Small
Details
The leader
is a person that knows how to make small details stand out.
He makes
decisions after a rigorous analysis. Paying attention to small details
decreases the risk of making mistakes.
One small
detail might not be important, but when you add them all together
they have more of an effect.
Sometimes
a small detail can make the difference between success and failure
(for example, the small print in a contract).
Changes
begin to be perceived thanks to the small details.
To be successful
with big things, you have to worry about the small things.
The leader
should make the organization worry about the small details.
If the
subordinates see that the leader worries about small things, they
will too.
This sends
a rigorous message: if the small things are important and you have
to pay attention to them, imagine how you will face the big topics.
For example,
if the leader demands his financial director to get in contact with
the bank in order to re-claim some small commissions incorrectly charged,
it is not difficult to imagine how the financial director will react
when the bank makes a larger mistake affecting a significant sum.
When the
leader approaches a subject, he worries about the small details allowing
him to have a more exact and deeper knowledge of the topic.
The control
that the team has on the small details allows the leader to know how
well they know the problem.
If a small
problem approaches immediately, the team can avoid it turning into
a major issue.
Sometimes
the employee has a greater understanding of the smaller details.
For example,
a message from the management stating that one of the main objectives
is to improve work conditions, can be meaningless if the employee
perceives it in the wrong way, for example, the coffee machine hasn’t
been working for a few days and nobody has reported it.
Please
note that it is not the leader’s job to go around detecting
and correcting small details. What the leader should do is create
a culture in the company in which people give importance to these
things.
By means
of example: turning the light off when you leave the office, disconnecting
your computer before you leave, having your office tidy, picking up
a piece of paper which has been thrown on the floor, sending a card
to an employee who has just had a baby, etc.
Reacting
rigorously: when you are aware a small subject hasn’t been taken
care of (for example, a client has made a complaint and nobody has
done anything about it).
The leader
is the reference point within the company and the way he acts is permanently
observed by his subordinates.
For example,
if the leader worries about personally attending a small complaint
from a client, he will fix the level of quality expected of the department.
If the
leader preaches the necessity to reduce costs but continuously changes
his car and charges it to the company, the organization will not take
his message seriously.
