No matter how big the business, the little stuff matters

I like to tell myself that it's OK I'm not a details person. I like to believe that, as my career plays out, the many detail-oriented jobs I've had were duespaying jobs — the kind that carry you with them to the eventual privilege of your own business (or business unit) and total P&L responsibility.

At that point, goes the dialogue with myself, you get to shed the hour-to-hour grind of operations and replace it with the Mantle of Business Strategy. Lean back, ponder the big issues, mobilize people, schmooze the customers, and collect the accolades.

Yes, I know better. But a guy can dream, can't he?

I spent a good part of this afternoon on a conference call with John Engler, former governor of Michigan and now the president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). Governer Engler spends personal time with the president. He influences foreign policy. By any definition of the term, he qualifies as a Big Shot. If anybody could be expected to think big-picture while staff members scurry over the details, it would be Engler.

The reason for our call was a dry run of a webcast about competition from China; Engler was outlining the NAM's agenda for U.S.-China policy. The conference call was scheduled to take an hour. But I listened quietly as Engler stopped in the middle of his rehearsal and, with his staff, began a line-by-line rewrite of his presentation. I remained on the phone, along with two other staff members and a customer, for an extra 20 minutes as Engler took the time he needed to hone the words.

This is not a guy who is satisfied to leave the details to other people. I suspect that's part of what made him successful.

As I think about the leaders I admire most, none of them ever leaves the details behind. They may think big, they may plan strategy, but they always worry about any of the little things that cross their path.

Kirk Merica is no different. A decade ago, he and his team launched Five Star Gas and Gear, and if you ask him why it's been successful — approaching $20 million in annual sales — he'll provide a list of details.

But you don't have to take my word for it. That's our cover story this month. I'm sure there are plenty of details you find important that Merica didn't cover in his interview. I'd be honored if you shared them with me. In the mean time, I'll be readjusting my attitude — telling myself that P&L responsibility simply means there's a larger world of little things that matter.