Little changes, big effects

I was intrigued by the title of a book called The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference, ( Little, Brown and Company, 2000). This fascinating book by Malcolm Gladwell, who is a writer for New Yorker magazine, explores "why major changes in our society so often happen suddenly and unexpectedly" or "tip," and how these ideas, trends or behavior spread like an epidemic. In same way a virus can spread from person to person, the book shows examples of the underlying pattern of contagious behavior, "the fact that little changes have big effects, and that changes happen not gradually but in a hurry." Gladwell further suggests that the agents that spread contagious ideas and behavior are certain "personality types."

Why do certain messages and ideas "tip" and others do not?

Gladwell says that the success of any social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of "connectors," highly socially gifted people who have the extraordinary ability and "special gift" of bringing ideas together. "They have an ability to span many different worlds as a function of their personality, some combination of curiosity, self-confidence, sociability and energy. Since they have a foot in many different worlds, they have the effect of bringing them all together."

Although the book delved into examples which ranged from business trends to ideas which changed history, I could not help but reflect on the events of September 11. In this tragedy, and in one dramatic moment, leaders throughout the world rose beyond their own self interest in an unprecendented way to grasp one singular concept. In this case, one incident that cost the terrorist so little, has made a huge and irreversible difference in the way we live together.

We must give tribute to these world leaders, many of whom were not "friends," who immediately saw a common vision, took the risk and became the "connectors" uniting the world towards a common ideal of freedom from fear. In the same way, we must commend our own President for having stepped up to the plate realizing that what is at stake is much bigger than each of our individual countries’ concerns.

World leaders did not ask "What is in it for us?," nor did they fear "What danger will this bring us?" but instead said "What can we do to serve and protect our common ideal?" The reason why so many people around the world are drawn to this common ideal is because it is a contagious idea. The reason perhaps that world leaders have become fearless is because their vision is focused on protecting that ideal.

We are now in a major tipping point and must reflect that each and everyone of us can actually make the difference..."that one imaginative person applying a well-placed lever can move the world. Social epidemics are driven by the efforts of a handful of exceptional people." Every one of us can be exceptional.

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