Small Wins, Big Impact: How Incremental Change is Transforming My Life and Leadership

Recently, I was revisiting a Blink on The Toyota Way, and one concept stood out immediately: making small, incremental changes. It’s a principle I’ve always believed in, but seeing it reinforced reminded me of just how powerful it is. What’s funny is that it ties perfectly into another book that’s become a staple in my life—James Clear’s Atomic Habits.

Clear’s philosophy of building habits through small, consistent actions has fully transformed how I approach everything, from fitness to productivity to leadership. Combine that with frameworks like Boyd’s?OODA Loop?(Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) and Deming’s?PDCA Cycle?(Plan, Do, Check, Act), and I’m convinced that?incremental change is the key to long-term success.

Why Small Changes Are So Powerful

We all love the idea of massive breakthroughs, but the truth is that big changes are overwhelming and often unsustainable. Instead, the magic lies in small, deliberate improvements that compound over time.

This is the heart of Atomic Habits. Clear writes, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” That quote shifted my entire perspective. It’s not about trying to overhaul your life overnight; it’s about improving by 1% daily. Over time, those small wins stack up into life-changing results.

What resonated even more for me was how this philosophy ties into The Toyota Way. Toyota’s concept of Kaizen, or continuous improvement, is all about making small adjustments instead of aiming for perfection in one big leap. Whether it’s on the factory floor or in life, this mindset keeps you moving forward without burning out. It’s the same approach James Clear talks about but applied to organisational systems.

Framework Thinking and Incremental Improvement

Reading Atomic Habits also deepened my appreciation for frameworks like Boyd’s OODA Loop and Deming’s PDCA Cycle. These systems give structure to the process of continuous improvement. They turn “small wins” into a deliberate strategy.

Boyd’s OODA Loop: Agile Action in Four Steps

The OODA Loop was designed for decision-making in fast-changing environments, but it works just as well for personal growth or leadership. Here’s how I use it:

1. Observe: Identify where things are breaking down or where you could be doing better. (For me, this might mean reflecting on my daily habits, like wasted time scrolling or inconsistent workouts.)
2. Orient: Reassess your approach and figure out what small change could improve the situation. (For example, if I notice my mornings are unproductive, I might adjust my wake-up routine to include 10 minutes of journaling.)
3. Decide: Pick one small action and commit to it. (Recently, I decided to replace scrolling on my phone with reading one page of a book first thing in the morning—it’s a small shift that sets the tone for the day.)
4. Act: Implement the change and observe the results. Then repeat the loop. (If it works, I keep it. If not, I tweak it and try again.)

This approach mirrors James Clear’s idea of focusing on systems rather than outcomes. You don’t need to fix everything at once—just focus on the next action.

Deming’s PDCA Cycle: Structured Problem-Solving

Deming’s PDCA Cycle provides a more systematic approach to testing and scaling small changes:

1. Plan: Outline one small adjustment or habit to try. (For instance, planning to spend 15 minutes each morning prioritising my tasks.)
2. Do: Test it out on a small scale. (I’ve been trialling a new productivity app to help me track habits (#DayOneApp or a Decision Journal)—it’s not about committing forever, just testing.)
3. Check: Evaluate whether the change is working. (Am I seeing better focus or results from this habit? If not, what’s the tweak?)
4. Act: Standardise what works, refine what doesn’t, and repeat. (For example, if my new morning habit improves my productivity, I make it permanent.)

PDCA reminds me to stay focused on learning and adapting. It’s not about getting it perfect the first time—it’s about consistent refinement.

The Compounding Effect of Small Wins

What I’ve learned from combining Atomic Habits, The Toyota Way, and these frameworks is this: progress is about the long game. Incremental improvement creates a snowball effect. You won’t notice it right away, but over weeks, months, or years, those small wins turn into massive results.

Here’s where I’ve seen it work in real life:

• Fitness: Instead of trying to overhaul my workout routine, I started small—just committing to 120 minutes of exercise daily. That consistency turned into a full workout habit, and now skipping the gym feels unnatural.
• Productivity: Using James Clear’s habit-stacking technique, I started anchoring productive habits to existing ones. For example, after making my morning coffee, I immediately spend five minutes reviewing my goals. That one small change snowballed into a more focused and intentional day.
• Leadership: Instead of trying to fix everything on my team at once, I focus on one process or pain point at a time. Small adjustments—like focused root cause analysis or tightening scopes for making changes by asking what we are actually trying to achieve—have made a big difference in team efficiency and morale.

How You Can Start Today

If this resonates with you and you’re ready to embrace incremental improvement, here’s how to start:

1. Pick One Small Thing: Choose one area of your life or work where you want to improve. Start tiny—don’t overwhelm yourself. (For me, it was as simple as committing to reading one page of a book daily.)
2. Use a Framework: Whether it’s the OODA Loop, PDCA, or habit-stacking from Atomic Habits, give yourself a system to structure your approach.
3. Track Your Progress: Write it down or use a tracker to monitor how your small changes are adding up. It’s easy to overlook progress unless you see it in front of you.
4. Stay Consistent: Remember, it’s not about perfection—it’s about consistency. Even if you miss a day, don’t quit. Get back on track the next day.

Final Thoughts

Reading Atomic Habits has completely reframed how I think about improvement, and combining it with concepts from The Toyota Way, Boyd’s OODA Loop, and Deming’s PDCA Cycle has given me a practical roadmap for growth. The common thread? Small, deliberate changes lead to big results over time.

So, I’ll leave you with this: What’s one small change you can make today? Whether it’s personal, professional, or something in between, start small and let the results compound. You’ll be amazed at what’s possible over time.

Let’s discuss—what’s one habit or small change that’s made a big impact in your life? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

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