By Kenny Moore

The economy�s tight.  My company no longer has wads of money to throw at high priced consultants to transform our culture.  

If change is to happen, it�ll have to be done by ordinary employees and on a minuscule budget.  And I�m discovering that I may need to get personally involved.  

My two-part plan is presently underway.  It�s cheap and it�s fun: two clear signs that senior management won�t embrace it.  But who cares? 

With limited financial incentive from my company, I�m learning to look to small pleasures to keep me engaged in the business.

It Starts Small

The first part of the plan all started with Beverly.  She works in accounting.  She�s not the department head.  She�s not even on our list of "High Potential" employees.  

Fact is, Beverly�s a union worker.  And, she�s wonderful.  When I have an accounting problem, I go to Bev.  When I fall short in following the most recent financial procedure, I go to Bev.  

On the days I can�t get to her, it�s often because there are other befuddled employees seeking out her practical wisdom.

Does my company need to reengineer accounting practices to make them more user-friendly and efficient?  You bet!  However, based on my limited experience in dealing with accountants, it�s unlikely to happen in my lifetime.  So in the interim, I rely on Beverly.

A Serendipitous Moment

I was in the local dollar store the other day looking for a cheap nightlight for my son�s bedroom.  Wandering down the aisles, I saw a coffee mug engraved with a heart that read: "You�re the Greatest."  Even though it was hand-painted in China, this oriental work of art was available for a mere $1.  The sign said the supply was limited, but I think they still had a few cases in the back room.  

The cup reminded me of Beverly so I bought it.  On the way back to my office, I passed her desk.  "I got you a small gift, Bev � a present for all the help you give me" and took the cup out and gave it to her.

She smiled.  "Even though I don�t drink coffee," Bev said, "I still love it.  I can use it to keep my pens and pencils in."  

But more than her words, it was the look in her eyes that captivated me.  It was a glint of appreciation.  A sparkle of affection.  A tinge of some positive primordial emotion tethered to the woman�s sacred soul.  It was one of those rare moments of Divine Revelation in the workplace.

Something more was going on here than the exchange of porcelain.  Something, I suspect, that was only loosely connected to the fact that the cup was hand-painted in the Orient.  It was a small moment of acknowledgement for the talent of a lone employee who was making a difference.  

It represented an undersized deposit into the overdrawn account of employee passion that daily gets bestowed for the sake of the corporate common good.  My single regret from the encounter was that there was no high priced consultant nearby to witness the event.

I now regularly find myself visiting the dollar store and using my small budget to keep the tectonic plates of culture change in steady movement.

It Ends Small

The second part to my grand, but cheap, change plan is to take fellow employees out for a cup of coffee.  Not Starbuck�s, since I no longer have the budget for such luxury.  

We go down to the company cafeteria.  It costs me 80 cents.  If they want a juice, it�s a dime more.  

I tend to invite folks who other employees are drawn towards.  They represent a type of "heliotropic leadership" in the rugged jungle of business life.  They radiate a natural luminescence that coworkers gravitate towards and are nurtured by.  With these folks around, corporate toxicity is keep to a minimum and a form of workplace photosynthesis takes place.

I spend the first part of these caffeine-laden meetings expressing my appreciation and thanks.  It�s odd how seldom people share a personal "thank you" in a corporate setting. 

The rest of the time is spent in a whimsical conversation about how we might make the company a better place to work in.  I seldom walk away with a detailed action plan.  Most of the time, I merely enjoy taking a few minutes out of an otherwise hectic day squandering it on a person I admire.  

I�m also darkly reminded how seldom I detach myself from petty complaining and give some though to creating a positive future.  It�s common that these conversations wind up changing me more than the culture.

But I�m learning that maybe that is exactly what�s needed in these tight financial times.  I  believe Alan Greenspan would be proud of me.

Copyright (c) 2003 Kenneth Moore.  Used with permission of the author.  Thanks, Kenny!

  Books  -  Disclosure: We get a small commission for purchases made via links to Amazon.

• The CEO and the Monk: One Company�s Journey to Profit and Purpose,  Robert Catell, Kenny Moore, Glen Rifkin.  John Wiley & Sons, 2004.  ISBN: 0471450111

  Articles

• FISH! Philosophy - http://www.fishphilosophy.com 
• Have Fun at Work to Create Spirited Service Experience http://www.socksoff.com/articles/oa_rz2.htm 
• Fun at work tips http://www.joysikorski.com/HOWtoTieABowTie.html
• Having Fun at Work http://www.christianwomentoday.com/career/havefun.html 
• Just having fun at work can boost productivity http://austin.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2001/06/04/smallb4.html 
• Having Fun? At Work? http://flatrock.org.nz/topics/animation/fun_at_work.htm 
• On Having Fun: Interviewing Bernie DeKoven http://news.gilbert.org/features/featureReader$4041 
• Naysayers take note: Encouraging fun at work produces positive results for employees and employers http://www.employerhelp.org/jimcollison/stories/naysayer.htm 
• Tools for Personal Growth: Having Fun http://www.coping.org/growth/fun.htm 
• Tips for Having Fun http://www.microsoft.com/windowsme/using/fun/tips/default.asp 
• Newsletter article: December 1999 Fun at Work http://www.itstime.com/dec99a.htm 
• Putting Fun into Work http://www.terranovatraining.co.uk/fun.htm 
• Having Fun Yet? http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,272159,00.html 
• Having Fun With Reward and Recognition http://www.winstonbrill.com/bril001/html/article_index/articles/251-300/article284_body.html 
• If You Aren't Having Fun In Your Work, Fix The Problem Before It Gets Serious. And If You Don't Fix It, Go Away Before You Spoil The Fun For The Rest Of Us. <article link>
• It�s Important to Have Fun at Work � Especially During the Tough Times http://www.todaysengineer.org/May03/trends.asp 
• The Business of Having Fun http://www.greatplacetowork.com/great/read/harvard_june_2003.pdf
• If I'm having fun I can't really be working, can I? http://www.healingwithhumor.com/art98_11.html 
• Fun at Work http://www.lensinternational.com/lensnewsletter901_1.PDF
• Having Fun Can Be Your Competitive Advantage http://www.lauralewis.com/archives/article7-98a.html 

  The Lighter Side  

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated ... William James (1842 - 1910), American psychologist and philosopher

Treat employees like partners and they act like partners ... Fred Allen, chairman, Pitney-Bowes Company

I get quiet joy from the observation of anyone who does their job well ... William Feather (1889 - 1981), American author and publisher

Always remember that this whole thing was started by a mouse ... Walt Disney (1901 - 1966)

You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality ... Walt Disney (1901 - 1966)

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