Like many others, I sometimes walk the stairs instead of riding the elevator. This morning I did, and I as I was walking the stairs I noticed a couple of used napkins lying in the staircase:
I was first thinking, someone really needs to keep the staircase better maintained!
Shortly after another thought starting dominating my internal discussion: Someone actually made a conscious decision to throw these used napkins there. What in the world drove them to such a decision?
Finally, I realized: What was I doing about it? Complaining and blaming someone else. What was my goal? I wanted the staircase clean. I could wait a week or however long it would take for the next janitorial sweep of the staircase to be due. I could complain to office management. But complaining about someone throwing napkins in the staircase and about others not doing proper maintenance didn’t seem to get me any closer to a solution.
There was a much simpler and efficient solution available.
I went back and picked up these used napkins and threw them in the trash myself. Problem solved.
What are you doing to improve quality today?
For an interesting analogy, read up on the broken window theory and consider whether the concepts apply to you.
Vik Bulletin 