To meet the demands of the fast-changing competitive scene, we must simply learn to love change as much as we have hated it in the past.
Tom PetersI still read quite a few printed books, but if something is available in digital format I do not print it before I read it.
Tom PetersVision is dandy, but sustainable company excellence comes from a huge stable of able managers.
Tom PetersAs a consumer, you want to associate with brands whose powerful presence creates a halo effect that rubs off on you.
Tom PetersWith most competitors moving ever faster, the race will go to those who listen (and respond) most intently.
Tom PetersWe often hear that the digital age has resulted in a devaluing of time, space, and place. But I wonder if theseclaims are exaggerated.
Tom PetersCommunity organizing is all about building grassroots support. It's about identifying the people around you with whom you can create a common, passionate cause. And it's about ignoring the conventional wisdom of company politics and instead playing the game by very different rules.
Tom PetersThe winners stun us not by their cleverness, but by the fact that every tiny aspect of the business is just a touch better than the norm.
Tom PetersThe race will go to the curious, the slightly mad, and those with an un-satiated passion for learning and dare-deviltry.
Tom PetersI used to be skeptical when educators and technologists predicted that we may be entering a new era of oral culture, in which audible information will be at least as important as visible information. Now that I have adopted into my own daily life a device that makes music and spoken-word files easy to access from anywhere, I have tempered my skepticism.
Tom PetersSouth Africa has all the tools to compete in the new global village - an eager workforce, ready to take on any challenge.
Tom PetersIn today's economy there are no experts, no 'best and brightest' with all the answers. It's up to each one of us. The only way to screw up is to not try anything.
Tom PetersAuthors and publishers want fair compensation and a means of protecting content through digital rights management. Vendors and technology companies want new markets for e-book reading devices and other hardware. End-users most of all want a wide range and generous amount of high-quality content for free or at reasonable costs. Like end-users, libraries want quality, quantity, economy, and variety as well as flexible business models.
Tom PetersCost does not equal value... and low cost parts decrease brand equity for a very long time.
Tom PetersCollections of books and other documents, either printed or electronic, are a form of congregation.
Tom PetersIt doesn't matter what product or service you're offering; there is unlimited ability to improve the quality of anything.
Tom PetersIt may be primarily property taxes in the case of a public library, or state taxes and tuition in the case of an academic library at a public university, but the funding sources of most libraries continue to have a strong geographic component.
Tom PetersSome people have argued that listening to a work of literature does not really promote literacy in the same way that reading does. Having tried this for several months, however, I can report from the trenches that, for me, immersive listening is as intellectually challenging, stimulating, and rewarding as immersive reading.
Tom PetersAs far as I'm concerned, the first business leader who was able to establish a cult of personality around his tenure was Lee Iacocca.
Tom PetersDot the i's, cross the t's, answer the phones promptly, send out errorless invoices, and in general never forget that the devil is in the details.
Tom PetersStatistically and emotionally, I believe that the way I can be of help to society is by doing what I know and what I've been good at.
Tom PetersIf, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a major challenge for libraries to adapt their content and services to such a diverse technological environment.
Tom PetersA while back, I came across a line attributed to IBM founder Thomas Watson. If you want to achieve excellence, he said, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work.
Tom PetersAn ability to embrace new ideas, routinely challenge old ones, and live with paradox will be the effective leader's premier trait.
Tom PetersThere are few things that will take you further in life, than your ability to make a good presentation.
Tom PetersNow it is much faster and cheaper to bring thedocument to the user, rather than ask the user to come to the document or collection.
Tom PetersI want the public as well as libraries and schools to enjoy unlimited access to public-domain books. This means no charges for these kind of texts themselves.
Tom PetersI wrote the book based on a blog that I keep. I also tweet. I don't think that for an incredibly old fart I'm totally behind the power curve. I really believe that the essentials of human relationships remain the same.
Tom PetersCustomers perceive service in their own unique, idiosyncratic, emotional, irrational, end-of-the-day, and totally human terms. Perception is all there is!
Tom PetersObviously, despite hard work and heroic efforts, many dreams don't come true. But if we don't dare to dream and then throw muscle, heart, and soul into making the dream come true, then WoW Projects-and all of the emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and financial riches that they bring will surely NOT be our lot in life!
Tom PetersBusiness is about people. It's about passion. It's about bold ideas, bold small ideas or bold large ideas.
Tom PetersAdvantage comes not from the spectacular or the technical. Advantage comes from a persistent seeking of the mundane edge.
Tom PetersIf 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 PetersMake an extensive table of project 'deliverables'. Label one column 'as requested'. Create another column labeled 'could be'. Make each 'could be' wild and woolly!
Tom PetersMy real bottom-line hypothesis is that nobody has a sweet clue what they’re doing. Therefore you better be trying stuff at an insanely rapid pace. You want to be screwing around with nearly everything. Relentless experimentation was probably important in the 1970s-now it’s do or die.
Tom Peters