Thank you for being here. We win Together.

It’s Saturday - Blast the Tunes and enjoy some outdoor action on this nice spring day. Here’s a good song to start with and a good one for today’s thoughts.

(4 Min Read)

“If we just do the little things, everything will take care of itself” How many times have you heard leaders, coaches, parents, say this.

I am a very firm believer that this is very very close to being true. But you have to live it, you can’t just say it.

Coach Bill Tierney is considered by many to be the greatest college lacrosse coach in the history of the game.

Some Scratch that, many have called him the greatest college coach across any sport, in history.

“Coach T” was (is) my coach, and just retired after 42 years in college coaching, having won 7 National Championships (6 at Princeton University, 1 at The University of Denver).

I was fortunate to be a member of 3 of them while at Princeton. (Humble Brag Sorry).

You will often hear me describe traits that matter to organizations, to being a great leader, a great teammate, employee, family member, bandmate - any “team” that you’re on.

You will often hear me share actions, traits, and skills that translate across mediums (athletics or corporate) as things that can be impactful to success.

And you will often hear me talk about how the inherent strengths that people possess, are indeed needs. These needs, when activated enable a FEELING of success and fulfillment. They are valued by you.

It’s the lens you see things through.

People will inherently take a conversation, a task, a project, or a mission, to the place they want it to go based upon their innate lens. Based upon what they value.

And when you are able to influence others positively using these innate strengths, you are more likely to BE successful.

WHY IT MATTERS
Coach Tierney is a master of the little things. It’s because he lives it first through the value he places on it and as a result, instills it in who he leads, making him the greatest coach in college history.

I connected with “Coach T” late this past spring, as he was on his final tour as a head coach. You’d think two people who shared a high level of success together, winning 3 straight national championships (a feat not since repeated), going 46-2 in 3 years, and being recognized as great teams all of them, would hash out X’s and O’s, talk about all of the on-field stuff, and likely get to the wins.

Not Coach T.
Coach T:
“Jon remember in ‘97, at Byrd Stadium (U of Maryland’s Stadium and home to many final fours) after we had won the championship. Remember how we all had to do the post game press conferences…. our locker room was up in that little corner tucked away from everything, remember?”

Me:
“Yeah”. (I have tremendous reverance for T and talk far less when around him…)

Coach T:
“Well I was the last guy in that locker room that day, and as I was walking out, the custodian walked in and froze. He called out to his partner “Come see this! Get in here! These boys just won a championship and it’s cleaner than we left it yesterday”!

He turned to me (Coach T) and said “Coach in all my years I’ve never seen a locker room left this clean. Man, you guys are not only great on the field, you’re great off of it. Thank You.”

7 National Championships and that’s the story that mattered to him in the context.

In his tribute video - his former players shared that whether it was the flight attendant on a flight, or the hostess at a hotel, or a waitress at a restaurant of a team dinner, he always made sure the people he and his team interacted with were treated with respect, and that they knew they mattered.

It’s the little things.

It’s the little things that build a foundation for long-term success.

When there is a void in a focus on the little things, everything else breaks down. Largely speaking the little things communicate something bigger.

Communication is key to trust, key to connectedness, key to cultures.

The little things, they:

• Build trust

• Build benefit of the doubt

• Solve big problems

• Can go noticed more than the big things

• Compound to get easier

• Build on themselves to create solid foundations

• Tie up loose ends.

• Save time - often other people’s time, not yours.

On a field - connect the easy pass and string together a lot of easy passes to build consistency and create momentum. Make the next tackle. Start by doing just your job and don’t try to do too much.

In an office, acknowledge someone for simply doing their job. Don’t be late. make the phone call that may not be necessary but you know dep down will build trust. connect with someone on the team you may not have the closest relation ship with.

In your daily life, introduce a few little things that you can start doing REALLY EASILY that you can reflect on to feel how it changed an outcome or the energy in a situation.

The Little Things Compound

You have likely seen references to The Power of Tiny Gains.
How getting 1% better everyday compounds.

The math is 1.01^365 = 37.8. as in youget 37X BETTER by getting 1% better every day of the year.

It compounds on itself.

Now… this is a mindset not a specific goal. A mindset of having it naturally build on itself.

My favorite examples of little things that can be done to start creating momentum and building on itself.

• Ask people their name…and call them by it.
  If it’s a restaurant or place of business, create a contact under the entity and put the person’s name in the notes.
  Use it when you walk in the next time.

• Clean up/organize your table to make it easy on a waiter.

• Let someone go ahead of you in line.

• Give up a parking spot if you’re not in a hurry.

• Acknowledge the work someone did - even if it’s “their job”

• Send someone a note. Just let ‘em know you were thinking about ‘em.

• Ask someone if there is a survey you can fill out on their behalf to make sure whoever needs to know the job they did, knows it.

• Cleaning up garbage left by any team after leaving the bench of a youth game.

• Ask people for their favorite little things… (Hint, Hint).

You may notice, every example here passes through communication.

Transferring information to someone else, signaling that they matter/that they are significant.

When the little things are performed, and everyone’s connection to the significance of what they are doing or what they are involved in is elevated, everyone gets better.

They get better Together.

Together, UP!

A client and friend of mine reminded me of this incredible quote. It resonates so clearly when you think of great leaders.

She’s talking about doing the little things.

Where To From Here?

3 Things You Can Do Starting Today to Help the Little Things Build

1. Choose two of the low hanging easy things from the list above.
   
   Ask the person at Starbucks or Dunkin’ their name and call them by it.
   
   Let someone ahead in line
   
   This will compound and you’ll be lifted up yourself. It’s almost selfish.
   

2. Pay attention to who is doing the little things on your team, in your family, in your organization. Acknowledge them for it. Build the culture where little things matter.
   

3. If given the choice to communicate something or not communicate.
   Choose communication.
   It’s the centerpiece to doing the little things and are interchangeable.
   
   If your way of communicating is by DOING the little things… then keep it up and suggest one to a friend.

Thank You For Getting Here With Me.

Thank You Coach T for teaching so many the little things matter.

Play It Again Sammy!

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