My 18th book. The Excellence Dividend. “PR” for a new book in today’s world centers around podcasts—about two dozen in this instance. And two dozen great interviewers! In, I’d guess, 20 of the 24 exchanges, the first question—almost to the word—was the same, “Tom, you write a lot about people. What’s that all about?” Part of me wanted to tear off the mic and walk out. But in the end I always gave more or less the same answer: “What the hell else is there?”

This course looks at the “people (what-the-heck-else-is-there?) issue” through eleven different lenses—that is, eleven steps. My goal is to inflame (!) your desire (!) to work harder (!) and more creatively (!) on the “people stuff”—and to provide you with practical (ready-to-use-today) approaches to doing so.

FYI 1: “All this” takes on the utmost urgency in the face of the “tech tsunami.” I argue that humanization of services (“extreme humanization” is my title for it) is the best product development and marketing approach to staying ahead of the tech curve. Beyond that, though, organizations of any flavor have a new-found moral responsibility to help every employee prepare for the crippling-if-we-don’t-do-this-right change coming at us.

FYI 2: Good “people stuff” is good “profit stuff”—now and, yes, in the foresee-able future. Altruism is not required.

FYI 3: Polls from all around the world report that 70 percent to 80 percent of workers are unhappy and not connected to their jobs. THAT IS A STUNNING—AND SICKENING—INDICTMENT OF LEADERSHIP.

So . . . People (Really) First, 11 Steps to Excellence and Things To Do Now.