{"id":36551,"date":"2017-05-24T04:45:30","date_gmt":"2017-05-24T09:45:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michaelhyatt.com\/?p=36551"},"modified":"2017-05-24T04:45:30","modified_gmt":"2017-05-24T09:45:30","slug":"the-little-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/the-little-things\/","title":{"rendered":"How Little Things Can Lead to Big Results"},"content":{"rendered":"

When it comes to winning at work, you have to focus on the big things. Don\u2019t sweat the small stuff, right? Not so fast.
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\nThe small stuff does matter. In fact, according to Andy Andrews, bestselling author of The Little Things<\/a><\/em>, it might matter more than you could possibly imagine.<\/p>\n

Why the Little Things Matter<\/h3>\n

\u201cEverybody talks about the big picture,\u201d Andy recently told me<\/a>. But, he said, \u201cevery big picture that is ever created is created one brush stroke at a time.\u201d
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\nTo explain that thought, he pointed to the Mona Lisa. Leonardo da Vinci\u2019s friends mocked him for using such small brushstrokes, Andrews said. It took forever! But the egg was on their faces.
\nThe painting da Vinci worked so hard on is now widely recognized as a \u201cmasterpiece of photographic quality,\u201d created one tiny, misunderstood brushstroke<\/a> at a time.
\nLittle things matter in three ways, Andy told me. They help you see things better than the competition, play a different game, and lead in new ways.<\/p>\n

1. Seeing Little Things Helps You Win<\/h3>\n

Whether by his materials or working through the coaches, Andy has helped nine college football teams win national championships\u2014despite never playing football past the sixth grade.
\n\u201cThere are little bitty things I notice that can help them, that can turn games,\u201d Andy explained. And that kind of attention to detail applies everywhere.
\nTo show how it all matters, Andy pointed to the story of Michael Phelps\u2019s great triumph at the Beijing 2008 summer Olympics, where he set a new record by winning eight medals. He won that eighth medal by 1\/100ths of one second or \u201cless time than it takes for a hummingbird to flap its wings once,\u201d Andy said.
\nPhelps\u2019s victory was made possible by every individual stroke and turn. And it was boosted by his disciplined training.
\nThe great swimmer had pushed himself hard to build the strength and skill that he needed. He had also rested enough<\/a> so that he could get the most out of the finely tuned machine that was his Olympic body.
\nIn business, your competitors are right behind you, like Phelps\u2019s fellow swimmers. You\u2019re going to have to find the margin to win\u2014and it doesn\u2019t have to be by much.<\/p>\n

2. Little Things Help You Play a Different Game<\/h3>\n

Andy emphasized that little things can affect not just sports but all of life. Despite having no background in real estate, for instance, he worked with a real estate firm to drastically increase its sales. How?
\nHe started by sitting down with the leaders and asking some simple questions. When he learned that the listing agent typically makes half the money from sales, he said the objective should be simple: List all of the houses.
\nThe real estate agents initially shook their heads at that one, but Andy researched why people listed their houses with a certain agent. He found it had nothing to do with the reasons businesses usually assumed for it.
\nPeople listed with agents who made a positive difference in their lives. So the new game, which none of the competition was yet playing, was for the agents to get into the community and make a meaningful contribution.
\nThis lesson should be broadly true in other businesses as well. When we add value in unexpected ways that may not even be related to the game we\u2019re playing, that creates a relationship. It may be small, but that relationship is how we get the business.<\/p>\n

3. Little Things Help You Lead<\/h3>\n

I asked Andy how leaders can get people to focus on the little things without micromanaging them. He said it comes down to the example we set, not just what we say but what we do, and how we do it.
\nThat makes sense because all leadership begins with self-leadership<\/a>. If we pay attention to little yet important things, our people will look to us, see this, and often do likewise, though they may need even more encouragement.
\nI can think of four practical steps to build a team that pays attention to the little things, to serve the customers.<\/p>\n