| Great men and women succeed moment by | | | | sexism did not make much progress when they |
| moment, step by step, lifted up by one small victory | | | | aimed for the big victory of changing legislation, the |
| after another, until they reach a lofty and impressive | | | | Equal Rights Amendment. But through the smaller |
| pinnacle of success and influence. | | | | victory of desexing language, they made successful |
| Similarly, a group or cause can move from obscurity | | | | inroads into changing the collective consciousness |
| to great renown through making consistent small | | | | regarding women's rights. The smaller reforms |
| wins. | | | | worked and were adopted with less resistance |
| Small wins may not inspire much attention, but | | | | because they tackled issues of a discernible, size, |
| through methodical persistence something large and | | | | clarity, and visibility. |
| awesome is created. | | | | Persistent change in small doses over time creates a |
| A striking example of the cumulative effect of small | | | | critical mass and shifts a struggling movement into |
| wins is that of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1980. By | | | | the dominant paradigm. Never underestimate the |
| February of that year, the Pittsburgh Steelers in the | | | | power of small, incremental gains. |
| National Football League had won an astonishing 88 | | | | Resource Box |
| games and lost only 27. Under their coach, Chuck Noll, | | | | Saleem Rana got his Masters degree in |
| they broke about even with strong opponents and | | | | psychotherapy from California Lutheran University. His |
| won by a landslide against weaker opponents. With | | | | articles on the internet have inspired over ten |
| strong opponents, they won 29 games and lost 26 | | | | thousand people from around the world. Discover |
| games. Against weak opponents, they won 59 | | | | how to create a remarkable life |
| games and lost one game. Thus, their fabulous | | | | Copyright 2004 Saleem Rana. Please feel free to |
| statistics were based on small wins spread over time. | | | | pass this article on to your friends, or use it in your |
| Another example is that of the rise of the Women's | | | | ezine or newsletter. It's a shareware article. |
| Liberation Movement. The feminist campaign against | | | | |