Tom Peters is whacked, and he'd probably be pleased to hear it. Without a doubt, he provokes my thinking. For example, in recent article (by Charles Babcock, InformationWeek, 12 Sept 2006 ), he tells us to...

'"Experiment fearlessly," he advised. Strategic plans, which extend present operations forward in sustained growth, "work brilliantly under conditions where you don't need them." Use a strategic plan "called doing things," he recommended.'

Quit thinking about it and planning it and Just Do It, he's telling us. And he's even modeling the behavior, with a slight twist, as Just Say It. Let people react to his provocative words! Tom will continue to experiment fearlessly, learn from his experiences, and revise his approach as he deems appropriate. But let's be clear on what "It" is - for Tom, it's words - thoughts - ideas. The risks are mostly to his personal credibility.

But where is the line between "fearless" and "reckless"? I think Tom often crossed it, but that's his style to provoke thinking outside the box. Organizations, however, need to differentiate more carefully between the two: of course we should think and plan, but we should balance this with the risks at hand. An innovative idea with small risks might deserve a "Just Do It" approach, but one with medium to high risk might include a concept stage, a pilot stage, and based on the results, a "Now Do It" stage. And don't forget to include feedback loops. Most projects I've worked on last a heck of a lot longer than one of Tom's speeches. Things can change substantially given a bit of time.

12:21:46 PM    
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