The Pursuit of Wow!: Every Person's Guide to Topsy-Turvy Times

by Tom Peters

Book Overview

Once more the "unconventional" Peters stimulates corporate thought processes. Along with the best of his columns, Peters includes questions and rebuttals that come from readers and listeners, as well as his own candid responses. A "must" read for every business person.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679755551
• ISBN13: 9780679755555
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

One of my Favorite Books on Marketing and Business

In a world of dense, boring marketing and business theory books, The Pursuit of Wow! is a rare standout. The book is a set of real world examples of how companies, large and small have differentiated, done things differently, motivatived their employees and thought out of the box. It's organized as a set of stand alone ideas, meaning you can open to any page a read a self-contained idea and (likely) have something to think about, vs. many books where you read verbose chapters hoping to find a nugget or two you can use. I occassionally buy books for clients and friends...I've bought more copies of The Pursuit of Wow! than any other book.

Highly Recommended!

Even when he's not at his best, as is the case in The Pursuit of Wow!, Tom Peters is head-and-shoulders above any other management guru. Peters is all about simplicity and excitement, both in his language and in his message. His basic mantra never changes: The workplace is becoming ever more competitive, so you need to make yourself and your company stand out. Do this by viewing your work as a series of critical projects and injecting limitless enthusiasm into each one. In delivering this consistent message, Peters tosses out scores of common-sense lines that are so insightful that you just have to jot them down. You'll find quite a few such keepers in this book, but you won't find too much of an overriding theme. Instead, Peters presents a string of 210 observations that flow together loosely. If you want to get going , we recommend this motivational booster.

Fantastic!

This book has just what you need -- concrete examples, plenty of humor, stories to re-tell, and enough "wow" to really motivate you. This will kick you in the tail and get you going. Truly worthwhile, refreshing, and valuable.

This WOW advice really does work!

The Pursuit of WOW is a very versatile book. You can read it straight through to glean some general tips for success in the business world. You can read it slowly and carefully, multiple times, as you reflect on your position in the business world and formulate a plan for renewing both yourself and your organization. You can read it in small segments, whenever you have two or ten minutes free, and pick up an energizing "to-do" for the day. Or, you can even(as I did with great success) use the book as a training manual for improving the level of service orientation within your span of control. After you have digested all 210 segments of it, toss it onto the table at a staff meeting or a management development meeting. Have an attendee randomly open it to any page and read a paragraph; then you can lead an impromptu discussion of why that story/tidbit is important, and how it can be applied to each of the attendees' daily activities. Nobody falls asleep in this dynamic atmosphere(which mirrors the book's content), and everybody learns - even if you only spend 10 minutes on the exercise. That is how eminently useful WOW is. If you are looking for a good starting point, check out the great organizational design, personal development, and book summary info in these segments: 38, 36, 27, 147, 117, 52, 44, 32, 181, 135, 131, 120, 76, 66, 178, and, of course, 1. The content is pure gold, and that is not merely my opinion; I actually did what Peters suggests on pages 50(take the crummy little job in the boondocks - the one nobody wants - and use the extra freedom you will surely have to innovate, create, and leave your own personal mark of excellence, 1(one minute excellence - you change and it is done, then you forever work like the devil to stay changed from your old, less-than-excellent ways), and 303(be childlike, naive, audacious and a bit nuts, iconoclastic, and, most of all, honest). The results were more impressive than I ever could have expected. Tom Peters' WOW is full of very implementable prescriptions for generating amazing improvement in both service levels and personal growth. *The audio tape, while condensed, is also an excellent use of anyone's hard-earned 10-spot.

210 Imperatives for Hacking Through the New Business Jungle!

Tom Peters does it again with another gut wrenching hatchet job on dullard business practices. Sharpen-up your Harry Lorayne or Bob Trudeau memory systems because this time Mr. Peters gives you 210 concrete reccomendations how you can build over-excellence or "WOW!" into your company (Or the next PTA bake sale). Brimming with everything from one-liners to multi-page essays, this book screams "MUST!" if you intend to drive your organization up to the next level (or perhaps drive your own life). Leave your steel tip shoes at the door 'cause after devouring this volume you'll want to give a good swift kick in the ass to anyone who says "It can't be done."