Malcolm Gladwell’s book The Tipping Point talks about the Broken Windows Theory. The theory says if a neighborhood looks run down with broken windows & graffiti, people will believe nobody cares & will also not take care of the neighborhood. Soon the relatively minor problems of broken windows and graffiti will lead to more serious crimes.
But there is good news. This can be reversed, tipped, by tinkering with the smallest details of the immediate environment. How can you as a small business apply this tipping point?
It seems to me that there are two main strategies to employ. One faces outward toward your customers. There is generally a great deal of time and energy spent on this one – appropriately. But the second strategy often gets overlooked.
It’s the inward facing one. Pay attention to the environment in which you, and your team if you have one, operate on a daily basis. We know that the success of a small business is intimately tied to the people, people, people theory. The stronger the people are on your team, the greater success your small business will have.
So pick up the paper in the kitchen & bathrooms. Pay attention to creating an environment that people are happy to be in. Impressions that people may not even consciously notice can impact the success of your biz. And no people are more important to your success than you and your team.
