Review:

The Tipping Point, as with all of Malcolm Gladwell’s books, makes you stop and think for a few minutes. In fact it has made me stop and think for a few minutes just about every day since I read it. Gladwell takes the concept of an epidemic and dissects it down to every last detail in order to understand how one could potentially be created. Imagine the power available if we could consciously cause epidemics.

Let us quickly get straight on what is meant by an epidemic. Many people hear that word and think nothing but negative thoughts. The truth is that an epidemic does not just relate to the sudden wide spread o fdisease. It could be the sudden wide spread of just about anything. Examples that Gladwell gives include the Hush Puppy epidemic where shoe sales went from 30,000 to over 1.5 million in two years, the crime rate decline in New York City in the late 1990’s and unknown books turning to best sellers. “The Tipping Point” as Gladwell has cleverly coined it, is that point where sales go from 30,000 to 1.5 million in the blink of an eye.

As exciting as it is, there is one thing that seems a bit far fetched about this read. Yes, it is very possible to look back on history and understand what caused a given turn of events after they have all occurred. It is an entirely different feat to be able to put the right events into motion to think one can intentionally cause an epidemic to occur in the future. It is not to say that it cannot be done. In fact I am willing to bet that it has been done, and this book certainly gets you thinking in that way.

We all can imagine how powerful it would be to be able to cause our company’s product or service to “tip”. It would almost be like inventing some sort of money machine. That is assuming you only used it for business gains. Quite honestly, the possibilities are frightening. Gladwell does such a fantastic job of analyzing every component and type of person that goes into causing something to tip.

You cannot help but start to notice these different components each day as you live your life. And there lies the true value in this book and many others like it. After reading the thoughts of a man like Gladwell, you begin to realize that your perceptions of reality and what lies in the realm of possibility is forever expanding. To have thoughts that are not limited by what is and what is not possible is the ultimate key to thinking freely. And that is what houses that best environment for creativity. Read this book with an open mind and appreciate the implications it could have.

~Reading for Your Success