naturally’ to adults because

they have been so conditioned to think non-authentically that

it feels wrenching to do otherwise. … Self Reliance is a last resort to which a person is

driven in desperation only when he or she realizes ‘that imitation is suicide, that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion.’ ” —

Lawrence Buell, Emerson

“For Marx, the path to social betterment was through collective resistance of the proletariat to the

economic injustices of the capitalist system that

produced such misshapenness and fragmentation. For Emerson, the key was to jolt

individuals into realizing the untapped power of energy,

knowledge and creativity of which all people, at least in principle, are

capable. He too hated all systems of human oppression; but his central

project, and the basis of his legacy, was to unchain individual minds.”

—Lawrence Buell, Emerson

The Work Matters!

“What we do matters to us. Work may not be the most

important thing in our lives or the only thing. We may work because we must, but we still want to love, to feel pride in, to respect ourselves for what

we do and to make a difference.” —Sara Ann Friedman, Work Matters:

Women Talk About Their Jobs and Their Lives

“When was the last time you

asked, ‘What do I want to be?’ ” —Sara Ann Friedman, Work Matters

“If you ask me what I have come

to do in this world, I who am an artist,

I will reply: I am here to live my life

out loud.” — Émile Zola

“How Would You Play Today If You Knew You Could

Not Play Tomorrow”

Source: Slogan for Loyola’s lacrosse season, from coach Diane Geppi-Aikens (Lucky Every Day: The Wisdom of

Diane Geppi-Aikens, by Chip Silverman)

“She made us close our eyes and hear the singers she was passionate about: Roberta Flack and Aretha Franklin. ‘Listen to the joy

in their voices,’ urged Diane. ‘It’s not the words or the music.

They sing with such great passion, such heart and

soul. You can feel how the singers love what they’re doing. It’s not just a job to

them. If you want to excel at anything, you must be passionate. Otherwise, why waste

your time?’ ”

Source: Lucky Every Day: The Wisdom of Diane Geppi-Aikens, by Chip Silverman

Characteristics of the “Also rans”*

“Minimize risk”“Respect the chain of

command”“Support the boss”

“Make budget”*Fortune, on “Most Admired Global Corporations”

“It’s no longer enough to be a ‘change agent.’ You must be a change insurgent—provoking,

prodding, warning everyone in sight that

complacency is death.”

—Bob Reich

“Nobody gives you power.

You just take it.” —Roseanne

“Dream as if you’ll live

forever. Live as if you’ll die today.” —James Dean

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the

intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body—but

rather a skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and

loudly proclaiming, ‘Wow, what

a ride!’ ” —anon.

Huh?“Quiet, workmanlike, stoic leaders bring about the big

transformations.” —Jim Collins

Huh?

“Humility: The Surprise Factor in Leadership … bosses with

Gung-ho Qualities and Charisma May Be Out of Fashion”

—Headline/FT/re JCollins/10.03

“intrepid, unprincipled,

reckless, predatory,

with boundless ambition, civilized in

externals but a savage

at heart.”

Herman Melville on John Paul

Jones: “intrepid, unprincipled, reckless, predatory, with

boundless ambition, civilized in externals but a savage at heart.” —from Evan Thomas, John Paul Jones: Sailor,

Hero, Father of the American Navy (and TP’s #1 hero)

WellingtonNelsonDisraeliChurchill

MontgomeryThatcher

“Humble” Pastels?

