[This post is a significant update to the original post The Little Things]
Little things count. That’s the rowing lesson I got from reading Tom Peters’ book The Little Big Things: 163 Ways to Pursue EXCELLENCE
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Never heard of Tom Peters?
He’s crusty.
He has an axe to grind.
But he makes up for all of that because he rows. And he is considered a business mastermind.
Twelve years ago, he read my book Nuts and Bolts Guide to Rigging, and then sent me a signed copy of another one of his books, Re-Imagine.
That was cool. (Might have been a little thing to him, but big to me!!)
About the same time this post popped up in my email browser, This Coach Improved Every Tiny Thing by 1 Percent and Here’s What Happened. James Clear wrote it.
It was another rowing lesson for me.
Now as far as I know, Clear is not a rower. But he is a weight lifter, and an excellent writer. If you’re interested in speed, and getting faster, I recommend reading that article.
Both Peters and Clear have made me rethink the impact a “little thing” can have, especially in a crazy sport like ours.
Do Little Things Really Matter?
Since I started rowing, I’ve been involved in two races that ended in a dead heat.
Someone figured the odds of a dead heat in rowing to be about 200,000 to 1.
Well, I’m not sure about that, since I’ve seen two of them and I certainly haven’t been to 400,000 races.
What I am sure about is that in those two races the littlest thing made a difference. One percent can make the difference. It can separate you from your competition. And that 1% might be in your:
- Spread
- Oar length
- Inboard
- Stern pitch
- Foot stretcher placement
- Or all of the above, and others
Where might some speed be buried, hidden, just waiting for you to uncover it? Where do you find 1%?
Austin Kleon writes about how Beatles’ Paul McCartney went about finding his 1%, by actions like moving his microphone (doesn’t sound like much, but he explains why it is a big thing).
At your monthly or morning staff meeting, or phone call/text/get-together, ask each other what are the little things that you are forgetting.
When you think you’ve found something, test it. And test again. And again. (Yes, I’m a testing advocate.)
Then once you’re sure you’ve found it, move on to another thing.
I know, this can be overwhelming. You’ve got bigger things to think about.
Yeah, but sometimes thinking about the 1% can help you with the big picture.
