Tipping Point

FYI: I’m pretty sure this entry won’t be entertaining. But perhaps it will be interesting/informative…and that has to account for something…But, we’ll see.

In college, I majored in Sociology and minored in Business. Interestingly enough, the only reason I took “Intro to Sociology” was because a bunch of fun people were in that class and I just wanted to go where the fun was… :) (Hey…I’ve never claimed to be an academic). Turns out, Sociology was the perfect major for me. I love talking to people…all sorts of people. Smart people, funny people, poor people, rich people, blue-collar workers, successful executives/business owners, etc. I love hearing their stories, knowing what makes them laugh, figuring out what motivates people to take action, etc…and Sociology is basically the study of people/cultures/social interaction etc.

I minored in business simply because I thought it would make me a little more “well rounded”. Who knew I’d end up in insurance sales…which is basically is the art of figuring out how to connect with all sorts of different people and personalities so they want to work with you as opposed to some other insurance lady. :)

I promise all that background information was a lead in to something…

I’m not sure if it’s my background in Sociology and Business or what…but I often find myself in conversations about human nature and the economy (oooh, that makes me sound really boring…) In these conversations, a fair amount of time, people refer to (and recommend) the book “Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell.

“Tipping Point” is over 200 pages, so if you want to know more, you’ll have to read it yourself. Throughout the book, my buddy Malcolm uses phrases like, “connectors”, “mavens”, “sales people”, “stickiness factor”, “context”, “law of the few” etc. I won’t get into all those definitions, but here’s a VERY brief overview. There are people in your life (maybe you’re one of them) that naturally set the tone of a situation, group of people, relationship, etc. There are others who are remarkably innovative. Others are best defined as “well connected” and “likeable”. These unique personalities as well as contextual things i.e. “being the in the right place at the right time”, all play a role in change and/or getting people to “take action”. Better stated, they contribute to the “Tipping Point” which is “that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold and tips, and spreads like wildfire”. <--I took that from the back of the book…

On the cover, there is a phrase that briefly describes the book…”Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference”. Since, I appreciate a good “big picture” take- away (and since I have a blog where I can write anything I want, assuming I don't offend the “webmaster”…) it’s worth mentioning I came away from the book with a deeper sense of, how little things I do can make an impact on others”.

But…what good is the “big picture” if you don’t have a little practical application?? I’m a big fan of the simplicity of the bullet point…so I took it upon the liberty of myself to list some of my personal challenges below:

*Encourage others
*Smile more
*When I ask a question…truly pause for the answer as opposed to talking before there is an awkward silence (in other words…talk less);
*Engage with people. This is difficult to define, but I know what it looks like in my head. In a way it’s a sales strategy, but I think it applies to relationships in general. In its simplest form, it’s figuring out a way to get people to ‘ask’ for what I am "offering".    ....That was a long bullet point.
*Consider context/setting/"packaging"
*Think outside the box

I want to be an individual who makes a difference—big or small. If what Malcolm says is true, and “little things” (or…a regular gal like hollsmaher) “can make a big difference”, then I have a responsibility to be aware of the ways I interact with others. Hopefully, after reading this book, I’ll be a little extra-intentional about encouraging, spending time with, listening to, challenging, etc. friend, family, clients, coworkers, even the “randoms” that comes into my life.

That’s it. Not the most entertaining of blog entries, but whatever. “The Tipping Point” isn’t really the most entertaining of books. So I didn’t have much to work with. Though it took me a long time to get around to reading it, I’m glad I did. And if you like books about psychology/human nature etc. I think it’s worth a read. However, I have heard his newer book “Blink” is better. So, maybe you can read that and then tell me about it.