"It is the end of the world as we know it. And whatever made you successful in the past won't in the future. And the answer is: It's INNOVATION, Stupid!"
— Tom Peters

In his latest book, "The Circle of Innovation: You Can't Shrink Your Way to Greatness," Tom Peters awakens the reader to the reality of today's marketplace. "I say a [global] village is too big. Try global block. Better yet, try global mall," he says. This unconventional book, by an unconventional author, summarizes over 400 seminars Peters has given in 22 countries. It describes the need for all companies and all individuals to embrace the concept of "innovation."

For those of you who don't know Tom Peters, you should. He is perhaps one of the most energetic, unorthodox management gurus speaking, writing and consulting today. You may not agree with everything he says; you may think he contradicts himself; you may even think he is crazy; but you have to listen to what he is saying. As a well-known business consultant and the author of several seminal management works, Peters commands large sums of money to distribute his insights and observations to corporate executives. Bottom line: Peters helps companies make money.

Many of you will remember the energetic keynote address Peters delivered at the APICS '97 conference in Washington, D.C., describing many of the concepts from his book. When Peters speaks, he paces the stage — shouting, swearing and whispering. The book exhibits the same characteristics and energy as one of his lectures. The writing style allows you to feel the energy and passion that obviously drove the creation of the "The Circle of Innovation." For those of you who didn't attend his APICS '97 keynote, the book is the next best thing to being there.

Although it is not the "usual" business book style, the format of "The Circle of Innovation" is part of its appeal. The pages on the left side contain copies of the slides presented in his seminars. The pages on the right side include the meanings behind the slides. As you read, you can almost hear Peters lecturing to you.

The beginning of the book contains a brief Reader's Guide describing how Peters wants you to read the book. He tells you that he "LOVES CAPITAL LETTERS" and doesn't feel that business books need to be boring. He cherishes inconsistency. He is a frustrated academic. He likes noisy and pithy anecdotes. He hopes you love the book or hate the book; but he will be devastated if you are lukewarm about it. The style of the book is dictated by his burning desire to force the reader to rethink "business."

Aware that business changes at the speed of light, he even includes an address for a constantly updated Web version of portions of the book. For those who do not want to be left in the dust, the address is www.businessedge.net/tompeters.

Throughout his career, Peters has displayed the uncanny ability to take quotes and ideas from various sources and configure them into a poignant business message. The slides contain quotes from CEOs of major corporations (like David Glass of Wal-Mart), the Wall Street Journal, Harvard professors, the Chicago Bulls manager, and race car driver Mario Andretti to name a few. Mario's quote is one of my favorites: "If things seem under control, you're just not going fast enough."

The content of the book is a description of what Peters calls the Circle of Innovation. He writes about 15 concepts underlying his vision of "innovation." The concepts are not tame. They range from "Destruction is Cool!" and "We are All Michelangelos," to "Create Waves of Lust," "We're Here to Live Life Out Loud" and "Distance is Dead."

Let's look first at "Distance is Dead." Peters tells us that no businessperson is more than six-tenths of a second away from any other businessperson via phone, fax or e-mail. R.I.P. distance! Peters describes how the death of distance marks the birth of real competition. We should all be feeling uncomfortable. As manufacturers, we need to understand that our competitors are everywhere. They can reach out from across the ocean as easily as across the road. Thus, the death of distance. YIKES!

The death of distance means that brand identity is more important than ever. Peters screams: "Develop a brand identity for your company and yourself!" Branding tips, techniques and examples are illustrated for the reader. APICS members need to be acutely aware of the death of distance. Peters awakens you to this fact in a humorous, staccato style.

PBE (Personal Brand Equity) is an underlying theme of the book. You need to take responsibility for your own career in this fast-moving, no-holds barred economy. Peters prods us to become more emotional about our positions and our direct reports. He reprimands us for not creating our own company called ME Inc. — a professional service firm aimed at standing out in a big way.

As players in the manufacturing arena, we need to be aware of the trends impacting the economic landscape. We need to implement some or all of the strategies Peters describes. "The Circle of Innovation: You Can't Shrink Your Way to Greatness" accomplishes the goal of opening minds and hearts to the ideas and possibilities for both you and your manufacturing organization. Don't hesitate to buy and devour this book.