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Excellence Now: Extreme Humanism
This beautifully-designed book by award-winning design firm, Donovan/Green, captures Tom’s timeless and new lessons in leadership for NOW. Called the "Greatest Business Book of All Time" (Bloomsbury UK), Tom and Robert Waterman’s In Search of Excellence launched a maverick approach to management thinking in 1982. Tom’s seventeen books since have been cornerstones of management lessons from business schools to boardrooms. With Excellence Extreme Humanism, Tom sets an even higher bar given the state of our world today. Why “Extreme Humanism”? Tom will show how excellence in leadership is achieved by an obsessive focus on the growth of those you are leading. Reflecting on how to lead in current conditions, Tom says, “What you are doing right now will be the hallmark of your entire career.” Fans who await Tom’s next bold insights based on decades of research and on-the-ground, (e.g. Twitter - @tom_peters) steely observations, will once again find themselves immersed in a rich world of people-first wisdom. Excellence Extreme Humanism will long serve as a business bible for both individuals and organizations—large and small. Excellence Now powerfully delivers the management and leadership direction for how to move forward in a world turned upside down.
307 pages, Paperback
Published March 15, 2021
49 people are currently reading
264 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 19, 2021
Let me say first in full disclosure that I am the publisher of Tom's last book in this iconic series. That said, this is truly a keeper, a book that should be placed within arms reach and pulled out daily, if at all possible.
As Tom says in the beginning of this book, it's a book that encompasses the core of all the lessons he has had the honor of learning and now, is just as honored, to pass them on to new readers. I'm deeply humbled having had the opportunity to help bring this beautiful keepsake of a book out.
It's chock full of wisdom nuggets that should be savored and shared. It's a powerful book and timeless. It's also a book for seekers of the best that business leadership practices have to offer. If you get this book, don't just read it. Instead, as I said above, treat it like a coach in book form, an encourager on your life and business journey, a dear friend with whom you can confide in and continually secure guidance and support. This is that one special book . . . you will never forget.
As Tom says in the beginning of this book, it's a book that encompasses the core of all the lessons he has had the honor of learning and now, is just as honored, to pass them on to new readers. I'm deeply humbled having had the opportunity to help bring this beautiful keepsake of a book out.
It's chock full of wisdom nuggets that should be savored and shared. It's a powerful book and timeless. It's also a book for seekers of the best that business leadership practices have to offer. If you get this book, don't just read it. Instead, as I said above, treat it like a coach in book form, an encourager on your life and business journey, a dear friend with whom you can confide in and continually secure guidance and support. This is that one special book . . . you will never forget.
June 22, 2022
Tom Peters dice que el libro vienen a ser sus memorias. Yo más bien diría que son sus “Grandes Éxitos” o “Tom Peters Essential”
La parte de liderazgo me parece genial.
La parte de liderazgo me parece genial.
May 22, 2021
It's no secret. This is a collection of citations. But an amazing collection of citations.
Instead of trying to persuade us himself, in this book Peters let CEO after CEO after CEO do it for him.
In this book he was more of a curator of quotes that an author, and what an amazing job he died at that.
My only question is how do we get CEOs of big corp to read it. I'm sure it would change all of our lives four the better.
Instead of trying to persuade us himself, in this book Peters let CEO after CEO after CEO do it for him.
In this book he was more of a curator of quotes that an author, and what an amazing job he died at that.
My only question is how do we get CEOs of big corp to read it. I'm sure it would change all of our lives four the better.
June 12, 2021
The latest tome from the master of excellence - Tom Peters. His consistent message over the last 40 years, but with more exclamation points!!!
If you follow Peters on Twitter (@tom_peters), this reads like a compilation of his best notes.
If you follow Peters on Twitter (@tom_peters), this reads like a compilation of his best notes.
April 30, 2021
Having read some of Tom Peters work, I wasn’t sure what to expect in this, his final book. If you want the essence of how business and life can be done/lived at the highest level, this book is the one you need to read, and act upon.
There are no new earth shattering ideas here. There is however, much of what makes excellence so elusive for many. Taking shortcuts, or using “hacks,” a term I dislike, by the way, sounds so tempting. When we think of the experiences and products, and people that truly wowed us, no shortcuts were used, and no detail was too small to pay attention to.
A number of books are referenced here, which flesh out the concepts that Tom shares with us. Not a bad reading list, and they apply as much to life outside of business as within it.
