The Project50 by Tom Peters Summary
Overview of The Project50
Transform mundane tasks into legendary "WOW Projects" with Tom Peters' revolutionary guide. While critics scoffed, forward-thinking leaders embraced his "celebrate failure" philosophy, creating a workplace revolution. What if your next project could actually change everything - and be fun doing it?
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Part 1: The Power of WOW Projects
Let me tell you about a revolution that's happening in the world of work. It's not just about getting things done anymore. It's about creating projects that make people say "WOW!" These are the projects that matter, the ones that will be remembered long after they're completed. I've been thinking a lot about this concept of WOW projects. It all started when a seminar participant said something that struck me: "Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre successes." That got me wondering, how many of us are working on mediocre successes right now? How many of us are involved in projects that won't even be remembered a year from now, let alone recalled with fondness? The truth is, we've been getting it all wrong. We've been focusing on the wrong things. There's a whole project management literature out there, but it's missing the point. It's all about planning and tracking progress, but it ignores the truly important questions: Is it cool? Is it beautiful? Will it make a difference? My number one pet peeve is when people say, "On time... on budget... who cares?" I say, does it matter? Will you be bragging about it two or ten years from now? Is it a WOW project?
Part 2: The Three Steps to Project Excellence
Part 3: Choosing and Launching Your WOW Project
Part 4: Building Your Dream Team
Part 5: Executing Your WOW Project
Part 6: Moving On and Starting Again
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"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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