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WHAT DO YOU THINK?

One of the great management thinkers of our time is Tom Peters, who broke into the consciousness of the business world through his writings with Robert Waterman in the groundbreaking book "In Search of Excellence".

His subsequent writings have been very much on the same theme of trying to see the different side of management practices and his 2003 book "Re-imagine" still has the power to make one think differently about the business world. If you want a peek inside the book, you can access Chapter 2 here.

One of Tom's real strengths is to be able to make the complex sound simple and his blog is a joy in deconstructing the most complex issues.

I particularly enjoyed this week's entry and I thought that it had real echoes for not only individuals but for organisations and even government (including our own here in Wales!).

As Tom says:

"I started blogging in June of 2004, and the best part of it, frankly, is the wonderful comments that come from India at 1 a.m. or come from anywhere. And one morning when I logged on, I had gotten a lovely comment from a guy by the name of Dave Wheeler. And it went like this: “What are the four most important words in an organization?”
And the four words were: What. Do. You. Think.
And I thought about it and I thought, “My God. This is just bloody amazing.” What does What Do You Think mean? What Do You Think, when you say it to me, means: You are a person of value who has an opinion that I want to hear. And so, I’ve started taking it to its ultimate extreme and saying, “Okay, I want you to keep a little scorecard. Keep it in your pocket, wherever else. How many times” —and I do, everybody’s watching this— “how many times in the course of a day do you say—not five words, not three words, not 10 words—What Do You Think?”
You know, we hear this about empowerment and that about empowerment and this program and that program and this training course and that training course. I would argue, in the world of engaging people, nothing is better than the four words: What Do You Think? Try it. Count it. Measure yourself. See what happens."

So, what do you think?

Comments

Unknown said…
I read it and sent it to everyone in the company I work for, including the training department; a truly inspiring message, yet so simple.

Will you send a link to all in our government at Cardiff Bay ?
August 12, 2010 9:56 am
Anonymous said…
How simple is that
I think the best lessons I have learned have been uncomplicated and to the point
Usually from people who have had hands on experience
I think differently at differing times too
Mornings are far less musing than evening
I have met Tom P he is some one who makes you think
August 12, 2010 10:53 am
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