Bravo, Tom Peters.
There are no new earth shattering ideas here. There is however, much of what makes excellence so elusive for many. Taking shortcuts, or using “hacks,” a term I dislike, by the way, sounds so tempting. When we think of the experiences and products, and people that truly wowed us, no shortcuts were used, and no detail was too small to pay attention to.
A number of books are referenced here, which flesh out the concepts that Tom shares with us. Not a bad reading list, and they apply as much to life outside of business as within it.
Bravo, Tom Peters.
December 31, 2023
У меня есть guilty pleasure – читать разные бестселлеры про менеджмент и саморазвитие. Здесь почти 80-летний гуру менеджмента Том Питерс собрал все мудрости, которые он понял за свою карьеру – а также увидел в других книгах.
Здесь миллион цитат, я себе штук десять разных книг добавил в «почитать потом». Сама книга написана очень рваным, динамичным образом, с восклицательными знаками – читать сложно, но местами сложно не согласиться.
Цитаты:
“We have a ‘strategy’ at Southwest. It’s called ‘doing things.’” —Herb Kelleher, founder, Southwest Airlines
«To Do: Hire nice people. One hundred percent of jobs. If not, why not?»
«Project Aristotle shows that the best teams at Google exhibit a range of soft skills: equality, generosity, curiosity toward the ideas of your teammates, empathy, and emotional intelligence. And topping the list: emotional safety. No bullying.»
«By year 20, liberal arts grads have risen farther than their biz-professional degree holder peers. giant tech firm, 43 percent of liberal arts grads had made it to upper-middle management compared to 32 percent of engineering grads.»
«Short-termism is a snare and a delusion, and destructive of individuals and society as a whole. Investment for the mid- to long-term, particularly investment in people and innovation, pays off for workers and customers and communities»
«Regarding noisy / quiet, I am reminded of Peter Drucker’s deep skepticism concerning “charisma.” He flatly did not think charisma contributed to effective organizational leadership—and pointed out that the political leaders who had caused the most harm were, however, almost unfailingly “charismatic.”
Здесь миллион цитат, я себе штук десять разных книг добавил в «почитать потом». Сама книга написана очень рваным, динамичным образом, с восклицательными знаками – читать сложно, но местами сложно не согласиться.
Цитаты:
“We have a ‘strategy’ at Southwest. It’s called ‘doing things.’” —Herb Kelleher, founder, Southwest Airlines
«To Do: Hire nice people. One hundred percent of jobs. If not, why not?»
«Project Aristotle shows that the best teams at Google exhibit a range of soft skills: equality, generosity, curiosity toward the ideas of your teammates, empathy, and emotional intelligence. And topping the list: emotional safety. No bullying.»
«By year 20, liberal arts grads have risen farther than their biz-professional degree holder peers. giant tech firm, 43 percent of liberal arts grads had made it to upper-middle management compared to 32 percent of engineering grads.»
«Short-termism is a snare and a delusion, and destructive of individuals and society as a whole. Investment for the mid- to long-term, particularly investment in people and innovation, pays off for workers and customers and communities»
«Regarding noisy / quiet, I am reminded of Peter Drucker’s deep skepticism concerning “charisma.” He flatly did not think charisma contributed to effective organizational leadership—and pointed out that the political leaders who had caused the most harm were, however, almost unfailingly “charismatic.”
April 13, 2022
It is a good book and I recommend it to people interested in the subject! I hesitated between 3 and 4 stars.
I found the book's style to be somehow dry, repetitive, and lacking (I'm not sure yet lacking of what), so, to me, the book did not feel excellent from this point of view.
On the plus side there are a lot of great ideas, founded on many quotes to reflect upon, and hence a lot of great references that deserve to be followed.
Some of these great ideas I resonated with are:
* Invest in people; create a people-first culture
* Therefore leading is all about maximizing potential and business is about creating human wellbeing
* Hard is soft. Soft is hard. I would reframe it as hard is easier. Soft is hard
* Excellence is to be found in the next five minutes
* Women are great leaders
* Execution is key
* Front-line leaders overwhelmingly drive all key productivity, product delivery, and quality, retention, and engagement
* Small > Big. Small and medium enterprises are a primary home of excellence
* Slow down. All great things take time, lots of time
I found the book's style to be somehow dry, repetitive, and lacking (I'm not sure yet lacking of what), so, to me, the book did not feel excellent from this point of view.
