Broken windows, broken brands: an unrepaired window or unrepaired brand can lead to chaos

T+D, April, 2004 by Tom Asacker

In The Atlantic article "Broken Windows," authors Kelling and Wilson argue that rampant crime is the inevitable result of disorder. If a building's window is broken and left unrepaired, passersby will conclude that no one cares and no one is in charge. One unrepaired window is an invitation to break more windows, and lawlessness spreads outward.

Can you see the parallels between broken windows and broken brands? A broken brand is an organization that has no idea where it's going so can't align its resources or inspire its people. It's in disorder, and that leads to people concluding no one cares, no one is in charge.

Leaders aren't connecting their organization's mission to the individual's sense of accomplishment. The lack of a unifying perspective (a.k.a. strong brand) that inspires people and guides their actions is an invitation for people to follow self-serving agendas. Like the broken window syndrome, this lawlessness spreads from employee to employee and from employee to customer. Before long, the organization is hardened with passionless team members, uninspired customers, shrinking margins, layoffs, accounting scandals, Dilbertesque cynicism.

Leaders used to be more integrated in the organization. They could see or sense signals of disorder and intervened to protect their brand. Current leaders are dealing with a more complex environment with widely different competitive pressures, customer demands, stockholder expectations, and workforce requirements--as well as the emerging global economy, IT revolution, and collapse of the old industrial business paradigm.

The only way for leaders to prevent disorderly behavior is to understand and passionately communicate the organization's reason for being--its brand. Its vision of the future will instill a sense of belonging. Its compelling essence will inspire sharing, tolerance, and teamwork. Its driving philosophy will convey order and focus, and instill confidence and give people permission to act and bring ideas to life. Its special spirit will engage and unify people, and compel them to self-police the organization and prevent the small but unmistakable signals of impending chaos.

Stop messing up your corporate neighborhood with disorganized actions and get back to the fundamentals. Start living, communicating, training, and taking care of your brand. And get moving. Broken windows are easy to repair, broken brands aren't.

Tom Asacker is an author, corporate advisor, and public speaker; tom@sandboxwisdom.com.