The Little Thing is the Big Thing

Why is it that some organizations seem to have all the luck? Take Apple for example. No matter what happens they just seem to keep hitting home runs.

Is it genius? Is it luck? Is it hard work?

The answer is “yes” – to every question. Performance improvement is about improving every aspect of the business every day.

In my local mall the Sony store is right across from the Apple store. If you go in on a Saturday there will be 50-100 people or more jammed in the Apple store with a couple of dozen people serving their needs. Across the aisle three or four Sony employees wait on maybe two customers – in the whole store, despite the fact that Sony makes exceptionally cool products, too.

But a long time ago Apple figured out that the biggest challenge of owning a computer is getting it to do what you want it to do.

If you own a PC you have to scramble to find someone who will sit down with you and solve your problem. That usually means you have to take your computer somewhere or pay someone to come to your home to help you. At work there is a whole support team to help people solve their problems.

At Apple there’s a whole crew waiting to help you with your iPhone, your iPad and your Mac. And you’re happy to pay the fee that greases this service engine because the service is great.

Besides, at the Apple store you establish relationships, and those relationships give you a taste of what Apple believes in.

Sony versus Apple. Who’s winning that battle?

In the end, success in business is less about luck and more about the details. It’s about making the little thing work because in the end the little thing is the big thing.