Thinking Small Series - Part Three
An amazing thing about Sam Walton and his building Wal-Mart (WMT) was that much of what he did was borrowed from others. He was insatiable in looking for and finding ideas that he could adjust a little to fit the store and off he'd go to the next thing.
He called it simply "keeping you ear to the ground." Quite possibly he may have been one of the best ever at not only doing it, but in identifying what was valuable and what wasn't.
Another strength he had that added to the value of always snooping around was his genuinely friendly nature. He could sit down with just about anybody and in a short time they were offering him up all sorts of information that he could use, even though he was their competitor.
Walton understood that within the context of knowing the purpose he was pursuing with Wal-Mart, also came the seemingly endless little details that always come with a business. Keeping your nose to the ground for him was an endless search for little things that added together would make a big difference, while making Wal-Mart extremely difficult to compete against.
This is one of those key areas where thinking small is a tremendous advantage. It's not the big, hyped up initiatives that make a difference in companies and management, rather it's paying attention to a myriad of little things that you perform well that life you up over your competition. Walton was a genius at this valuable skill.
Other Walton Sources:
The Most Underrated CEO Ever The legendary Sam Walton
Sam Walton: The Power of Persistence
Sam Walton Business Quotes for Ya
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