HOWTOTHINK BIG
3. JOHN GOT THE SMALLEST OFFICE AND FIZZLED OUT Several years ago, I observed small thinking about an office
assignment destroy a young fellow's chances for a profitable career in advertising.
94 HOWTOTHIlIK BIG
Four young executives, all on the same status level, were moved into new offices. Three of the offices were identical in size and decoration. The fourth was smaller and less elabo-
rate.
J.
M. was assigned the fourth office. This turned Qut to be a·real blow to his pride. Immediately he felt discriminated against.
Negative thinking, resentment, bitterness, jealousy built up.
J.
M.began to feel inadequate. The result was that
J.
M. grew hostile toward his fellO\v executives. Rather than cooperate, he did his best to undermine their efforts. Things got worse. Three months laterJ.
M. slipped so badly that management had no choice but to issue him a pink slip.Small thinking over a very small matter stopped
J.
M. In his haste to feel he was discriminated against,J.
M. failed to observe that the company was expanding rapidly and office space was at a premium. He didn't stop to consider the possibility that the executive who made the office assignments didn't even know which one was the smallest! No one in the organization, exceptJ.
M., regarded his office as an index of his value.Small thinking about unimportant things like seeing your name last on the department route sheet or getting the fourth carbon of an office memo can hurt you. Think big, and none of these little things can hold you back.
4. EVEN STUTTERING IS A DETAIL
A sales executive told me how even stuttering is a mere detail in salesmanship if the fellow has the really important qualities.
"I have a friend, also a sales executive, who loves to play prac- tical jokes, though sometimes these jokes aren't jokes at all. A few months ago a young fellow called on my practical-joking friend
HOWTOTHINK BIG 95
and asked for a sales job. The fellow had a terrible stntter, though, and my friend decided right here was a chance to playa joke on me. So the friend told the stammering applicant that he wasn't in the market for a salesman right now but one of his friends (me) had ~ spot to fill. Then he phoned me, and, boy, did he give this fellow a buildup. Not suspecring anything, 1 said, 'Send him right over!'
"Thirty minutes later, in he walked. The young fellow hadn't said three words before 1 knew why my friend was so eager to send him over. 'I-H'mJ-J-Jack R.: he said, 'Mr. X sent me over t-t-to talk t-t-to you about a j-j-job.' Almost every word was a struggle. 1 thought to myself, 'This guy couldn't sell a dollar bill for 90 cents on Wall Street: 1 was sore at my friend, bnt 1 really felt sorry for this fellow, so 1 thought the least 1 could do was to' ask him some polite questions while 1 thought up a good excuse as to why 1 couldn't use him.
'1\s we talked on, however, 1 discovered this fellow was no stnpe. He was intelligent. He handled himself very nicely, but 1 just couldn't overlook the fact that he stnttered. Finally, 1 decided [' d wind up the interview by asking one last question. 'What makes you think you can sell?'
"'Well: he said, 'I learn £-£-fast, 1-1-1 like people, 1-1-1 think you've got a good company, and 1-1-1 want t+to make m-m-money, Now, 1-1-1 do have a speech im-im-pairment, b-b-but that doesn't b-b-bother me, so why should it b-b-bother anybody else?'
"His' answer showed me he had all the really important qualifications for a salesman. I decided right then to give him a chance. And you know, he's working out very well."
Even a speech impairment in a talker's profession is a trivi- ality if the person has the big qualities.
96 HOW TO THINK BIG
Practice these three procedures to help yourself think about trivialities:
1. Keep your eyes focused on the big objective. Many times we're like the salesman who, failing to make the sale, reports to his manager, "Yes, but I sure convinced the cus- tomer he was wrong." In selling, the big objective is win- ning sales, not arguments.
In marriage the big objective is peace, happiness, tran- quillity-not winning quarrels or saying "I could have told you so,"
In working with employees, the big objective is develop- ing their full potential;not making issues out of their minor errors.
In living with neighbors, the big objective is mutual respect and friendship-not seeing if you can have their dog impounded because once in a while it barks at night.
Paraphrasing some military lingo, it is much better to lose a battle and win the war than to win a battle and lose the war.
Resolve to keep your eyes on the big ball.
2. Ask "Is it really important?" Before becoming negatively
,
excited, just ask yourself, "Is it important enough for me to get all worked up about?" There is no better way to avoid frustration over petty matters than to use this medicine.
At least 90 percent of quarrels and feuds would never take . place if we just faced troublesome situations with "Is this
really important?"
HOW TO THINK BI6 97
3. Don't fall into the triviality trap. In milking speeches, solv- ing problems, counseling employees, think of those things that really matter, things that make the difference. Don't become submerged under surface issues. Concentrate on important things.
TAKE THIS TEST TO MEASURE THE SIZE OF YOUR THINKING
In the left-hand column below are listed several common situ- ations. In the middle and right-hand columns are comparisons of how petty thinkers and big thinkers see the same situation.
Check yourself Then decide, which will get me where I want to go) Petty thinking or big thinking?
The same situation handled in two entirely different ways.
The choice is yours.
SITUATION
Expense accounts
Conversation
THE PETTY THINKER'S APPROACH
1. Figures out ways to increase income through chiseling on expense accounts.
2. Talks about the negative qualities of his fi'iends, the economYI
his company, the competition.
THE BIG THINI{ER'S
APPROACH
1. Figures out ways to increase income by selling more merchan- dise.
2. Talks about the positive qualities of his friends, his company, the competition.
98 HOWTO THINK BIG
SITUATION
THE PETTY THINKER'S APPROACH
- - " " ~-- "~~---"""
Progress
Future Work
Competition Budget problems
Goals Goals vision Security
Companionship
Mistakes
3. Believes in retrenchment or at best the status quo.
4. Views the future as limited.
5. Looks for ways to avoid work.
6. Competes with the average.- 7. Figures out ways
to save money by
~utting down on necessary items,
8. Sets goals Imv.
9. Sees only the short run.
10. Is preoccupied with security problems.
II. Surrounds rum- self with petty thinkers.
12. Magnifies minor errors. Turns them into big issues.
THE BIG THINKER'S
APPROACH
3. Believes in expansion.
4. Sees the future as very promising.
5. Looks for more ways and trungs to do. especially helping others.
6. Competes with the best.
7. Figures out ways to increase income and buy more of the necessary items.
8. Sets goals rugh.
9. Is preoccupied with the long run.
10. Regards security as a natural com~
parnon of success, II. Surrounds rum-
self with persons with large, pro- gressive ideas.
12. Ignores errors of little conse- quence.
HOY/TO THINK BIG 99
REMEMBER. IT PAYS IN EVERY WAY TOTHINK BIG!
1. Don't sell yourself short. Conquer the crime of self-depre- cation. Concentrate on your assets. You're better than you think you are.
2. Use the big thinker's vocabulary. Use big. bright, cheerful words. Use words that promise victory; hope, happiness, . pleasure; avoid words that create unpleasant images of fail- ure, defeat, grief.
3. Stretch your vision: See what can be, not just what is.
Practice adding value to things, to people, and to yourself.
4. Get the big view of your job. Think, really think your pres- ent job is important. That next promotion depends mostly on how you think toward your present job.
5. Think above trivial things. Focus your attention on big objectives. Before getting involved in a petty matter, ask yourself, "Is it really important?"
Grow big by thinking big!