A Subtle Factor That Separates Effective Leaders

It’s 2-0. 2-2. 4-2. 6-2……..18-14.  “Would you shut up! Are you the scoreboard or what?” Ouch. I was about fourteen years of age playing in a pickup basketball game calling out the score every time a basket was made when that stinging rebuke came my way. I didn’t think much about it but I was always into details and statistics from early on as you can tell. I like to know where I stand. I hate playing a game where no one keeps the score. It is a waste of time in my opinion. I would rather get stomped in tennis than play and not keep the score. I think details are important.

As an example, I will drive past three gas stations to get to a Quik Trip. My reason? Always clean restrooms, a variety of selections, and quick friendly service. Occasionally I am on the road and stop by a random station with dirty restrooms. Yes, details do matter! Maybe some store owners or managers think a clean restroom is an unimportant detail. But I know that Quik Trip has made a few bucks off of me because they always attend to this important detail. That is what outstanding organizations do. They pay attention to the details. There are no little things to the outstanding organization. Everything matters and everything makes an impression. Everything you do compels your followers and/or customers to become more or less loyal. Pay attention. Don’t neglect the details. By the way. My team  won that pick-up game 24-20J

Adapted from Chapter Forty-Four of John G. Miller’s Outstanding; 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional