Some time ago, a group of men and women gathered around a campfire. They were at the end of the day at a company sponsored off-site meeting focusing on team building. As the fire roared, one man pulled aside another and starting talking about the company and the performance of variance divisions.
"Why do you and your team work so hard in Section B? Honestly, you are ruining it for the rest of us."
"What do you mean?"
"Look, our company has made budget for the past five years. In fact, we have maxed out bonuses for four of the last five years. You guys in Section B have got to relax, enjoy life and don't work so hard."
"True, we have made budget for the past five years and have made some great bonuses. However, we feel that is not good enough. Competition is catching up and the market is becoming saturated. If we don't come up with some great new product ideas and reduce our costs, I think Section A, your Section, is going to be in trouble."
"Hey, what do you mean? The big boss loves us. He came from Section A."
"That's right, but that was years ago. Section A is not what is used to be. You guys have gotten lazy. Many of you come in late, and leave early. Your costs are rising, and word is that many of you are "retired in place."
"Hey, it's our right. We are entitled to our jobs. We look out for each other. We get the job done. What you need is to transfer to Section A, and then you would see the truth."
The other worker in Section B was quiet for a time. He rose from his seat and picked up a long fire prong. Then with the fire prong, he picked up a burning log and placed it with some newly cut wood near the fire and sat down.
"What are you doing?" said the worker from Section A.
The worker from Section B just stared at the log, and said nothing. Soon the log stopped burning, then smoked, and eventually went out all together.
"That log in the beginning is me. When I am with my team in Section B - I am alive. I am challenged. I feel great. I am more than I could possibly be. If I were to leave my team in Section B for your team in Section A, I would initially stand out like a sore thumb; like a burning log. Eventually, you would bring me down to your level, and like this log, my fire would burn out."
"You have got to be kidding! We are not a bunch of burned out logs in Section A! We made the company great, and we have our rights!"
"You can think and act the way you want, and you may be able to buy enough time to retire from Section A in a couple years. But listen to this and listen well. At the end of the week, you and I will take home a paycheck that has been paid by, not our company, but by our customers. If we don't improve the quality of their lives, if we don't give them a reason to come back, we will be out of business. And you, my friend, will be out of a job."
"Once again, you are exaggerating."
"Okay, look at it this way. You take home a paycheck each week. I take home a paycheck as well. But my paycheck is different from yours"
"What do you mean? You can't possibly make more than I do?"
"I don't know that, but what I do know is that I take home with my paycheck something extra. I take home a sense of pride and accomplishment. I take home purpose and meaning. I take home the fact that we have chosen ‘great’ over good, and that has made all the difference to me and my fellow team members."
At this moment, everything became very silent. Then a loud round of applause and cheers rose up, as the two men realized all around the campfire heard their conversation.
Until Next Friday,
