SMALL Things Produce Your BIG Competitive Edge?                                                                                                      

 

 ©  Ray Brun, MBA,CPA, SPHR, (Sr.Prof.HR Mgr.)
Facilitator and Owner of The Alternative Board  East Bay North chapter, www.TABeastbaynorth.com
Author of  How Small Businesses Capture Talent, 164 Strategies for Recruiting and Hiring Winners 

 

“Small differences in ability can translate into enormous differences in results”.

                                                           -Brian Tracy, speaking of “Winning Edge Concept”

At my family’s Golden Gate Fields annual holiday outing, I was reminded of the “winning edge concept”. Horses that came in first by a nose won several times the prize money of the horses that came in second, even if there was a photo finish. Does this mean that the horse that wins by a nose is several times faster than the horse that comes in second? Of course not! The horse that wins is only inches faster, however that edge translates into several times the prize money!

“Inches make a champion."
                                                                 —Vince Lombardi,    Hall of Fame football coach

Did you every notice that whether you are looking at sports, entertainment, or business achievement, there is a fine difference between earning big bucks and standing in the unemployment line? In fact, you may be on the verge of a major shift in your business results at this very moment just by learning and practicing something new and different than what you have done before. For 250 Bay Area business owners, (more than 50 in the Contra Costa-area), the collective genius of The Alternative Board TAB provides CEOs that one little idea or burst of energy that can nose them ahead.  What I call the TAB Collaborative Edge, comes from meeting regularly with peer advisors in The Alternative Board.

"The line between failure and success is so fine that we are often on the line and do not know it. How many a man has thrown up his hands at a time when a little more effort, a little more patience, would have achieved success. A little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure, may turn to glorious success."                                                                                              

                                                  --  Albert Hubbard

For you, finding that nose-making difference may not just about surrounding yourself with the right people. Perhaps it is doing just one thing a little bit better. Maybe it is trying just a little bit harder. If you are not into horses, then look to the boiling water metaphor popularized by S.L.Parker. At 211º water is hot, but at 212º it boils. The boiling water results in steam. That steam can power a machine.  So just applying that one extra degree of temperature to water means the difference between something that is simply very hot and something that can generate enough force to power a city!

Triumph often is nearest when defeat seems inescapable."
—B.C. Forbes, Founder & publisher, Forbes magazine

 

How many opportunities have you missed because you were not aware of the possibilities that would occur if you applied a small amount of effort beyond what you normally do?  Unfortunately, you have no thermometer to say you are close to your target of 212º.Resolve in 2007 to consistently push your organization to make the extra effort in every important task, action, and effort undertaken. Continually remind your people that seemingly small things can make tremendous differences.

"Some men give up their designs when they have almost reached the goal; while others, on the contrary, obtain a victory by exerting, at the last moment, more vigorous efforts than before."
                                        —Polybius, Greek statesman & historian

Keep applying the heat to reap the exponential rewards that are possible by applying one extra degree of effort. You could be on the threshold of immediate and exponential results this very moment. Or, you may not realize the success until much further down the road. You will realize the benefits of your extra effort … it's just a matter of when.  

"Many of life's failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."
                           —Thomas Edison, American inventor

Unfortunately, maintaining this kind of intensity and drive is not easy. You need a strong support team who really cares about your success and keeping you focused and accountable. The Alternative Board is one of the best ways to get both the advice and support you need. TAB can give you the horse power to accelerate your business forward and work up that head of steam. 250 Bay area business owners can’t all be wrong! We wish a Happy New Year to all our readers. May 2007 be the year you lunge forward and land the big prize!