While on my trip I read a couple books. I got his book as a recomendation from a friend who really liked the ideas it contained.

The Tipping Point is written by Malcolm Gladwell a staff writer with The New Yorker magazine. More than a book, this is a way of looking at the world around you. From the seemingly meaningless tasks we perform on a daily basis we can change the world around us. I know. It sounds too good to be true, but as the book so eloquently illustrates over and over again, that is exactly how the world can be changed. Its not about one major event that shifts the events around us, its about the culmination of all the small things that when done consistently, they ‘tip’. The concept was first brought around with epidemic research and the spreading of disease, but the same study can be applied for just about anything as the writer explains.

Gladwell goes into great detail on events around the world and how small changes in environment made big differences. While reading the book I was analyzing the world around me an seeing how all of the concepts he was discuss were actually true. By looking at some of the people around me and events in my own life, I saw how little tasks added up to the big picture. Artists do not become masters overnight, it takes a lot of work building the platform for their success and at some point ‘the tipping point’ they become known by the entire world for their works. This point is broken up between groups of people that set the fire and lay the path.

Mavens are the information leaders. They are trusted experts in a particular field, who seek to pass his or her knowledge on to others. Gizmodo is an example of a gadget maven. Gizmodo knows the items in the market and makes a point to learn everything they can about it and then shares that information with the public through his website.

Connectors are the people that bring groups of people together. These are usually excentric people that have connections across many different subcultures and easily are able to get people in touch with eachother based on whatever is needed. A great example given in the book was Paul Revere. Two men set off that night to warn the people that the British were about to invade, but Paul Revere was made famous because he was the ultimate connector and was able to spread the word to so many more people and get the militias ready.

Salesmen are the people that can get you to make the decision. Great salesmen are charismatic and extremely trusted by their contacts. They are able to make people that are on the fence about a topic, take action in their favor.

All of us know people that fit these characteristics. You are even one of these, but which one? After reading the book you will understand more about the people and events around you that will force you to see the world in a new way. I was skeptical at first myself, but even weeks after finishing the book, I see how Gladwell hit the nail on the head with the concepts he described.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!