A 'two per year' tactic.

• Author: Kristic, James
• Position: Excerpt - Brief article

From The Little BIG Things by Tom Peters. Copyright 2010 by the author. Published by HarperCollins (www.theharperstudio.com).

ARE YOU BUILDING a "two per year" legacy? I once talked to leadership guru Warren Bennis, to whom I dedicated this book, about promotions to relatively senior ranks. The conversation went like this:

Suppose you hold one of your organization's top jobs for five years. Suppose, and this is typically about right, that you have two key promotion decisions per year. Then it stands to reason that just 10 decisions in five years determine (not "contribute to," but, in effect, "determine") your legacy!

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For example, a U.S. Air Force four-star general I got to know had a strong point of view about where his service should be going. He did not occupy the No. 1 slot in the USAF, but he doubtless made as much or more of a long-term difference than did the No. 1. In short, he carefully selected and developed a tiny handful of generals who shared his philosophy; then, before they were scheduled to rotate, he carefully slotted them into key jobs throughout the Air...