{"product_id":"2940170153220","title":"The Little Big Things: 163 Ways to Pursue EXCELLENCE","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"Years ago, I wrote about a retail store in the Palo Alto environs amp;ndash; a good one, which had a box of two-cent candies at the checkout. I subsequently remember that 'little' parting gesture of the two-cent candy as a symbol of all that is Excellent at that store. Dozens of people who have attended seminars of mine amp;ndash; from retailers to bankers to plumbing-supply-house owners amp;ndash; have come up to remind me, sometimes 15 or 20 years later, of 'the two-cent candy story', and to tell me how it had a sizable impact on how they did business, metaphorically and in fact.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Well, the Two-Cent Candy Phenomenon has struck again amp;ndash; with oomph and in the most unlikely of places.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"For years, Singapore's 'brand\" has more or less been Southeast Asia's 'place that works'....But as 'the rest' in the geographic neighborhood closed the efficiency gap, and China continued to rise-race-soar, Singapore decided a couple of years ago to 're-brand' itself as not only a place that works but also as an exciting, 'with it' city.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Singapore's fabled operating efficiency starts, as indeed it should, at ports of entry amp;ndash; the airport being a prime example. From immigration to baggage claim to transportation downtown, the services are unmatched anywhere in the world for speed and efficiency:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe entry form was a marvel of simplicity.  \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe lines were short, very short, with more than adequate staffing.  \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe process was simple and unobtrusive.  \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe immigration officer could have easily gotten work at Starbucks; she was all smiles and courtesy.  \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnd Yes! Yes There was a little candy jar at each Immigration portal!\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\"Ask yourself now: What is my (personal, department, project, restaurant, law firm) 'Two-Cent Candy'? Does every part of the process of working with us\/me include two-cent candies? Do we, as a group, 'think two-cent candies'?  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Operationalizing: Make 'two-centing it' part and parcel of 'the way we do business around here'.\"  \u003c\/p\u003e\u003ccenter\u003eamp;ndash; Tom Peters\u003c\/center\u003e\u003cp\u003eA HarperAudio production.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins Publishers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47104842957040,"sku":"2940170153220","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940170153220_p0.jpg?v=1763703421","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940170153220","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}