Look Beyond Change: Cirque de Soleil of Biz Speakers in Helsinki

On Friday I had the pleasure of attending Tom Peters’ wonderful seminar in Kalastajatorppa, Helsinki. The topic of the seminar was set to be Look Beyond Change: New Markets, New Trends and Pursuit of Excellence.

When I registered to the event in early February, I contemplated the decision to go, as I hadn’t had really looked hard into Mr. Peters’ material (shame on me) before and the attendance fee was fairly large. During the week, I listened through Re-Imagine!: Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age, Peters’ latest ground-breaking book, to get acquainted with his ideas and thinking, preparing myself for Friday. By 10 o’clock Friday morning, I knew that I’d made the right investment and the decision to attend.

Mr. Peters delivered a stunning performance that hit home on so many levels. First of all, his facts, opinions and insights validated a lot of my own thinking about business and especially the necessity of becoming a true PSF (Professional Service Firm) in order to survive in the current and coming times. Then he convinced me of the “new” markets – women and adults over 50+ years. And I think I knew a great deal more about women after the seminar though I’ve been married for eight years. It’s funny, didn’t expect to learn things about my significant other from an American business consultant.

Among the topics were also some 25 or so ideas on how to differentiate oneself from competition, 44 secrets and clever strategies for dealing with the recession and much much more.

Tom also went ahead and dispelled (or at least tried to) the myth that Finland and other smaller countries are too small markets and have too few people to be worth of anything else than perhaps a laboratory for a business idea, model, new product or service. The audience was told to get the chip off the shoulder and get to work, try a gazillion things and pursue the excellence. Little was the (new) BIG in many of his insights and ideas.

Later on, as the slides of the presentation came online, I downloaded the deck and went through the whole thing again, whopping 308 slides. And I found even more valuable content as Tom did skip a few sections here and there, presumably because of time constraints.

Here are a few of the best insights or quotes that Tom had in his deck:

Remember to tuck the shower curtain inside the bathtub.

Quote from Conrad Hilton. This one might need a bit explanation. Check out the slides and if you can figure this one out, you’ll be amazed by the insight.

Execution IS strategy.

Great one by Tom’s old boss, Fred Malek.

Forget China, India and the Internet: Economic Growth Is Driven By WOMEN

This came along the way of discovering the “new” market. A headline in Economist.

We have a ’strategic plan.’ It’s called doing things

Funny and down to earth quote from Herb Kelleher, co-founder of Southwest Airlines. Check out the slide deck for more, you won’t be disappointed.

Tom said right before lunch that if six people out of the audience took his ideas and thinking seriously, his trip across two ponds – Atlantic and Gulf of Finland – was worth it. Well, count me along those six (or more) people. As Jim Rohn has said, one has to go to many (training) events and seminars, and every once in a while one of them will turn out to be life-changing. This Friday in late March, 2009 went on that short list.

Thank you, Tom!

Tags: Business, Change, Excellence, Tom Peters