The Power of Small. Linda Kaplan, Robin Koval

By Linda Kaplan Thaler, Linda Kaplan, Robin Koval

Book Overview

The authors of the national bestseller The Powe of Nice once again tackle conventional wisdom with a provocative and counterintuitive book about the importance of sweating the small stuff in our lives and in our careers.

Our smallest actions and gestures often have outsized impact on our biggest goals, say Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval. Did you double-check that presentation one last time, or hold the elevator for a stranger? Going that extra inch - whether with a client, customer, family member, or friend - speaks volumes to others about our talent, personality, and motivations. After all, if we can't take care of the small details, how can we be counted on to deliver when it really matters?

In today's challenging times, bigger isn't always better. In fact, it's often the baby steps that put us on the path to delivering a true competitive advantage. The real secret to getting ahead in life and in our careers is to refocus our attention on the small details that, if disregarded, can sabotage a multimillion-dollar ad campaign or undermine your most important relationships. Kaplan Thaler and Koval show how to get more of what you want with surprisingly less than you'd imagine.

Written in the same entertaining, story-driven style that made The Power of Nice the go-to book for finishing first, The Power of Small demonstrates how all of us can harness the power of small to improve and reinvent our lives. It's the ultimate guide to shrinking your outlook to broaden your horizons.

Get SMALL and get going

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 075353990X
• ISBN13: 9780753539903
• Release Date: January 2011
• Publisher: Virgin Publishing
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.8" x 0.4" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

Try it,You'll Like It

It's the small things that save us. Thaler and Koval give us bite sized wisdom which leverage oversized results: pay attention and be curious when people are saying something to you; pause before acting; reward behavior you like and ignore what you don't. Do these things(and others they suggest) and you'll realize that you don't have to swing for the fences every time you are at bat. A couple of singles and a double or two will get you home.

Surprisingly Insightful

I picked this book without any great expectations - just hoping for a few insights from a big name ad exec. After reading it, I thought "well of course, this stuff is common sense." But a week later I found I was still noticing examples of the "power of small" in almost every aspect of daily life. For instance - my husband stopped (in his pickup, which carries our company name) and let another car take a left. Who knew that the driver of the car was someone who was looking for a videographer (our business)? Not only did the driver have plenty of time to read and note our company contact info, but she was also positively impressed by our kindess! Lisa

Small is a big deal!

This book is great! It makes so many of life's quandaries and big decisions simple instead of overwhelming. There are tips on lots of different topics but they have all been helpful in many ways. I've found it particularly good for my health and my job search: a few pounds down and two weeks into a new job! Thankfully, it's an easy and short read so you can concentrate on using the power of small.

Inspiring Read

This book really inspired me and I'm honestly not one of those self-help reading types who looks for books for inspiration. I kept hearing about this book though and saw this amazing video that showed a woman whose life was saved because of small talk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7FtxRhkNTU). It made me realize that all those times I feel helpless, I'm not. There are small things we can all do in our daily lives that can have a huge impact in both personal as well as buisness matters.

A Very Relevant Read

This book simply could not have come out at a better time. In a style similar to their previous book, The Power of Nice, Kaplan Thaler and Koval use engaging stories to relate their concepts in the Power of Small. Although the book is a quick and easy read, it packs a powerful messafe that will stick with you long after you put it down. From making checklists, to using visualisation to shrink down your problems into more manageable pieces, the tips provided in the book can apply to a multitude of life situations, and couldn't be more relevant to our current national crisis.