Do the little things right – Photo from the Seattle Rock’n’Roll Half Marathon – Many little things went into making this race a big thing!

That’s a pretty good way to go right? Isn’t that what coaches teach their athletes? Do the little things right? Fully extend on that particular lift. Cut all the way through to the left on that one gap. Make sure you get all the way to this spot on the floor before you make your net move. Make sure you know where the defense is in this one area where the play will be moving. Make sure the bus is here on time to get us to the airport. Make sure we’ve got the right color of uniforms! Those are little things.

It’s the same in sports business, or any business really, isn’t it? The “minor insignificant detail” that ends up costing a million dollars. The one person you know who always wants a receipt. Including your boss on all important emails before they go out to your database. Making sure you post the right price on the website. Not forgetting to leave off a zero off of the number of hotdogs to order. Not forgetting a zero on your coach’s employment contract!

It’s the little things that matter, so do those things right. But it’s also the big stuff that matters too. Don’t be too caught up in doing so many little things that you forget to take the right path toward where you want to end up. You’ve got to have a destination in mind to keep your work honest, otherwise you could be doing the little thing totally wrong!

Do the little things right. It’s mostly little things that make up the big things. Find your balance. Communicate. Work with your team. Stay on track. The last thing you want to do is end up making someone else’s job more difficult or end up cleaning up a mess that could have been prevented. Don’t let that happen to you. Do the little things right.

Go Forth!