The Little Big Things

163 Ways to Pursue EXCELLENCE

By: Tom Peters

Narrated by: Tom Peters

Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

"Years ago, I wrote about a retail store in the Palo Alto environs—a good one, which had a box of two-cent candies at the checkout. I subsequently remember that 'little' parting gesture of the two-cent candy as a symbol of all that is Excellent at that store. Dozens of people who have attended seminars of mine—from retailers to bankers to plumbing-supply-house owners—have come up to remind me, sometimes 15 or 20 years later, of 'the two-cent candy story', and to tell me how it had a sizable impact on how they did business, metaphorically and in fact.

"Well, the Two-Cent Candy Phenomenon has struck again—with oomph and in the most unlikely of places.

"For years, Singapore's 'brand" has more or less been Southeast Asia's 'place that works'....But as 'the rest' in the geographic neighborhood closed the efficiency gap, and China continued to rise-race-soar, Singapore decided a couple of years ago to 'rebrand' itself as not only a place that works but also as an exciting, 'with it' city.

"Singapore's fabled operating efficiency starts, as indeed it should, at ports of entry—the airport being a prime example. From immigration to baggage claim to transportation downtown, the services are unmatched anywhere in the world for speed and efficiency:

• The entry form was a marvel of simplicity.
• The lines were short, very short, with more than adequate staffing.
• The process was simple and unobtrusive.
• The immigration officer could have easily gotten work at Starbucks; she was all smiles and courtesy.
• And Yes! Yes There was a little candy jar at each Immigration portal!

"Ask yourself now: What is my (personal, department, project, restaurant, law firm) 'Two-Cent Candy'? Does every part of the process of working with us/me include two-cent candies? Do we, as a group, 'think two-cent candies'?

"Operationalizing: Make 'two-centing it' part and parcel of 'the way we do business around here'."
--Tom Peters

©2010 Thomas J. Peters (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

good book

so many good idea i got after reading this book. also a good reference to get back to.

Jam packed and energetic

A huge amount of info is crammed into this energetically presented audio book. Every sentence packs a punch. Incredible depth and insight. My only complaint would be that the use of the words "quote, unquote" gets a bit irritating after a while. Highly recommended overall.

Things that are little but not so little

I liked the narration,
in fact I always seem to enjoy the book narrated by the actual author.

Tom Peters gives us many different Little ideas that are not so little down the road,
some were obvious but when you think about it,
repetition is another excellent method of learning and putting it into practice
and some excellent ideas as well.

"Excellence Always
If not excellence, what?
If not excellence now, when?"

Thank you Tom Peter’s

An excellent book! I could not stop listening! Powerful message. Relevant examples. Practical activities to implement.

Awesome

Excellent book, tons, and tons and tons of great insights and tips.

EXCELLENT

Loved this Audio Book.

It's so meaty and full of great wisdom for business and life that I find myself just picking random spots to listen from.

Tom's reading of it is great. His passion for 'getting it done' and 'doing it EXCELLENT' shines through. Totally recommended.

From a Tom Peters fan, not his best

Tom is a great lecturer but keeping the listener engaged is a different talent. The use of repetitive, semi-corny diatribes I could have done without. The start of the book goes well but I feel he ran out of material half way through. The worse of it was his insistence that one should help their competition indicated to me how much he has lost touch with the actual working world and has joined the academic ivory tower crowd he preaches to discredit in this work as well as in the past. In Search of Excellence and Thriving on Chaos are among the best books of any kind I have ever read and have made a huge impact on my business career. So if you are deciding to read a Tom Peters book check these out first.

Tom Peters is my hero

I loved this book (though beware that it is REALLY long). Tom is a fabulous narrator & it was so fun having him read his own work because it added the "tone of voice" in which he wrote. I feel like this is a book that I should pull out & listen to about once a year (at least in part) to get a refresher. These are true words to live by.

Beyond Valuable & Relevant 20+ Years Later

Tom is the hardest working author I know. His passionate reminders in the 163 are worth a lifetime of study and reflection.

I recommend going through one per day indefinitely. Incredible material. For those who say he sounds mad, that’s his style. He does it like none other.

Awesome Listen

I love listening to Tom Peters, he reads what he writes with such wisdom and energy. I listen to every word and GET what he's saying. I love what I learn, I love being reminded of the little things that I've let slip by. I like that he often refers to an important piece of information over and over and he stresses the importance - MBWA. I love it. I win everytime I listen / read a Tom Peters book, and he never lets me down.