Who's Tom?

We're moving our office after twenty years in the same place, which means going through piles and shelves and drawers. Today, I sat on the floor sorting and tossing. And then there was a Keith Haring notecard, a figure carrying a large arrow up stairs. Who was this from? I didn't remember it at all.

20 July --

Jessica and Jeffrey,

Thanks for you letter of 13 July. I am thrilled that the book is doing so well--and have chortled as I've read the big-league reviews from hither and thither.

I'm, of course, delighted for the two of you; but mostly because [?] our ideas which need to be on the front burner.

Since I last wrote, I've met Harry Saal and Bernie DeKoven; I feel I'm beginning to be part of your nutty little (not so little!) networker family.

I would like to see the Mac version of the software.

I'd also love for us to visit. This summer however, and not per plan, [we] are in Palo Alto; we'll be back in VT around Labor day -- and I trust we can get together at some point after that.

Happy Summer,
Tom

Who was Tom? I didn't recognize the handwriting or have any memory of receiving it. But we'd kept the envelope with its unmistakable address: T. Peters, 555 Hamilton, Palo Alto, CA 94301.

In fact, we've never met in person or even talked on the phone. But he helped us a whole huge lot when The TeamNet Factor came out in 1993, writing a syndicated column endorsing it and giving us this blurb: "

"Brilliant! 'Virtual Corporation,' 'modular corporation,' and the like have almost become mainstream notions. But until now, no             one has made practical these seemingly ephemeral ideas. The challenge the authors lay down is daunting. And yet they respond with a formidable - and matchless, to this point - set of tools for practitioners at all levels..""

Thanks again, Mr. In Search of Excellence, the first really big book that changed the way people thought about business. And Tom Peters is still at it, 25 years later.

Comments

[lisa kimball]

Ah Tom ... I have a great fondness because i also had one of those generous Tom-notes long ago. I've never met him either but when I was at the US Office of Personnel Management we created a network for candidates for the Senior Executive Service and I wrote Tom at the height of the success of his "Excellence" book asking for a blurb of support which he sent immediately (and I leveraged shamelessly !) It was also thanks to Tom's "thanks" to Peter Vaill in the acknowledgements of his book for his original work about high performance in organizations. That comment led me to Peter Vaill (in true networking fashion) who I still consider my guru about management, leadership and bunches of other stuff ...

[jessica lipnack]

Nice story, Lisa. Where is Peter Vaill these days?