The Small Blog

Sun, February 28, 2010 - 12:16:41

The Power of Checklists

Since its release in December, surgeon and New Yorker staff writer Atul Gawande’s book, The Checklist Manifesto, has been generating quite a buzz within the medical community.  In his book, he proposes that physicians, nurses, and hospital staffers could greatly benefit from using one simple tool: a checklist. 

Gawande’s manifesto, based upon research he conducted on procedures commonly used in the aviation, investment, and construction industries, is geared largely toward the medical community. But as, Justin Fox, editorial director of the Harvard Business Review Group writes, the surprisingly transformative power of checklists is applicable to nearly any profession.  And, as long-time devotees, we couldn’t agree more.  In fact, it’s something we discuss in our own book, THE POWER OF SMALL: Why Little Things Make All the Difference.

Posted by Linda and Robin
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Sat, February 27, 2010 - 11:47:42

Unexpected Side Effects Lead to Unbelievable Breakthroughs

Life coaches, confidence experts, and psychologists will tell you that scrutinizing every wrinkle in the mirror isn’t great for your self confidence and we’d have to agree. But what if we told you that by doing just that, one woman inadvertently sparked the inspiration for a scientific breakthrough that revolutionized the cosmetic surgery industry as we knew it?

Well, as a recent report by TODAY medical editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman explains, that’s exactly what happened when an ophthalmology patient in Vancouver noticed an unexpected, yet pleasant, side effect caused by the therapeutic botulinim toxin forehead injections used to treat her chronic eyelid spasms: her wrinkles were disappearing before her eyes.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Posted by Linda and Robin
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Sat, February 20, 2010 - 12:49:02

One Half Can Mean a Whole Lot

How many of you out there could imagine selling your house, buying one half the size, and then donating half of the profits of the sale to charity?  Well, that’s exactly what co-author of The Power of Half: One Family’s Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back, Kevin Salwen, and his family did when they realized the power their little family held to make an enormous impact on the lives of others around the world.

Posted by Linda and Robin
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Fri, February 19, 2010 - 2:33:44

Should You Strike Out on Your Own?  Think Small First.

Given the current economic climate and tough job market, more people than ever are using their unexpected unemployment situation as a chance to explore areas they may have otherwise not considered and for many Americans that means striking out on their own as entrepreneurs.  In a recent Harvard Business Review blog post by Daniel Isenberg, he advises prospective business owners to think long and hard before making the leap from job seeker to possible job creator, and specifically asks them to play a little game of 20 questions before jumping in with both feet. 

Isenberg’s list of true/false statements, including “I like to win,” “I always look for new and better ways to do things,” and “I think old dogs can learn — even invent — new tricks” can provide potential entrepreneurs with valuable insights about their own abilities to take on the unique challenges of being your own boss.  But, there’s one important point he missed, which we would like to add: “I sweat the small stuff.”

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Fri, February 12, 2010 - 2:06:28

How Do You Skate Your Best Performance? Stay in Your Program.

It’s been four years since we watched athletes like Apollo Anton Ono, Shaun White, and Sasha Cohen bask in Olympic glory at the Torino games in 2006 and since then we’ve been patiently waiting for the competition to begin once more.  With the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics scheduled to air Friday night, you can imagine our excitement.

Although most of the attention at the Winter Olympics revolves around which athletes will go home with gold medals, for most of the two-thousand-plus competitors showing up to Vancouver this season, the experience will be more about the process and less about the end result.  But, even though most of the contenders won’t find themselves on the podium, each of them undoubtedly wants to do their personal best.

Posted by Linda and Robin
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