Biography

Tom PETERS

2003 ranking: 3

Irrepressible and charismatic, Tom Peters (b. 1942) virtually invented the modern guru whirl single handed. His initial impact came through In Search of Excellence (1982), though his most powerful book is Liberation Management (1992). Recent work appears a falling off, but he remains a messianic performer.

Peters was born and brought up near Baltimore. He studied engineering at Cornell University and served in Vietnam. He also worked for the drug enforcement agency in Washington. Peters has an MBA and Ph.D from Stanford where he encountered a number of influential figures including Gene Webb and Harold Leavitt. After Stanford he joined the consultancy firm, McKinsey & Company. He left the firm (prior to the publication of In Search of Excellence) to work independently.

Peters' critics suggest that while he may have raised awareness, he has done so in a superficial way. He has pandered to the masses. Though his messages are often hard hitting they are overly adorned with empty phrase making - 'yesterday's behemoths are out of step with tomorrow's madcap marketplace'- and with insufficient attention to the details of implementation.

And, over the years, the message has been radically overhauled. Tom Peters' ideas have been refined, popularized and, in many cases, entirely changed. What he celebrates today is liable to be dismissed in his next book. His critics suggest that Tom Peters vacillates as readily as he pontificates.

The volume remains loud - even if it is simply typographical. Peters' latest book is The Brand You 50 (1999) which includes the usual breathless exhortations --
"90+ per cent of White Collar Jobs will be totally reinvented/reconceived in the next decade", "You are Your Rolodex", "Work on your Optimism" and, simply, "Sell. SELL. SELL!!!". The forthcoming book Re-imagine! (2003) boldly proclaims that it is "a call to arms -- a passionate wake-up call for the business world, educators, and society as a whole."

Peters' business record is mixed. The Tom Peters Group has generally proved a failure. It has largely failed to cash in on Peters' brand. It started off as a consulting business then metamorphosed into a commercial pot-pourri. Now, more encouragingly, Peters has reinvented himself as tompeters.com and the plaudits are rolling in once again.

All Biographies