The little people will get even, which is one of a thousand reasons why they are not little people at all. If you're a jerk as a leader, you will be torpedoed. And usually it won't be by your vice presidents; it will be on the loading dock at 3am when no supervisors are around.
Interpretation
The quote suggests that those in lower positions hold power by their ability to respond to poor leadership.
Tom Peters emphasizes that even those who seem insignificant or overlooked can have a significant impact on leadership dynamics. Poor leadership can lead to unforeseen consequences, often manifesting in subtle ways when leaders are not paying attention. This serves as a reminder that every individual, regardless of their position, has a role in the overall success of an organization and can influence change.
In practice
In a leadership training workshop to illustrate the importance of treating all employees with respect.
My half-baked reading of history is that we continue to go through these waves of entrepreneurial explosion followed by merger mania and consolidation. Out of that come big sluggish companies that eventually collapse under the weight of what they've created, and are killed off by the next wave of entrepreneurs.
The simple act of paying positive attention to people has a great deal to do with productivity.
Nearly 100% of innovation-from business to politics-is inspired not by "market analysis" but by people who are supremely pissed off by the way things are.
Leaders don't create followers, they create more leaders.
Champions are pioneers, and pioneers get shot at. The companies that get the most from champions, therefore, are those that have rich support network so their pioneers will flourish. This point is so important it's hard to overstress. No support systems, no champions. No champions, no innovations.
If you're not confused, you're not paying attention.
Negro leaders sought to negotiate with the city fathers. But the political leaders consistently refused to engage in good-faith negotiation.
I am sure that the mistakes of that time will not be repeated; we should probably make another set of mistakes.
I pick up the details that drive the organization insane. But sweating the details is more important than anything else
I think we would be stronger if half our countries and companies were run by women and half our homes were run by men.
I think Clinton, after getting into office and into Washington, was shocked at being bludgeoned. So he spent time trying to be all things to all people - one way guaranteed not to be successful or respected in a lion's den. You can't just play around with all those big cats - you've got to take somebody on.
Active questions are the alternative to passive questions. There is a huge difference between, 'Do you have clear goals?' and 'Did you do your best to set clear goals for yourself?' The former is trying to determine the employee's state of mind; the latter challenges the employee to describe or defend a course of action.
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