Life doesn’t always work as we expect it to. This much is clear to anyone who’s read a book by Malcolm Gladwell. So as business leaders and professionals, why do we expect people to “fit” with our perceptions and expectations? Sometimes, it is much more important to focus on what is happening behind the scenes.

I recently finished his book “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference” and would like to share what I’ve learned – not only about the content and epidemics but also from the writer.

1. Expect the Unexpected

This is obvious, and I’ve touched on it already. Human beings are social, complex beings, and we certainly don’t always follow logical, expected routes. So, when we coordinate and lead our businesses, we certainly cannot expect everyone to follow the book or our own perceptions!

2. Look at the deeper picture

There are lots of unseen, hidden factors at play in our businesses, we best take heed and try to also look at the soft, underlying, social and hidden factors within our businesses and perceptions. It’s not always about the “big picture”, there is also a very deep one.

3. Epidemics, and how they tip

For those who are curious, the book is about what tips the scale to create epidemics, be that about a new brand, behaviour or whatever you like.  He attributes epidemics to 3 forces, namely:

     1. The Law of the Few

Only a few individuals are responsible for starting an epidemic, they work in conjunction to spread an epidemic, and you need to get to them with your idea. They can be described as follows:

1. Mavens – The ones with “inside knowledge”, with all the “data”. They create the start of the idea.
2. Connectors – The ones who know everyone, who can bring people together. They spread the idea.
3. Salesmen – The ones who can persuade. They persuade others to adopt the idea.

     2. The Stickiness Factor

This is all about getting the idea to stick. Giving people a reason to take notice. The “I can’t get it out of my head” factor. All epidemics are sticky (“Barney is a dinosaur from our imagination” – see what I did there?).

     3. The Power of Context

Finally, you need to influence people’s context because human beings are much more susceptible to circumstance than we think. In other words, influencing social context and norms are critical. This is where getting the right people to adopt your idea can make it spread like wildfire.

What I liked about the Author’s Work

     1. Tell stories

What makes the author’s books so great is that it is ridden with stories. And in them, the facts are hidden. And that gets the message across very effectively. Especially when it comes to technical content, we tend to spew facts and complain afterwards that no-one bought into our idea. Just maybe a story might be much more compelling, or memorable.

     2. Convey your idea, don’t over-script

Some criticise the author’s books for being too loose and not really getting to a point. But sometimes the messages we want to communicate is exactly that, a bunch of loose concepts that somehow tie together if you can see them in context. You don’t always have to pain over exactly how sometimes conveying your idea loosely is enough.

     3. Work in Three’s

By summarising his concepts into only three topics makes it so much easier to follow and remember. How often do we try and stick to ONLY 3 ideas, topics, or messages?

Thanks for your time.

Francis