He refers to himself as a "reminder in chief" - reminding people what their grandmother taught them, but is forgotten in everyday life.
He co-authored his first book, In Search of Excellence, 30 years ago. It featured a list of "excellent" companies, many of which have held up well over time.
Forbes magazine analysed the Excellence Index in 2002, an unweighted basked of the 32 public companies quoted in the book, over a five-, 10- or 20-year period.
The Excellence Index outperformed the Dow Jones Industrial Average. If you had invested $10000 in the Excellence Index 20 years earlier, you would have made $140050. An equal investment in the Dow would have earned $85500.
In 2004, the book Movers and Shakers named Peters as one of the top 100 most influential figures in modern business. He is widely credited with launching the "management guru industry".
However, he has no time for the term "management guru".
"I think it's awful, but it pays the bills," he says. "I'm not much of a mystical Eastern thinker. Peter Drucker [regarded as the 'inventor' of modern management] says people use the term 'guru' because they don't know how to spell 'charlatan'."
Peters has emphasised four or five themes over the past 30 years, which have resonated with some people who have adopted them "and fallen on deaf ears more often than not".
He says small and medium enterprises, rather than big business, have benefited most from his wisdom.
Big business, he says, tends to be stuck in its ways. "I won't say the situation is hopeless, but the innovations are with smaller businesses."
He regards small to medium enterprises, rather than big business, as catalysts for job creation.
"The future for South Africa is enough people waking up, desiring to start a new business or grow the business they have."
His message is simple: try doing something rather than talk about it. And if you recognise and respond to the qualities of individual people, then productivity and life in general will be better.
He believes successful companies put people first and have "a bias towards action, as opposed to talk. And, at the end of the day, you have to take in more money than you spend."
Cash is king, he says. "You can go to business school and take four courses in accounting, but it's all about cash flow.
"If more companies, including some of the giant ones in North America and Europe, understood that, we'd all be in a better position."
He believes leaders have the potential to make a huge difference, and cites Nelson Mandela.
When he comes to South Africa in November to speak, he will focus on women and "geezers".
He say women will dominate business in a decade or so.
"Eighty percent of middle-management jobs will be held by women within 10 to 15 years. You'll see similar numbers at the very top."
He says women are more effective in their communities in getting things done.
He also says that an ageing population will change the face of North America, Western Europe and Japan.
"Even with all the economic troubles we've had, the amount of money controlled by that group is staggering."
Surviving with kindness and hard work
Peters's "secrets" and strategies for dealing with the downturn - developed for a seminar in Finland:
- Come to work earlier,
- Leave work later,
- Work harder,
- You may well work for less and, if so, adapt to the untoward circumstances with a smile - even if it kills you inside,
- Volunteer to do more,
- Dig deep, deeper, deepest - and bring a good attitude to work,
- Fake it if your good attitude flags,
- Try to forget about the "good old days": nostalgia is self-destructive - and boring,
- Learn new tricks of your trade,
- Network like a demon, and
- Be kind to all humankind.
Author: Adele Shevel
Source: Times Live
