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The thing that keeps a business ahead of the competition is excellence in execution.

Tom Peters

I think economics is about passion. Economic progress, whether it is a two-person coffee shop or whether it is Netscape, is about people with brave ideas. Because it is brave to mortgage the house, when you’ve got two kids, to start a coffee shop.
TOM PETERS

Coffee Kids Passion
If there is a single tragic flaw that mars our biggest enterprises, it is conservatism – the failure to fail, and fail big, in an era of unprecedented volatility and ambiguity.
TOM PETERS

Ambiguity Era Flaws Mars Unprecedented Volatility
The day firing becomes easy is the day to fire yourself.
TOM PETERS

Easy Fire Wisdom Yourself
Even a poor, out-of-datecollection reflects in its own way the values of the people who created it and the community it serves.
TOM PETERS

Community People Way
If future competitiveness depends on treating people as an important part of the institution, the least respectful thing I can imagine doing to a human being is asking him to urinate in a cup.
TOM PETERS

Asking Important People
With most competitors moving ever faster, the race will go to those who listen (and respond) most intently.
TOM PETERS

Faster Moving Race
The principal reason, invariably, most “successful” giant companies rather quickly become also-rans, or just amorphous blobs on the competitive landscape, is their failure to re-tool in anything like a fundamental way. In fact,
TOM PETERS

Anything Change Fact Successful Worse Yesterday
The company’s most urgent task is to learn to welcome, beg for, demand – innovation from everyone.
TOM PETERS

Demand Innovation Tasks
Develop a respect and reverence for the principle of variation: the idea that the message ain’t in the mean, the mode or the median – it’s in the differences that occur throughout a population.
TOM PETERS

Differences Educational Ideas Mean Occur
Momentum is a fragile force. Its worst enemy: procrastination. Its best friend: a deadline (think Election Day). Implication no. 1 (and there is no no. 2): Get to work! NOW!
TOM PETERS

Enemy Procrastination Thinking Worst
Mastery is great, but even that is not enough. You have to be able to change course without a bead of sweat, or remorse.
TOM PETERS

Able Mastery Remorse Sweat
Hire attitude train skills.
TOM PETERS

Attitude Skills Train
Progress is mostly the product of rogues.
TOM PETERS

Products Progress Rogues
Passion. The life of an entrepreneur is occasionally exhilarating, and almost always exhausting. Only unbridled passion for the concept is likely to see you through the 17-hour days (month after month) and the painful mistakes that are part and parcel of the start-up process.
TOM PETERS

Concept Exhilarating Mistake Occasionally Passion Peace
The idea of intimately entwining with customers [to get ideas] is an idea whose time has come.
TOM PETERS

Customers Ideas Intimately
Listen to Everyone. Ideas come from everywhere
TOM PETERS

Everyone Everywhere Ideas Listen

The thing that keeps a business ahead of the competition is excellence in execution.

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The thing that keeps a business ahead of the competition is excellence in execution.

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Popular Authors

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