A friend of mine started a new job last week. He left his old job because he was tired of coming home every day feeling deflated and uptight due to what he called a negative workplace culture. The good news is, he absolutely loves his new job, and practically glows as he talks about his first week there. I asked him what made the difference, because he’s doing the same type of job, with a similar-sized company.
“You know what?” he said. “The atmosphere between the two places is like night and day. People actually come and talk to me and they welcomed me to the company. I feel more connected in one week than after years at my old job.”
“Wow,” I said. “They just come to chat?”
“Sure, yeah! And the manager, he’s this young guy, he set up a table outside my cubicle and put muffins and snacks and stuff on it for my first three days there.”
And there it was.
The manager didn’t just tell his staff, “Hey, make sure you go say hi to the new guy this week.” He subtly set them all up for a positive encounter using a folding table and some muffins. A little thing like muffins made all the difference to my friend’s sense of belonging and the culture of his new workplace.
Sometimes it is the smallest things that have the biggest impact. Is it possible to find similar "small things" to make all the difference in our homes and families? Can we subtly set our families up for positive encounters, and daily remind ourselves of our roots, our fervor, and our hopes?
I think so. And I think most of us are doing a few small things every single day. I'm starting this site to explore and document these small things, so that together we can share and learn from each other. Welcome to my virtual table with muffins.
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