The Broken Window Theory

Two weeks ago, I wrote two blogs about pain and problems in which I suggested it's silly to try to accomplish the overwhelming task all at once. The better plan is to tackle the small problems first. In my mind picking up the rock on the way is equivalent to knocking down Goliath when you get there: no rock = spear through the heart! Rock = you get to marry the king's daughter. You can read about it here.

What I hadn't necessarily connected (until Pastor Furtick tied this idea back to a book called Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell) is how powerful this principle really is. Pastor pointed to example after example this morning where as a church we have focused on the little things and seen big results. This principle isn't just found in a business book or in our church either. There are dozens of examples in the Scriptures where attention to little details produces big results (Pastor pointed to Nehemiah 1:3 as an example - Nehemiah didn't solve all the major issues of the nation, he fixed the wall...)

The broken window theory explains that broken windows send a clear message to the people who commit crimes - in this part of town, no one cares!

By fixing the windows, that message is reversed and crime is significantly reduced. In other words, no one connects broken windows with murders but as Gladwell points out when the windows are fixed there is a precipitous decrease in violent crime.

Pastor ended our meeting with this thought: "Where are our broken windows? Personally and/or professionally?"

Maybe it's not that your marriage is doomed, but that you are stubbornly committed to a selfish outlook. In other words, start taking out the trash and helping with the kids instead of watching TV. Put your spouse's needs first and watch your marriage be revitalized.

It might not be that everyone who works for you is lazy and you should fire everyone today and start over. Maybe it's that you need to pay more attention to your calendar. By more clearly communicating dates, times and expectations you might see a huge upsurge of quality work from your staff.

I don't know where your windows are, but I'm diligently looking for mine!