Recently, I called a prospective client, Procter & Gamble, to explore whether or not they might use my services. After a brief phone call, I emailed a few documents that described my work.

The next day, I got a return email from the most senior person in their training and development group thanking me for sending the materials, commenting on them, letting me know what work they were already doing in leadership development, and indicating that they weren’t interested right now.

Why do I mention this, especially since I wasn’t successful in selling my services? It’s because it made me think: How many times have you communicated with someone only never to get anything in return? How many times have your communications been trapped in that black hole of space from which nothing ever returns? It happens far too often in today’s world. Thus, the prompt and gracious response I got from the P & G executive was all the more surprising.

Odd, isn’t it that we’re surprised when someone has the courtesy to respond to a voice mail or letter or email or proposal.

Why is it that some people and some organizations do a far better job of responding to communications in a timely and courteous fashion?

It seems to me that it’s a question of class.

I’m sure you’ve noticed, as I have, that some people and some organizations do all the little things well while others are haphazard and erratic in what they do.

Little things matter.

Little things like answering people promptly; being gracious and tactful; completing things on time; getting back to someone when you said you would; letting people know if you’ll be late; confirming meetings in advance; thanking people for their thoughtfulness and effort; treating everyone with courtesy even if it’s a receptionist or a janitor and not the boss or a client.

My Procter & Gamble experience, while rare, isn’t the only such one I’ve had. A few weeks ago, I emailed partners in two of the remaining big four accounting firms, asking them if I could meet to share with them what I’m doing and to determine whether or not they might have clients who could use my services. By the end of the day, both partners, one from Deloitte and one from PriceWaterhouseCoopers, answered.

It’s easy in today’s world to overlook or ignore the importance of the little things that contribute to class. And yet, it’s the little things that we need so much more now because they transform our lives from a non-descript, treadmill-like working whirlwind to a caring world infused with courtesy, thoughtfulness, and attentiveness.

Leaders can and should, by their actions and expectations, add a touch of class to the world of work. Pay attention to the little things. They matter.

As I watched some of the Olympics, one of the ads got me to thinking. The VISA ad that identifies the various attributes for life caught my attention. It stated that life took joy, imagination, creativity, courage, etc.

The same phenomenon happens with respect to leadership. Leadership is often equated with a set of characteristics that all leaders should have. I’m sure you’ve seen the list. Leaders should have vision, be persistent, communicate well, be charismatic, etc.

The dilemma is that a leader may have all these attributes, but fail to lead effectively. Merely having all the right tools doesn’t mean that you know how or when to use them.

Leadership is about making a difference through people. Granted, you have to have ability and skill, but those alone are not enough.

Too many organizations, when developing leaders, focus too heavily on the acquisition and enhancement of attributes. Like the Olympic ads, they may be eye-catching, but they are fleeting in their impact.

As a consultant, I am forever being asked by clients to do some sort of leadership development work that they’ve heard or read about. For the most part, they’re well intentioned. But all too often they don’t know the difference between stale and stable thinking.

Stale ideas are shopworn. For the most part, they are merely restated ideas that clients have heard about and have latched on to without much thought. They haven’t taken the time to assess fully their needs. Instead, they fall back on well-worn and stale ideas. Stale, restated ideas fail to respond to the needs of clients most of the time.

Stable is different. Stable ideas are tested and proven to work. They’re reliable. You can depend upon them and know they’ll get the job done.

Many people can’t understand the distinction between stale and stable. They confuse the two, assuming that restated (stale) ideas are reliable merely because they’re well known. That’s a mistake.

Leaders need to understand the difference between stale and stable, between what’s merely widely known and what really works.

email: archie@archietinelli.com archie@archietinelli.com