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If you don't have the dough, there are other ways to build and motivate a great team.
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 kept 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 thought 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 Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve would be proud of me. P.S. If you’re thinking about writing me, give in to the temptation. I love getting mail ... and being influenced by what you have to say. Please contact me at www.kennythemonk.com Click here to see my additional blogs Kenny Moore - best-selling author, former Catholic monk and present-day business executive - is co-author of The CEO and the Monk: One Company’s Journey to Profit and Purpose (John Wiley and Sons), rated as one of the top ten best selling business books on Amazon.com. He is Corporate Ombudsman and Human Resources Director at a New York City Fortune 500 company. Reporting to the Chairman, he is primarily responsible for awakening joy, meaning and commitment in the workplace. While these efforts have largely been met with skepticism, he remains eternally optimistic of their future viability. Kenny has more than 20 years experience with managing change, developing leaders and healing the corporate community. He’s been profiled by Charles Osgood on CBS Sunday Morning News and interviewed by Tom Peters, the Wall Street Journal and Fast Company magazine regarding his unique leadership style. Kenny is the recipient of Notre Dame University’s 2006 Hesburgh Award for his significant contribution to the field of business ethics. 
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