Here’s a neat story credited to Aesop. It’s found in the 2nd century AD Greek fable collection by pseudo-Dositheus. 

That sets the scene far more eloquently than me explaining how I came across the story in one of my kid’s story time books called “The Aesop for Children.”

In a spell of dry weather, when the Birds could find very little to drink, a thirsty Crow found a pitcher with a little water in it.

But the pitcher was high and had a narrow neck, and no matter how he tried, the Crow could not reach the water. The poor thing felt as if he must die of thirst.

Then an idea came to him. Picking up some small pebbles, he dropped them into the pitcher one by one. With each pebble the water rose a little higher until at last it was near enough so he could drink.

When you are faced with difficulty this week please ask yourself, “How can I use my wits to solve this problem?”

You see, your wits are perhaps the most powerful continuous improvement tool you have. Don’t be afraid to use them.

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“If you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
-Yogi Berra

A True Story

Several years ago I was riding in the car with my Grandma and Grandpa.  We were driving to the store if I remember correctly. Along the way my Grandpa pulled up to a busy intersection, paused, and then pulled out into the middle. And then, for whatever reason, he just froze.

So there we were… sitting ducks in the middle of a busy intersection. After a few seconds, which seemed like hours to my young mind, my Grandma looked at my Grandpa and uttered three words I will never forget for the rest of my life, “Well, do something!”

Luckily, he did do something (pressed on the accelerator) and no one was hurt. I tell this story since it makes me smile… but also because I think there is a lesson to be learned.

Forks in the Road

You see, in life we often find ourselves at a fork in the road.

Do we zig or zag? Do we go for it or pass? Do we start making improvements or plan another week?

While I would never promote making decisions recklessly or without thinking things through, I do feel there is a time when we just have to take a deep breath and go for it.

I’m sure my Grandpa was frozen with fear as he pressed on the accelerator… but he did it. So it is with us, we too need to press on the accelerator from time to time even though we’d probably prefer to wait just a little while longer.

The worst thing that can happen (short of being run over by a truck) is we fail in the short term while learning a valuable lesson that helps us in the long term. What’s so bad about that?

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What do fixing broken windows and continuous improvement have in common? I contend a lot.  Read on and let me know if you agree.

The so-called broken window theory comes to us by way of the criminology world.

Broken Windows

The theory asks us to consider a building with broken windows. It goes on to state that if these windows are not repaired, vandals are far more likely to come along and break additional windows.

Then, unsatisfied with this, these misfits may ultimately decide to break into the building for more severe crime (theft, arson, etc.).

Conversely, proponents of the broken window theory claim that by fixing all the broken windows vandals are less likely to smash any windows, much less break into the building and burn it down!

Not Just Windows

The theory is not limited to broken windows. It can easily extend to trash on a sidewalk, or graffiti on the side of a building. Clean things up, broken window theory advocates say, and crime will plummet.

In 1985, George Kelling, author of the book Fixing Broken Windows: Restoring Order and Reducing Crime in Our Communities was brought to New York City to put this theory to test.

Initially, graffiti vandalism was targeted. When they saw it they cleaned it off. If they came back the next day, and more graffiti had magically appeared, they cleaned it off again. This battle of wills went on for several years.

Rudy in Charge

A few years later, then Mayor Rudy Giuliani took this theory to another level as he implemented a zero tolerance attack on things like subway fare evasion and the squeegee men who cleaned your car windows and demanded payment. Interestingly enough, crime rates fell in dramatic fashion once these “broken windows” were addressed.

The Opposition

As with anything in life, the broken window theory has its skeptics. Opponents say the fact crime fell after these changes were implemented is more a case of correlation than of causation. One may never know for sure but I tend to side with the broken window theory believers.

A recent trip to Old Navy in the Houston area reinforced my belief in this theory… but I will save that for another post later this week!

Just Like Continuous Improvement

So what does this have to do with the continuous improvement mindset?

Well, I contend that while there may not be many broken windows (at least I hope not) in the factories, hospitals, or office buildings we work in… there are many other broken aspects we could attend to.

When you see an empty Styrofoam coffee cup on a desk, do you leave it there or throw it away? When you see a pallet jack outside it’s taped off area, do you correct it or walk on by? When you notice standard work not being followed on a Friday afternoon at 4:55 PM, do you act on it or leave it until Monday?

You see, broken windows are all around us. The question is… what are we doing about it?

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