On the plus side there are a lot of great ideas, founded on many quotes to reflect upon, and hence a lot of great references that deserve to be followed.
Some of these great ideas I resonated with are:
* Invest in people; create a people-first culture
* Therefore leading is all about maximizing potential and business is about creating human wellbeing
* Hard is soft. Soft is hard. I would reframe it as hard is easier. Soft is hard
* Excellence is to be found in the next five minutes
* Women are great leaders
* Execution is key
* Front-line leaders overwhelmingly drive all key productivity, product delivery, and quality, retention, and engagement
* Small > Big. Small and medium enterprises are a primary home of excellence
* Slow down. All great things take time, lots of time
January 8, 2022
I wanted to give this book a 3-star rating as I just wasn't keen on the format. It is built on a set of 15 topics and each topic is liberally infused with quotes from other people and a (very) brief narrative and set of affirmations from the great and good Tom Peters. Here's the problem with my 3-star aspiration, the bloody topics are just so good, so resonant (even as I have read them in much of Peters' previous work) that it works. In fact, it works really, really well. Okay, I'm dinging one star for the format (I still don't like it and I'm heeding one piece of advice from one of the topics and proceeding directly to what I hope will be a great work of fiction), but going with four stars because I've highlighted the heck out of the book. Read it and pay very close heed to EVERYTHING in here.
April 8, 2021
I have read a lot of Tom Peters work and been to many of his seminars.
If you are familiar with his work and his style, there will be few surprises here but a lot of reminders. If you are new to him, the style may take some getting used to.
There is no doubt that Tom is a tour de force in the business development landscape. He has some mighty challenges in here, some common sense and too few common practice.
I made notes of interesting prompts, quotes and ideas and I highlighted most of the book.
For me Tom is a transformational thinker and a dynamic challenger ..
A must read for those interested in business development, leadership, customer focus and who need prompting to find more space for words like kindness, joy and grace in their business vocabulary.
If you are familiar with his work and his style, there will be few surprises here but a lot of reminders. If you are new to him, the style may take some getting used to.
There is no doubt that Tom is a tour de force in the business development landscape. He has some mighty challenges in here, some common sense and too few common practice.
I made notes of interesting prompts, quotes and ideas and I highlighted most of the book.
For me Tom is a transformational thinker and a dynamic challenger ..
A must read for those interested in business development, leadership, customer focus and who need prompting to find more space for words like kindness, joy and grace in their business vocabulary.
October 28, 2021
Очень схематичное и поверхностное руководство по жизни с ответами на все вопросы. Автор, возможно, слегка перебарщивает с экспрессией, капслоком и выражениями в стиле "Перечитайте это 5 раз. Медленно" и "Поймите уже это, черт возьми!", но вообще много полезного, хоть и не супернового или неожиданного. В любом случае, очень выигрывает по сравнению с подавляющим большинством книг этого жанра, где 500 страниц можно уложить в 10 страниц выжимки. Потому что это уже выжимка. И ещё в конце есть выжимка выжимки ))
February 12, 2023
Tom put his heart into this as his capstone book. Displayed in an energetic design, his most important concepts come in rapid-fire format. The main point, over and over, is that leadership is about caring for your people, the ones who make it happen, and the customers they serve.
April 9, 2021
Typical Tom
What an amazing book . As ever a call to arms to be softer, calmer, learn more, do more. For me I want to live in a world in which the values of this book are the norm.
What an amazing book . As ever a call to arms to be softer, calmer, learn more, do more. For me I want to live in a world in which the values of this book are the norm.
April 15, 2021
Bravo! Required reading! Excellence NOW. Thank you Tom Peters.
September 30, 2021
I gave this 4 stars because I loved his previous book so much (Excellence Dividend) and liked this a bit less... But I know I'll be flipping through and referencing this one a lot.
May 21, 2025
Сборник абсолютно очевидных утверждений о менеджменте. Но, судя по его популярности и рейтингу, большинство до сих пор не понимают, что сила в людях и что позитивная мотивация лучше негативной.
December 3, 2021
Неплохой, мотивирующий дайджест из мыслей других людей, цитат и списков книг. Но качество настолько высокое, что вместо 2/5 я оцениваю на 4/5.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews