Getting the small things right

It’s funny how some things stick in your brain - I remember reading an article about the ‘Stanford Marshmallow Experiment’ a few years back - The ‘Stanford Marshmallow Experiment’ was a series of studies on delayed gratification in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s led by psychologist Walter Mischel, then a professor at Stanford University.  In these studies, a child was offered a choice between one small reward (sometimes a marshmallow, but often a cookie or a pretzel, etc.) provided immediately or two small rewards if he or she waited until the tester returned (after an absence of approximately 15 minutes).  In follow-up studies, the researchers found that children who were able to wait longer for the preferred rewards tended to have better life outcomes, as measured by SAT scores, educational attainment, and body mass index (BMI) and other life measures. 

For those of you who are keen on modern pop culture will recognise aspects of this study from a recent television advert where children are left alone with a sweet

 

But, anyway, back to the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment - It was a very interesting read and there’s an important lesson around how we view success - Instant success is something that most of us crave in both our personal and private lives

 

Wouldn't it be great if you could dabble at one or two things and immediately see a dramatic profit increase in your business?   

 

But life is generally not like that - sure, you can always achieve a quick win here and there, but you can only ever achieve real success over time – with perseverance and a certain amount of hard work

 

Success is a result of doing the little things right over and over again

 

Last year marked 60 years since Roger Bannister entered the records books as the first man to run the mile in under four minutes. 

 

It was the small things Bannister did to ensure success

 

You see, Bannister knew that it was only a matter of time before someone broke the barrier.  He decided that he was the one to do it.  And he planned it! 

 

He had running shoes designed for him which were 2 oz. lighter than the normal running shoes of the time   

 

He chose the Iffley Road track in Oxford - effectively home territory for him.  And we all know that we perform better on home turf than away 

 

He chose two pacemakers, Chataway and Brasher, who would help him stay within reach of the record. 

 

On the day, he made sure that the race was delayed until the wind had dropped to an acceptable level - so when he ran the blustery conditions had calmed

 

These were the small things that favoured Bannister and helped him run into the history books and although we are not all striving to enter into the history books, we can all make small improvements in our lives that will affect the big things

 

So, if you’re looking for the small things you can do in your business to increase performance and get you noticed, then contact us by telephone on 084 3289 3288 or by email at enquiries@blueboxconsultancy.com or pop in and see us at our office in Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Until then, be bold and do good business