It’s The Details. Always Was

There’s a scene in the early episodes of Ted Lasso with an important lesson. When I first saw it, I missed its significance — but it hit me twice this week.

“Take care of the little things.”

The little things often get overshadowed in business by the big things we think move the needle—mega deals, major product releases, mission-critical priorities.

This week, I saw the impact of those little things.

First, through a product listening exercise, we heard frustrations from our client’s users. They add up. Sometimes, as the dominant player in a category, complacency creeps in. The risk: when viable alternatives emerge, users will leave. Nothing catastrophic—just a bunch of little things that are easily solved with better communication.

In contrast, another client leaned in to a little thing. One of their employees had been fighting a 3rd-party benefits provider for 6 months over an unresolved claim. The CFO stepped in and quietly covered the out-of-pocket cost.

The employee’s response:

“This lifted a huge weight off my chest. It almost feels too good to be true.”

That’s what taking care of the little things sounds like.

With Lasso, a player complained about poor water pressure in the showers.

A week later, it was fixed. When the captain of the team turned on the faucet, he got blasted across the room.

It was a small thing. But it mattered.

It showed someone was listening. That the team’s discomfort wasn’t invisible. It established trust.

You probably can’t trace a good show to a great performance on the field. It’ll never show up in an ROI model. But moments like that are foundational.

You build loyalty—by removing friction, over-delivering quietly, and sending a signal: I see you and I got your back.

Now more than ever, those signals matter. It’s a dogfight out there—your competitors are pursuing your people and propositioning your clients every single day.

Don’t give anyone a reason to explore alternatives. The secret to retention is paying attention to the little things.

Here are a dozen “small things” that might make a big difference in your business:

For your team:
1. Reimburse an unexpected personal or family expense
2. Surprise time off after a big push
3. Pay for development they didn’t ask for (a coach, course, or cert)
4. Send them new tech before the old one dies
5. Quietly fix something that’s been annoying them (login, desk setup, approval chain)
6. Send a handwritten note with a book that speaks to their interests

For your clients:
1. Proactively extend service credits during a rough patch
2. Offer an early renewal with better terms—no ask, just appreciation
3. Cover the cost of a complementary tool they use alongside yours
4. Fix a workaround they’ve built and surprise them with a better solution
5. Keep them in the loop—transparency builds trust
6. Also, send a handwritten note with a book that speaks to their interests

Find the showerheads in your business, and fix them.