
This course, Leadership Excellence, is the fifth in a series of six courses. Tom explains here why he created the course series in its entirety.
Welcome to Leadership Excellence! Be sure to download the Course Guidebook here so that you can follow along and take notes on your next action items.
Anxious to get started and don't want to peruse the full guidebook? This doc is a quick overview of how this course is structured.
Tom talks about guaranteed leadership "stuff". You will learn that the results you get out is the same as the effort you put in.
Tom discusses MBWA (Managing By Wandering Around). You'll see that ditching the office and hanging out where the work gets done is crucial.
Tom talks about the first 30 minutes of the work day. You will learn to start each day with MBWA.
Tom reminds us that MBWA is a hoot. You'll see that if you don't enjoy MBWA, you may be in the wrong job.
Tom updates MBWA to MBPA (Management by Phoning Around). You'll learn why personal phonathons are effective.
Tom insists phoning around means voice connections. You will learn that that connection is stranger than by text or email.
Tom discusses the importance of MBWA being in-person. You'll learn the importance of face-to-face.
Tom talks about the necessity of meetings. You will learn that meetings are Leadership Opportunity #1.
Tom introduces his Rule of One. You'll learn that concentration and doing one thing at a time is the biggest secret to effectiveness.
Tom reminds us that it is always showtime. You'll learn how that it is the leader's job to dispense enthusiasm and positivity.
Tom discusses how George Washington was a great actor in his time. You will see how acting in control can lead to success.
Tom talks about beginnings. You'll learn the importance of scripting the first ten minutes of the week.
Tom discusses the importance of acknowledgement. You will see that most employees won't make significant contributions if they don't feel significant themselves.
Tom reminds us to ask, 'What do you think?'. You will learn that by asking employees their opinion, you are showing them you value them.
Tom talks about the ease and importance of 'Thank You's.' You'll learn the power of saying thank you.
Tom expands on the importance of Thank You. You will see that the power of 'Thank You' is greater when you are appreciating small tasks.
Tom talks about the speed of change in our work environments right now. You will learn that civility and courtesy and “a human environment” make a big difference in business.
Tom discusses K=R=P, Kindness = Repeat Business = Profit. You'll learn that kindness is free and is just good business.
Tom defines what kindness means to him. You will learn that kindness, civility, and courtesy are great strategic business strengths.
Tom talks about Frank Partnoy’s book, Wait: The Art and Science of Delay. You will learn that waiting and excellence are identical twins.
Tom discusses apologies. You'll learn their restorative power.
Tom shares rules about emails. You will learn about Tom's “The Sin of ‘Send.’”
Tom expands on rules of email excellence. You'll learn Excellence is as much associated with the next (10-line) email you send as is the quality of a car or computer you buy.
Tom lists leadership tasks. You will learn leading takes a lifetime of systematic hard work.
Tom reminds you that leadership is a helping profession if done right, well, with care, concern, passion, and compassion. You will be a value to the world. Good luck and have fun!
A final thank you and invitation to visit Tom's website.
The U.S. Navy paid my way through college. I paid them back with four years of service. The first 18 months were in Vietnam, where I was a Navy combat engineer (Seabee). I had two tours in Vietnam, two commanding officers (COs). I call them “Captain Day” and “Captain Night.” Together they taught me more about leadership—good and bad—than I could imagine. And the lessons stuck.
Captain Day, my first deployment boss, loved his sailors—not unlike Dwight Eisenhower loved his Army troop—and Herb Kelleher loved his team at Southwest Airlines (more on that coming up). He was a no nonsense get-the-job-done-on-time guy, but he clearly gave a damn—A BIG DAMN—about each and every one of us. He also avoided the command tent and spent most of his day in the field. Ten years after Vietnam I learned what to call his style: MBWA/Managing By Wandering Around—a Hewlett-Packard invention.
Deployment No. 2 brought “Captain Night.” He had a different style of “leadership” entirely. It’s often called “by the book.” He was a stickler for formalities. In fact, I sometimes thought he was more interested in typo-free reports of jobs not yet done than hell-and-high-water-completed construction with, perhaps, sketchy documentation. I had a crappy time, as did virtually all of us junior officers; and our track record in getting things done for our customers was less than sterling. For me, the quintessential event came when I was summoned to the CO’s office and lectured on the difference between “tangible” and “palpable” in a report I’d prepared that was going up the chain of command—to this day, over 50 years later, I have no idea what the difference is between the two words. But I damn well know the difference between “Day” and “Night”—and the yawning gap between leadership that fosters growth and pride-in-accomplishment versus leadership that does the opposite.
I went from Vietnam to the Pentagon, and got another “degree” in leadership—this time leadership in big bureaucracies. Some of my bosses could move mountains, some could not.
I don’t like fancy stuff so I’ve boiled my leadership learning in this course to 24 tools. No theory, just 24 leadership tools that work. My goal, then, is to give you a big box of “stuff”—practical ideas you can apply as soon as you finish watching and reading.