We’ll resume our Deathbed Confessions series next week with Part 3. In the meantime, here are a few insights from people far smarter than me that might come in handy:
On innovation, grabbing life by the horns, and not pissing your life away:
“Do things that are gaspworthy.”
That was one of the main messages delivered by Tom Peters, the influential business thinker and management [expert], in a speech at Epsilon’s Integrated Marketing Symposium 2006 at the Quail Lodge in Carmel, CA.
“Do cool stuff that make people gasp,” said Peters, who looked older and angrier than in his “In Search of Excellence Days” (the book he co-authored with Richard Waterman in 1982 that was hailed by NPR as one of the Top Business Books of the Century). “Don’t piss away your life.”
He changed his speech at the last moment after having learned that one of his best friends had a terminal illness.
Also noted:
“Innovation comes not from market research or focus groups, but from pissed off people.”
– DM News
On remembering what creativity really is:
“Creativity is an act of open disobedience against the norms. Creativity is an act of courage.”
On passion and work:
“Whether you are Jack Welch or the Dalai Lama, it is dangerous not to do what you love. If you don’t have a level of passion that drives your thinking about what you’re doing day in and day out, there will be others out there who are passionate who will overtake and outrun you. People who care will take the initiative away from those who are half-hearted. So loving what you do is a competitive imperative, not simply a nice thing to have.”
Knowledge @ Wharton interviews Mark Thompson and Stewart Emery, co-authors along with Jerry Porras of Success Built to Last
On retaining talent:
“One of my favorite cliches is “there is no such thing as indentured servitude”. I use that line to talk about the fact that talent can’t be bought and sold. It must be retained with something more than money.”
If you want to share this with someone who needs the encouragement, I won’t turn you in to the SOPA police. 😉
Cheers,
Olivier
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I could not agree more on having passion. I see so many people that lack passion and then wonder why they can’t find the drive to get things done.
I think we all seek to make people gasp…
“People who care will take the initiative away from those who are half-hearted.”
Exactly. Which is why I say business should exist to make a difference before a profit. The importance of profit is directly proportional to the share of said profit one enjoys. Customers? Front line employees? We could give a shit. We care about other things.
LOVE this post! So very true. Every one of us should live our lives with each of these quotes in mind. Thank you for the inspiration. 😉 And that’s funny about the SOPA police. I mean, really.
“Innovation comes not from market research or focus groups, but from pissed off people…” that one was funny but true 🙂 Olivier loved your post!