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Tom Peters Times - August 2007 | | | The Brand You Road Trip Continues 
As promised, the next stop on the Brand You Road Trip is Dallas, October 1, 2007, with an event cosponsored by tompeters!company and the Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business Department of Executive Education. At the event, we'll be sharing the increasingly essential principles behind Brand You. In an era when the war for talent is heating up, becoming a Brand You should be a key part of every worker's strategy—for establishing your own personal strengths or aligning your values to those of your organization.
Sign up now for Dallas! You can go to the Cox School of Business website for registration: exed.cox.smu.edu/brandyou. For further information about Brand You or bringing a Brand You workshop to your city, call 617-242-5522 in the U.S. or email info@tompeters.com. We would welcome the opportunity to make your location another stop on our tour.
Juli Ann Reynolds
CEO
tompeters!company
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 | | Looking for Talent in All the Wrong Places
Without people, leaders can't lead. While that is an obvious statement, it does make one think about why leaders don't spend more time developing and cultivating their talent; after all, talent is the most important asset. Regardless of the industry, I have yet to run into an executive who isn't looking for exceptional talent.
Leaders may be looking in the wrong places and too far away for great talent. Perhaps the leader should look right in their organization's backyard. Underutilized talent exists in most organizations, talent that is doing a good job where they are, but could be doing a great job—an excellent job—given the right opportunities. In a recent blog on the Harvard Business Review website, a Gen Y made the following statement, "Recently I had a situation at work where I was given little to do. Not only was I feeling underutilized, I felt it was a disservice to the organization and to me." Right in this organization's midst was talent with the potential to do more.
The key to unleashing this potential may be as simple as the leader acknowledging and recognizing talent while having a clear and compelling ambition. We wouldn't drive our car when there is no gas in it, so why do we expect talent to perform when the vision, goals, and missions are uninspiring and acknowledgment is minimal. Talent is the fuel of organizations, without a 'fill-up' they won't go far. Refills come in several flavors: apple appreciation, caring carrots, raving recognition, and berry WOW!projects to name a few.
Leaders should take every possible opportunity to talk about the ambition of the organization and ensure that each person knows how their job is connected to that ambition. An ambitious purpose in an organization can create great energy around a stretch goal that people are willing to rally behind. We have seen people move from disengagement to engagement when exciting goals led to exhilarating projects.
To engage the workforce, leaders must re-examine their vision, ambition, or reason for being and test it against the people to see if it fits and energizes the talent. Energized, talented people want opportunities to do more and contribute to great projects. Once the ambition/vision is set, projects should be prioritized to meet the ambition. Leaders can go after their ambition and grow their business by "orienting strategy around an organizational model that nurtures knowledge and talent," according to the July issue of McKinsey Quarterly.
As Tom would say, "troll through the ranks for would-be revolutionaries-people who have been itching to make things happen ..." Uncover this great talent and get out of their way so they can accomplish great things.
Valarie D. Willis
Principal
tompeters!company
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| | Cool Friend: Penelope Trunk 
Erik Hansen of tompeters.com interviewed Penelope Trunk, an expert career adviser who writes advice for workers from Generations X and Y. Her book, Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success, is being sought out by those who would like some clues to managing those workers. She's a welcome addition to our Cool Friends; you can read her interview here and explore more insights for the Brazen Careerist at her website and her blog. |
| | The Classics
Few people read more business books than our friend Todd Sattersten over at 800-CEO-READ. So when he takes the time to pick THE five that every executive should read, well, we listen. And not just because we wholeheartedly agree with including the third book on his list (an, ahem, excellent choice). |
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(C) 2007 tompeters!company | |
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