Pay Attention To The Little Things...They Matter
I spent this weekend, fixing all the little things that weren't working in my apartment. Ordering new things from Amazon, washing shower curtains and so many more little things. I was really shocked when after a weekend of fixing little things, I sat back to relax and take in the work. I couldn't put my finger on it but everything seemed different. My cleaning and fixing little had really made a big difference. If you asked me whilst I was fixing the little things, what kind of difference it would have made, I wouldn’t have known but after it was clear.
I learned to care about the little things from my father. My dad is a man of routine, discipline and order. It’s one of his signatures in my life. He would make me iron his shirt most weekends. Every time he handed me was a creased shirt that needed pressing, I would feel a chill down my spine because I just knew I wouldn't do a good enough job. Now. there were times he was impressed with my work but those were often special occasions. The normal experience was that even when I thought I had done a good job, he would find a crease and proceed to lecture me about the importance of little things. At the time, my prepubescent eyes would roll and I would let out a subtle tut as I thought, ‘this man is doing the most. Looking back, he was right and his attention to detail and minding of little things was to be life-changing.
Navigating the world, I now know this skill is rare and revolutionary. I also think it’s a skill every builder and change agent must learn. Most people I know, rush things and brush over things. People don’t naturally pay attention to the small things because, well, they are small things. Instead, people pay attention to the big things, to the threats. This makes sense of course but it’s also important to note that big things and problems and threats often start as small things that go unwatched for a time and so become big things. Take removing the trash or the bin from your kitchen. Leave it for one week and it’s a small thing, leave it for 5 weeks and it’s now a big problem the neighbours know about. Let’s consider a wise saying in the Bible I learnt about in youth church.
Galatians 5:9 - A little leaven works through the whole batch of dough.
Let’s consider a little context so this portion makes more sense
This portion of the bible was written by Paul. Would Paul's readers think he was making too big of a deal out of the issue of circumcision? Earlier, the Galatians had accepted Paul's teachings (Galatians 5:7). They'd accepted that salvation was by faith alone, before being distracted by a claim that rituals and circumcision were also required (Galatians 2:4). Paul has asked the Galatians who was leading them astray. Paul was making it personal now, suggesting, in essence, that they name names. This man was a false teacher, and his teaching should not be allowed to stand among them.
Paul now shares a familiar proverb meant to illustrate his point and to show that his concern is not overblown. Leaven—or yeast—does not remain isolated in a single spot within a lump of dough. It spreads and becomes part of the entire loaf. In a similar way, false teaching and its consequences are never limited to just a few people in a group. It is either rejected—and removed—or it works its way into the thoughts and practices of the whole group. False ideas are contagious; they spread and take hold.
Paul desperately wants the Galatian believers to identify the false teaching about adding works to faith in Christ so that they can remove it from among them.
Leaders must pay attention to the small things
I have always been fascinated by Pixar’s creative process where the director and the team go through excruciating detail in every single scene to make it feel right as the tiniest incongruences create the feeling of something being fake. The result? Amazing animations on the big screen which we, the audience see and marvel at. There minding of small things leads to a big outcome and is often worth it.
Attention to detail is a crucial skill for leaders because it is a source of insight. The greatest insight comes from our ability to observe, pay attention and connect the dots. Not being able to discern some small but critical details leads to losing valuable information and being unable to quite understand why something does not work.
Attention to detail matters because one error can ruin your credibility
Attention to detail is not all about spelling or grammar. It simply means getting the small things right. I’ve seen business proposals submitted where the title and name of the person who would approve the proposal were both incorrect. I’ve also seen consulting submissions where the final pricing had errors, resulting in an incorrect cost. These things are indicative of a lack of care and attention.
Some people may look past these issues, but the fact is, they just make your work look sloppy. If your audience sees errors in obvious places, then they are likely to have less confidence in your work as a whole. It’s also hard for you to inspire and lead people if you arent willing to take the time and mind small things
People are busy, and sometimes they have so many items to review, they need a quick way to cut down the list. If your work contains errors, it’s likely people will use them as the excuse they need to put your work in the bin. When leaders don’t really care about the details and are content to produce low-quality work, guess what? That’s what your team will start to do, too.
It’s important to remember that you’re a role model for your team. They watch what you do, and they take notice of what you focus on. If you don’t pay attention to getting the details right, then they won’t feel the need to worry about them either.
So if you are frustrated with a lack of quality in the work of your team, maybe take a look at the example you are setting first.
What do you need to pay more attention to
I saw an article recently where somebody was complaining that people nitpick on minor errors in documents. But I would argue that you don’t really want to waste time with a document that looks like it was prepared by somebody who doesn’t care. Getting the detail right with calculations, spelling and grammar is the easy part.
The hard work is getting the solution right, doing your research, crafting the right story or selling a dream to your customer. Attention to detail matters. People who see those small errors throughout your document may just throw your team’s hard work in the bin.
The question to you reading is...what are the small things in your life that you know need some attention, that need some focus. Don’t run away from them. Instead, run towards them. Even though they are small, they may just make a big difference in your life.
Announcements
1) Netflix Camero
Take a look at my Instagram for an update about my cameo on Netflix. Should be posting at 12 pm
2) New Podcast
As the world begins its slow pivot from managing the COVID-19 crisis to recovery and the reopening of economies, it’s clear that the period of lockdown has had a profound impact on how people live.
In this episode, I’m joined by entrepreneur David Elikwu as they discuss all the ways COVID has changed the world. — Live at 10am
💬 Apple: https://apple.co/2Raon2r
💬 Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2PBNryR
💬 Anchor: https://anchor.fm/ltcs
See you all next week,
Very, very true. Great content as always!