Broken Windows, Broken Business Turns 20: The Business Classic That Refused to Age

Michael Levine

Twenty years after publication, Broken Windows, Broken Business by Michael Levine, remains urgently relevant in today’s business world

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, January 27, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- First released in 2006, the best-selling book, Broken Windows, Broken Business, has become essential reading for executives, entrepreneurs, civic leaders, and anyone serious about understanding why small failures—ignored, excused, or rationalized—inevitably lead to large ones. Two decades later, its central message feels less like theory and more like prophecy.

Inspired by the original “Broken Windows” theory in criminology, Levine translated the concept into the language of business, leadership, and organizational culture. His argument was both simple and disruptive: when leaders tolerate small lapses in standards—missed calls, sloppy service, unanswered emails, unmanaged details—they quietly authorize mediocrity to spread.

The book’s influence has been underscored by praise from one of the most respected leadership thinkers of all time. Dr. Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, called the book:

“INSPIRED, IMPACTFUL, AND IMPORTANT… THE RIGHT BUSINESS MESSAGE FOR OUR TIME.”

That endorsement has only grown more meaningful with age.

Broken Windows, Broken Business anticipated trends now dominating headlines: collapsing customer service, institutional complacency, cultural decay within organizations, and leaders who mistake tolerance for wisdom. Levine’s core insight—that standards are not cosmetic but structural—has proven timeless.

Over the past 20 years, the book has been embraced by Fortune 500 executives, small-business owners, military leaders, educators, and policymakers. It has been cited in boardrooms, business schools, and leadership retreats as a blueprint for accountability, pride, and disciplined excellence.

On its 20th anniversary, Broken Windows, Broken Business stands not as a relic of the past, but as a mirror held up to the present.

Because broken windows never fix themselves.

For more information, visit www.BrokenWindowsBook.com
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Amanda Kent
Boundless Media USA
+1 313-403-5636
email us here

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