In his best selling book 'The Tipping Point', Malcolm Gladwell explores the theory that a product or idea may have popularity in a small circle, but it's only when that product or idea reaches the hand of the right person/persons can it break through to a large scale.
According to Gladwell, the tipping point occurs when the right person unleashes his or her influence on the right thing at the right time and as a result of this influence, the product or idea breaks loose from being contained within a small circle, and begins to spread like an epidemic to the wider community. Most intriguing to me is that fact that the breakthroughs could be set in motion or be triggered by seemingly tiny causes or changes that seemed so insignificant in comparison to the impact it would produce.
Case and point. In 1994 Hush Puppies was a dying brand, with dismal sales of only 30,000 pairs of shoes per year, until a defiant fashionista from New York started wearing the shoe to clubs and bars in Manhattan. Guess what happened! You guessed it! Everybody started wearing the shoes. Suddenly Hush Puppies were the in thing - it was hip! That fall Calvin Klein and Donna Karen started using Hush Puppy shoes in their fashion shows and within 10 short months this brand that was hooked up on life support and had already called in the priest to administer last rights, went from selling 30,000 pairs of shoes a year to over three million pairs of shoes. Simply because the right persons unleashed their influence Hush Puppies reached its tipping point.
So how does this all relate to you? Well fast forward to 2011, I believe that there are many organizations in this country big and small that have the resources, skills, experience, and talent to not only play but dominate their industry, yet these organizations appear to be stuck, unable to move to the next level. Don't get me wrong, some of them are making money, but if the truth be told they could be making so much more. So what's holding these organizations back, why can't they move to the next level? I believe that these organizations have failed to reach the tipping point because the right people in the organizations have failed to unleash their influence on the right products and ideas at the right time.
I've worked with scores of organizations and trained hundreds of employees, and it is my observation that many managers have activated their internal cruise control! Like a vehicle once the speed limiter is activated the system rejects any attempts by the driver to accelerate beyond the pre-set maximum speed. So I watch these managers stuck in ground hog day - come to work, go to lunch, go home. Come to work, go to lunch, go home. It's just pathetic! Watching them pretend that they are satisfied with where they are. Pretending that they don't have any special goals or ambitions, when deep down inside they really do want more, but if the truth be told they've plateaued!
Simply because many of them have been Peter Principled! They've been promoted to a level of incompetence. Just because I was a good waiter doesn't mean I possess the skills to be a great maitre 'd. So in crunch time when the rubber must meet the road, what do you expect to happen - cruise control! It's just amazing! These individuals have the title, they are department heads, they manage teams! So as I interact with them naturally I ask basic managerial questions like - what is your vision to take your department to the next level? How successful do you think your department is? What is your next step? How do you motivate your team to succeed?
You wouldn't believe how many managers respond with the same cliché - "Oh I'm really pleased with my team. Everything in my department is fine. We just plan to continue doing what they've been doing." Seriously? Are you kidding me? That ladies and gentlemen is cruise control and carries the assumption that the department is doing well and can afford the luxury of stagnation. In my opinion this response is also a clear indication that these managers lack vision, are not strategic thinkers, and have become comfortable with the status quo!
But here is the kicker! - There is no such thing as the status quo. You're either the hunter or the hunted. You're either hanging from the cross, or banging in the nails!
Fighting to maintain the status quo is the kiss of death and a mentality no organization can afford to adopt. Beware - Everyday you remain complacent - meaning you come up with your brilliant ideas but they die in committee because everyone thought that someone else would execute - your competitors increase intensity! Everyday you are in cruise control, buying into the silent conspiracy of 'I'm waiting until I'm told'. Your competitors activate their turbo boosters! Everyday that you remain fixed in your ways refusing to empower yourself by taking initiative in some way - your competitors are strategizing, and searching for ways to wipe you out!
What are you going to do? I say it's time for action and this is your moment. It represents your opportunity to disengage cruise control, and look within yourself, not at your colleagues and say I am the one. If this company that I work for is to go to the next level, I am the one who will have to make a difference. My organization needs me to bring my whole self to work, to unleash my influence, to help make this company a place where mediocre people find it hard to breathe. Until you do your organization will never move to the next level and trust me, neither will you!
Stacia Williams offers keynotes, workshops and personal coaching on a wide range of: Personal Branding, Image Management, Customer Service, Leadership, Business Etiquette & International Protocol Topics. You can contact Stacia Williams at 325-5992 or e-mail Stacia@totalimagemanagement.com or visit staciawilliamsblog.com
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