Off the Presses: Re-imagine!

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From NetSpeed Leader Volume 13, November 2003

Tom Peters' Re-imagine! is a dizzying riff to exuberance. It overflows with quick maxims, loud red type, exclamation points, wild mixes of fonts and formats, strikingly bold photos, and more photographs of the author than one ought to be allowed to view.

Readers may hate or love this book. As Peters states in the Foreword, "If you don't cotton to Technicolor, well, you picked the wrong author, the wrong publisher, the wrong book." But if you like wild design, if you yearn for bold bites of business wisdom uncluttered by how-to details, Peters’ book is here to delight.

Lot of things about this book seem risky, including the introduction, "New War: New Business." Peters uses the painful events of September 11, 2001, to make points about the way business must evolve. He builds on the metaphor of the new-style fight against new enemies to illustrate new business necessities, covering eight broad topics: New Context, New Technology, New Value, New Brand, New Markets, New Work, New People, and New Mandate.

Each topic area includes a range of colorful, high-energy chapters with titles such as "Control Alt Delete: The Destruction Imperative," "Trends Worth Trillion$$$: Women Roar," and "Bringing WOW Work to Fruition." In Peters' jazzy new lexicon, WOW, an expression spattered across the pages, means special, thrilling, and . . . well . . . WOW!).

The author offers several collections of 25 snappy rules. Among his 25 rules on "Talent" (Peters' word for employees) are the eight below.

1. Put People First! (For Real.) Peters asserts that although many companies talk the talk of putting people first, it's the rare one that actually walks the talk. He suggests this litmus question: Does the HR (talent) discussion take place at the beginning (or the end) of the senior management meeting? The pursuit of talent should be anchored at the top of the agenda.
   
   
2. Forge a Bold HR Strategy! Be sure your company's strategic plan features a significant HR strategy near the beginning of the document. Peters suggests that a strategic approach to talent is even more important than a market analysis.
   
   
3. Take Reviews Seriously! Is the “Talent Review Process” perceived to be as important as the Budget Review Process? According to Peters, if Talent Review is not at the top of your calendar, you are not serious about it. He mentions a software executive who schedules two full days annually to review each of the 25 people who report to him, for a total of 100 days a year (about 40 percent of his work time.).
   
   
4. Train! Train! Train! In the age of intellectual capital and talent-driven organizations, Peters questions why the American worker's average time in the classroom is 26.3 hours, or 1.3 percent of work time. He asks, “Can you imagine 26.3 hours [of training] per year for a diva . . . violinist . . . sprinter . . . golfer . . . pilot . . . soldier . . . surgeon . . . astronaut?” He also proposes that training go beyond the goal of increasing skills, toward “fostering a full-fledged entrepreneurial spirit in each and every employee.”
   
   
5. Honor Youth! Unlike the steps above, which may seem second nature to HR directors, the “Honor Youth” edict has to do with recognizing that young people have a far greater mastery of today’s and tomorrow’s technology than those who are not so young. Also, according to Peters' sources, many if not most great discoveries in science and technology are made by people under 25. Peters asks, “How many members of your board of directors are under the age of 35? 30? 25?” He adds, “That is a legitimate question—isn't it?”
   
   
6. Create Opportunities to Lead! Peters advises that “The way to create leaders is to let them lead.” He suggests immediately putting new staff members in charge of something. He states: “The average complex project has task upon task upon . . . sub-task upon sub-task. Translation: Enormous numbers of leadership opportunities.”
   
   
7. Provide a Setting for Adventure! Rather than being in management, Peters suggests being in the “Adventure Creation Business.” Shift from the typical management question of “What can they do for us?” to “What can we do for them?” Instead of helping employees manage their careers, provide opportunities for them to “develop identity and adaptability.”
   
   
8. Relish Diversity! As Peters puts it, “Distinct or extinct.” Diversity is not just politically correct—it's basic to business survival. Peters quotes MIT Media Lab head Nicholas Negroponte, who said, “Where do good new ideas come from? From differences. Creativity comes from unlikely juxtapositions. The best way to maximize differences is to mix ages, cultures, and disciplines.”
   
   

Every chapter in Re-imagine!   includes a list of contrasts, comparing the old way of doing business with the necessary new way. Here is Peters' list of contrasts regarding "Talent."

Was Is People are important People are everything "People power" as a slogan "People power" as a strategy HR pros as paper shufflers HR pros as rock stars Hire to fill a position Hire to position a company for greatness Talent pays its dues Talent claims its prize Training is a department Training is an obsession Filling diversity slots Feeling the diversity imperative Women lag Women lead A secure job with potential for advancement A Great Place to Work! Human Resources Talent! Employees Talent!

In 352 sparkling pages, Re-imagine! pays a joyful tribute to the adventure of leading and shaping American business. As shouted by Tom Peters, it's published by DK and available for about $30.