Imagine moving into a new house. Everything looks perfect at first glance, but as you settle in, you notice the small inconveniences—a squeaky door, a flickering light, a broken shelf. These are the things that the previous occupants learned to live with, adapting to the inconveniences rather than fixing them. Now, what would make an immediate impression? Fixing those broken shelves. This is the essence of what is called the Broken Shelf Approach—a leadership strategy that focuses on addressing the overlooked, yet impactful, issues that everyone has grown accustomed to ignoring.
The Genesis of the Broken Shelf Approach
This approach was beautifully exemplified by Nat Friedman when he became CEO of GitHub after Microsoft’s acquisition. Instead of laying out a multi-year strategic plan, he shared a giant list of over 100 customer complaints and issues. His plan? “Today, we’re going to pick one item on this list and fix it. Tomorrow, we’ll pick another one, and fix that. And the next day… until we’ve nailed 20+ of these.”
This shift in focus did three major things:
- Shock Therapy: The team was used to thinking in quarters and years. Suddenly, the timeline shrank to “ship something today.” This change in mindset created urgency and a sense of accomplishment.
- Learning from the Ground Up: By diving into the details, Friedman gained a deep understanding of where the problems were, which teams were effective, and where technical debt was highest. This ground-level insight is invaluable for any leader looking to understand their organization’s true state.
- Building Trust through Action: Customers were worried about Microsoft’s acquisition of GitHub. Would they ruin it? Should they leave? Seeing the product improve immediately built faith that things would be okay, reassuring both customers and the community.
Why the Broken Shelf Approach Works
1. Immediate Impact and Morale Boost
Often, teams are bogged down by years of neglected issues—bugs, tech debt, and inefficiencies that everyone has learned to work around. These “broken shelves” can sap morale and productivity. By fixing them, you show the team that their daily struggles matter and that leadership is committed to making their lives better.
2. Creating a Culture of Action
When leadership focuses on long-term goals without addressing day-to-day pain points, it can create a disconnect between vision and reality. The Broken Shelf Approach shifts the focus to immediate, tangible action, setting a precedent that small wins are valuable and that progress doesn’t have to wait for the perfect plan.
3. Customer Confidence
For customers, seeing improvements happen quickly reassures them that their feedback is heard and acted upon. It’s a direct message: “We care about your experience, and we’re doing something about it.” This can be crucial during times of transition, like a company acquisition or leadership change.
How to Implement the Broken Shelf Approach
1. Identify the Broken Shelves
Start by gathering a list of known issues—customer complaints, internal frustrations, and technical debt. This list should be as comprehensive as possible, capturing the real pain points that affect your team and users.
2. Prioritize for Quick Wins
Not all issues are created equal. Prioritize those that can be fixed quickly but have a high impact on morale or customer satisfaction. The goal is to create momentum with visible results.
3. Create a Daily Focus
Instead of trying to tackle everything at once, pick one issue to fix each day or week. Share the progress with the team and celebrate these small victories. This keeps everyone aligned and motivated.
4. Communicate Transparently
Let your team and customers know what you’re doing and why. Transparency builds trust, and sharing your process helps everyone understand the value of what you’re addressing.
5. Iterate and Scale
As you resolve the immediate issues, use the insights gained to inform larger strategic decisions. Which areas need a deeper dive? Where are the systemic problems that require more than a quick fix? Use this approach as a stepping stone to broader organizational change.
Beyond the Broken Shelf
While the Broken Shelf Approach is powerful for creating immediate impact, it’s not a substitute for long-term strategy. Once you’ve built momentum and trust, it’s crucial to shift back to larger planning and goal setting. Use the insights and goodwill you’ve earned to align the team around a shared vision, now rooted in a deeper understanding of the day-to-day realities they face.
Conclusion
The Broken Shelf Approach is about more than just fixing small problems—it’s about building trust, driving action, and creating a culture that values progress over perfection. By addressing the issues that everyone else has learned to ignore, you demonstrate that you care about the details and that you’re committed to making things better, one step at a time.
In every organization, there are “broken shelves”—issues that are annoying, but not seen as critical enough to fix immediately. By focusing on these, you show that no problem is too small to matter. It’s a strategy that starts with action and ends with transformation. And sometimes, the best way to lead is to simply start fixing what’s broken.