It’s Big To Be Small

It’s Big To Be Small

You don’t have to be big to compete in today’s markets — quite the contrary in fact. The game has changed: big teams have been reduced and replaced by the internet. Big offices have been traded for hot-desks and home offices. And there are multimillion-dollar lounge-room operations playing with the big boys every day—and often winning!

What does being small signify?

It means being agile, flexible, responding in real time and fast off the mark! It also means being adaptive and responsive to change, or, even better, being the company driving change. The bigger you are the less nimble and able to adapt to quick shifts and changes in the market you will be. Things change fast in today’s economy, and if you don’t respond and adapt, you could very soon be out of the game.

The smaller and leaner you are, the more energy you store. Big, heaving companies burn masses of energy just to keep the doors open. They are lethargic and lack energy. If you think you’re working for or leading a company like that, hit the scales now and modify your appetite and what you think you need to eat to succeed.

I spend a significant portion of my own time helping big sales teams focus their time and energy on increasing their output through sales training programs. In many cases, that provides them with tools to do more with less: to help them think small and focus on the right tasks, then to do them over and over again, until they are exceptional at what they do.

To attract and retain top talent your business will need to create an inspiring environment for likeminded people to do their thing. Bigger is rarely better in this instance, particularly when it comes to growing your team. Give me the 20 per cent of high-performers, over the 80 per cent who are just making up the numbers any day.

If you can’t be small, then at least start to act small. Start by making your smallest stakeholders—your customers—big.

"I began a revolution with 82 men. If I had to do it again, I’d do it with 10 or 15 and absolute faith. It does not matter how small you are if you have faith and a plan of action."

--Fidel Castro, Cuban revolutionary leader

This article is an excerpt from Trent Leyshan's book Outlaw: Fight For Your Customers and Sell without Fear! Buy on Amazon.com!