T. Paine/P. Henry/A. Hamilton/T. Jefferson/B. FranklinA. Lincoln/U.S. Grant/W.T. Sherman

TR/FDR/LBJ/RR/JFKPatton/Monty/Halsey

M.L. King/C. de Gaulle/M. Gandhi/W. ChurchillPicasso/Mozart/Copernicus/Newton/Einstein/Djarassi/Watson

H. Clinton/G. Steinem/I. Gandhi/G. Meir/M. Thatcher E. Shockley/A. Grove/J. Welch/L. Gerstner/L. Ellison/B. Gates/

S. Jobs/S. McNealy/T. Turner/R. Murdoch/W. Wriston A. Carnegie/J.P. Morgan/H. Ford/S. Honda/J.D. Rockefeller/

T.A. Edison Rummy/Norm/Henry/Wolfie

Elizabeth Cady Stanton/Susan B. Anthony/Martha Cary Thomas/Carrie Chapman Catt/Alice Paul/Anna Elizabeth

Dickinson/Arabella Babb Mansfield/Margaret Sanger

Jim Collins vs. Michael Maccoby

“quiet, workmanlike, stoic”vs.

“larger-than-life leaders”/ “egoists, charmers, risk-takers with big

visions”: Carnegie, Rockefeller, Edison, Ford, Welch, Jobs, Gates

“In Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they

had warfare, terror, murder, bloodshed—and produced Michelangelo,

da Vinci and the Renaissance. In

Switzerland they had brotherly love,

500 years of democracy and peace, and what did they

produce—Source: Orson Welles, as Harry Lime, in The Third Man

—the cuckoo clock.”

Source: Orson Welles, as Harry Lime, in The Third Man

“Well-behaved women

rarely make history.”

—Anita Borg, Institute for Women and Technology

“To Hell With Well Behaved … Recently a

young mother asked for advice. What, she wanted to know, was she

to do with a 7-year-old who was obstreperous,

outspoken, and inconveniently willful? ‘Keep her,’ I replied. … The suffragettes refused to be polite in

demanding what they wanted or grateful for getting what they

deserved. Works for me.” —Anna Quindlen/Newsweek

The Re-imagineer’s Credo … or, Pity the Poor Brown*

Technicolor Times demand …Technicolor Leaders and Boards who recruit …

Technicolor People who are sent on …Technicolor Quests to execute …

Technicolor (WOW!) Projects in partnership with …

Technicolor Customers and …Technicolor Suppliers all of whom are in pursuit

of …Technicolor Goals and Aspirations fit for …

Technicolor Times.

*WSC

Re-imagine!*1.Empower one and all to vigorously seek WOW! in their work/projects. (Or else.)2. Encourage the entrepreneurial (Brand You) spirit in people of all ages; lead the parade of those aiming to “Free the Cubicle Slaves.”3. Urge education “bureaucrats” (From kindergarten to MBA schools) to emphasize the arts, creativity, entrepreneurial behavior.4. Seek out the bold, the strange, the misfits, the dreamers—and welcome their presence in our midst.5. Drag enthusiasm, passion, Technicolor and bold commitment out of the closet.6. Be a champion for: Women Roar! Women Rule!7. Underscore the importance of/stupendous opportunities associated with the “cool new markets”: women, boomers and geezers, Hispanics, greenies, wellness.8. Dramatically re-orient healthcare from after-the-fact “fixes” to before-the-fact attention to prevention-wellness.9. Nurture the “lesser” “intangibles”—such as design/experiences and innovation—as the prime basis for individual and enterprise success.10. Support Globalization as the best/only—if indeed messy—path to maximum human freedom, security and welfare.11. Fight bureaucratic rigidities, centralization and mindless gigantism to the death.12. Swear by the motto: “Reward excellent failures; punish mediocre successes.”13. Foster a “sense of grace and care” in enterprises and organization-client transactions of all flavors.

*Why I get out of bed in the morning/TP/07.12.2004

HTSH: Engage!*

Commit! Engage! Try! Fail! Get up! Try again! Fail again! Try again! But never,

ever stop moving on! Progress for humanity is engendered by those who join and savor the fray by giving one

hundred percent of themselves to their dreams! Not by those timid souls who

remain glued to the sidelines, stifled by tradition, and fearful of losing face or

giving offense to the reigning authorities.

Key words: Commit! Engage! Try! Fail! Persist!

*HTST/Hands That Shape Humanity, Tom Peters’ contribution to a Bishop Tutu exhibit