The bestselling authors of The Power of Nice discuss the tremendous impact of small acts and gestures in our lives and careers.

From winning an account just by saying hello to winning a marathon just by counting the steps—our smallest actions and gestures often have the biggest impact. Through stories from the authors’ own experiences, as well as those of people whose lives have been transformed by seemingly insignificant acts, the authors demonstrate how all of us can harness the power of small to improve our lives.


From the Compact Disc edition.

Chapter 1
The Power of Small
We can do no great things--only small things with great love.
--Mother Teresa


Larry was a computer programmer in the sales division of a major San Francisco apparel company. He was the guy who dealt with the data, fixed people's computer problems, and spent long hours creating new ways to slice and dice the numbers. In short, Larry was a self--proclaimed computer nerd.
He would watch the men and women of the sales department and admire their outgoing natures, their easy conversational skills, the way they looked so sophisticated and stylish. Larry often thought to himself, "I can do that. I want to do that." But he had no idea how to go about changing his career path, and he wasn't sure he had the confidence to try. Should he quit his job and go to business school? Should he work nights getting sales experience at a smaller company? Did he need a career coach? He didn't know where to begin. The idea of changing the direction of his life seemed daunting.
Then one day, he strolled into Patricia Fripp's men's hair salon. Patricia was a pioneer in her field, one of the first to coax men out of utilitarian barbershops and into hip salons. Patricia approached her job with a unique zeal and passion. She strove to give every client a haircut that would say something special about him. Often she changed only the slightest detail--the angle of the part or the length of the sideburns--but she was a master. She sat Larry down in her chair and went to work.
Larry emerged a half hour later with a new look. He showed up at work and all the women cooed, "Larry! You look great." At home that night his wife said, "Hon--ey, you look so handsome." Even the young woman at the corner deli where Larry bought his coffee each morning noticed, saying "Mr. L., there's something different about you."
Larry's new haircut and the way it changed his self--perception started a chain reaction within him. It dawned on him that taking even small steps could have a real impact on his life. He bought some new clothes. He started going to the gym more often. He made an effort to smile more. Once he began to think of himself in a different light, others saw him differently as well. When he became friendly with some of the sales managers at work, he confided his desire to switch careers. Soon the head of the sales department offered him a junior position.
Larry not only rose to the challenge, he became the best performer the department ever had. They cut the size of his territory five times and he still outsold everyone else. Before long he was the chief sales executive of the company.
It's obvious that Larry had a natural talent for the business, and he put a lot of hard work into understanding every detail about the merchandise and his customers. His computer wizardry with a spreadsheet didn't hurt, either. But if you ask Larry what changed his life, he'll smile and say that truth be told, he owes his success to one great haircut.
That is the surprising power of our small actions, our subtle shifts in thinking, and our dogged attention to the everyday details in life: They can change everything--our careers, relationships, well--being, and, ultimately, how we impact the world around us.
For Larry, that small transformation became a catalyst for change. Before that haircut, he lacked confidence and direction. He yearned for something different in his life, but didn't know how to create it. He was stuck waiting for something BIG to come along.
The haircut didn't just change how Larry looked; it changed his outlook. Instead of brushing off those early compliments as mere conversational niceties, he took them to heart, and built on them. It...

 

 "Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval take on the conventional wisdom that bigger is better and show how thinking small gives you a true competitive advantage in life. For best results, get Small now. This little book can make a huge difference in your life."

 

"I love this book! I've always known that little things make all the difference, and now Thaler and Koval have written a book to show you how to benefit from this powerful concept. If you read and apply the ideas in this small book, it will make a big difference in your success."

 

"Anyone who has tried to sleep with a mosquito in the room knows the impact of something small. But the positive impact of little things is even greater, as Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval show so elegantly in their latest book."

 

"Once you've read The Power of Small, you will never look at the world the same way again. When you re-orient your perspective to look for the magic in the little things, life's mountains become manageable molehills."

 

"Anyone who is successful can look back at one small thing they did for someone or someone did for them that meant so much, and made the difference in their career. Those small things are what lay the foundation for success. That's what this book is all about."

 

The Power of Small by Linda Kaplan Thaler
Continue Browsing		View My Wish List