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Have you ever noticed how small the difference may be between the excellent and the ordinary? In baseball, a player who bats .300 (gets three hits for every ten at-bats) is in the top ranks. However, the difference between a .300 hitter and a very average hitter is only one additional hit per week over the course of the season. Could it be that the difference between the ordinary and the excellent in our lives and work is much smaller than we might have suspected? What are the small but important things that can move us the relatively short distance from just getting by to living and functioning in ways about which we can feel much better? What can we do now to maximize the gifts and opportunities given us by God? The Importance of Well-Executed Singles George F. Will, columnist and baseball enthusiast, reports that in the 1988 professional baseball season, there were only 3,180 home runs, but there were 25,838 singles. He goes on to say that baseball is and always will be “a ninety-feet-at-a-time game.” Some people are home run leaders. They are known for the bold move, unique idea, or stunning success. Most of us are not such leaders. We count our achievements more in the singles column, with an occasional double or triple, and a few home runs over the course of a lifetime. Leadership needs the grand acts represented by home runs, but the stuff of real leadership resembles more a series of well-executed singles. Effective leaders learn that winning comes from the steady and daily concentration of many seemingly small things that ultimately make success possible. The home run hitter may get more attention, but in the final analysis, games are won by the steady production of less glamorous hits. Just as baseball is a ninety-feet-at-a-time game, so is leadership. One Percent Better In the early 1980s, a successful airline executive became president of a financially troubled international airline. Within one year under his leadership, the airline returned to profitability amid an unfavorable international travel economy. More importantly, this airline quickly became a standard within the airline industry for quality, service, and reliability. What was the secret? There was no one secret, but a conclusion this executive reached early in his tenure proved pivotal. He decided that it was impossible for his airline to become 100% better than the competition, but it was very realistic for them to become 1% better in a hundred different ways. Effective leaders focus on the one thing most crucial, but they also attend to the 100 (or 1000) things in which modest improvement can be made. The net impact of all the many small, incremental improvements can be just as powerful over a period of time as giant breakthroughs. The Power of the Incremental Some of us are natural incrementalists. We accomplish our goals piece by piece over a period of time. We cannot take an entire day and complete a major project (such as a sermon or report), even if the full day is available. We must work on the task over a number of days or weeks. Perhaps all of us would do well to discover the power of the incremental. The “methods” developed to achieve important ends through regular systems and procedures were a large part of the genius of early Methodism. Good intentions and noble hopes were not sufficient for these early Methodists. Whether the concern was spiritual growth through prayer and Bible study, or outreach to others through food for widows, or visitation of prisoners, a daily method produced revolutionary results. The method was simple, but the results were extraordinary. Stephen Covey asks an intriguing question. “What is it that, if you did it regularly, would make the most difference in your organization?” Decide what is most important for you to do regularly. Then, make sure you do this task regularly and without exception – and be prepared for results that amaze you. Aristotle put it this way: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” |
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