Broken Windows, Broken Spirits

Ever visited a broken business building that's been totally ignored by city officials? You probably received another sense when you were inside: people living within the those quarters didn't care too much about their working residence. Michael Levine, author of Broken Windows for Business, has this theory: if you ignore the little details, you may be sending mixed and subliminal signals that you don't care for your employees. "You can't convince employees that you love and care about them if you're sending psychic signals that you don't," says Levine. "There's a significant psychological impact to dingy surroundings -- to stained carpets and broken toilets." Worse, says Levine, if you place your top employees with underperforming players, you may be sending the signal that you don't care about employee performance. Not removing those poor performers will unleash a virus among your team. As bestselling author Jim Collins points out: when you need to make a people change, do so quickly. That'll send a swift message about employee performance.

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