Page 157 - How to Create a Winning Organization

Little Things Make Big Things Happen
windpipes. I decided that orange slices provided the same energy 139
boost without creating phlegm. Phlegm, like shoestrings that come
undone, can cause distraction, which leads to errors that can get
you outplayed.
I also insisted that players deposit the rinds from those orange
slices in a wastebasket and not just toss them carelessly on the floor
near the wastebasket. Carelessness, like sloppiness, is not a charac-
teristic seen in successful organizations; tolerating either is the mark
of an ineffective leader.
I believed, and still do, that teaching a player not to be careless
and sloppy starts with such things as putting orange rinds in the
wastebasket. Nevertheless, I know that this logic will strike some
as humorous. For me, it was not humorous; I was dead serious.
And there was much more. At team meals, water was served at
room temperature without ice to avoid the possibility of stomach
cramps. It was just another potential problem that was easily
headed off. All this eventually starts to add up and make a differ-
ence: socks and shoestrings, ice and oranges, neatness and unifor-
mity. These are little things that are neither unimportant nor
incidental. And when I identified a detail that seemed relevant, I
took care of it, because our team would benefit. To me, this is less
about being a perfectionist and more about having a determina-
tion to be seeking improvement constantly, to always be looking
for a better way of doing things.
The exact nature of “relevant details” differs from sport to sport
and organization to organization. And, of course, some adjustments
come simply because times change. But the basics of success in lead-
ership, in my opinion, don’t change much, especially when it comes
to the connection between the identification and perfection of little
things and achievement of those big things we strive for.
An effective leader develops the ability to correctly identify the
pertinent detail or details—incidentals in a market, industry, or