Tom Peters on Extreme Humanism, Excellence Now & the Future of Leadership

In this DisrupTV Special Edition, hosts R “Ray” Wang and Vala Afshar sit down with Tom Peters, Chief Provocateur of Tom Peters Company and author of Excellence Now: Extreme Humanism. Peters challenges corporate norms, urging leaders to prioritize human connection, soft skills, and relentless execution in an increasingly digital and impersonal world.

Key Episode Insights

1. Excellence Through Continuous Learning

Peters defines excellence as the ongoing pursuit of growth and adaptation—leaders and teams must educate themselves and anticipate change proactively 

2. Soft Skills Trump Technical Expertise

Referencing Google’s Project Oxygen, Peters emphasizes that the most impactful managers excel at coaching, communication, empathy, and listening—while technical skills often take a back seat 

3. Leadership Is About People First

In Peters’s view, “People are important.” Corporate success hinges on leaders serving frontline teams, not vice versa

4. Innovation Doesn’t Require Complexity

“Forget the breakthroughs; the small stuff is more important.” Peters urges experimentation at every level—incremental changes often drive real innovation 

5. Generosity Builds Trust

“Don’t be afraid to give things away.” Peters advocates sharing ideas and resources freely to establish value and trust—creating goodwill that can lead to deeper professional relationships 

6. Leadership Lessons That Stick

Don’t hire the jerks—even one toxic personality can erode a team’s culture 

“When you’re 68, the only thing you will remember is the people you helped grow.” A powerful reminder that human impact outlasts material success.

Insights & Resources

Peters’s message is both urgent and practical: excellence emerges when organizations put people first and prioritize continuous learning over polished credentials. Leaders should invest in soft skill development—coaching, clarity, empathy—knowing these traits yield far greater returns than technical mastery alone. Innovation is accessible—not elusive—when small experiments are encouraged at every level. By generously sharing tools and ideas, organizations can build trust and demonstrate their value before transactions ever begin. And perhaps most critically, leadership should foster a culture that supports growth and creativity—not one compromised by negative influences or toxicity. As Peters reminds us, what you leave behind isn’t your profit margin—it’s the people you helped succeed.

Final Thoughts

Tom Peters’s radical yet humane leadership philosophy offers a clear path forward: Excellence isn’t a marketing slogan—it’s a practice rooted in humanity, generosity, and action. In a world driven by technology and disruption, true transformation occurs when people are empowered to learn, connect, and innovate.

Related Episodes