Black Dogs, Loved ones, Etc.

A few of you have been surprised that I’ve been talking about depression, my Mom, etc. There are two reasons. First, I think Blogs should be personal & authentic. Hey, we’re a Community! It’s the Whole Damn point! Learning, Growing, Musing, and Caring together.

But the Bigger Reason is that for 30 years I’ve had but one “mission.” While an avid devotee of the Profit Principle (among other things, confirmation that one is being of Service to one’s Clients), the larger idea is that effective enterprise is all about people … PEOPLE … seeking the best in themselves as they work together to produce outcomes of value and significance for their various constituencies. In Search of Excellence message/s: It’s the People, stupid! It’s the Customers, stupid!

My great friend Warren Bennis said, “The best thing a leader can do for a Great Group is to allow its members to discover their greatness.” My late colleague Boyd Clarke added, “I have always believed that the purpose of the corporation is to be a blessing to its employees.” (Redux: It’s the people, stupid!)

I recently published a book called This I Believe. There are 60 items/key beliefs. The last was but one word … grace. I said (believe!) that enterprises, even while competing vigorously, can be Places of Grace. Energetic? You bet. Hustling? You bet. And also places of Great Character & Integrity & Caring. (How do you Care for your Clients if you don’t Care for one another? Duh!)

So we’ll continue to talk from time to time about “personal stuff.” Business that works? It’s bloody well personal!

Tom Peters posted this on August 25, 2005, in Blogging.
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