1. Position
I'm the new kid on the block. Or maybe I'm the first one in most mornings. And I like coffee. Alot. So I always get the coffee going. In the 12 cup coffee maker. I've kinda become the default coffee guy. I keep the workroom stocked with coffee and supplies. It is what it is. We usually have coffee, supplies. It's kind of frustrating though, because I'm the only one who seems to really take an interest in it and show much initiative, though other people are regular coffee drinkers too.
2. Permission
People seem to appreciate the fact that coffee and supplies are kept in good stead and the coffee area is pretty much clean. I guess. I had this idea to go green and everything: provide mugs for people. This cut down on the number of cups we were using. People seemed to appreciate having their own mugs. I had a giganic thing of splenda that I got from Sam's at a good price. I could never use that much splenda at home, so I brought in some to share. People like it alot. It's so much better than the stuff in the pink packets. Every so often I bring in real creamer. It makes the coffee taste better. And then I made a nice neat sign that read: Be considerate: when the coffee runs out, make a new pot. People have started doing that. And the other day, somebody brought in some Ethiopian coffee. It really tasted good after the Maxwell house we usually have.
3. Production
Some of the folks who are the biggest coffee heads suggested we come up with a way to share the load of keeping up with the coffee area. We call ourselves the "Regular Joe's" and we have started rotating months to be sure everything is ship shape and supplies are kept up to date. Some people realized that some of the staff like tea better, so now we have a little tea pot (yes short and stout, HA) as well and we have teas and one of the Regular Joes started stocking us up with hot chocolate because she noticed some of the high school interns liked having that instead of coffee. Another one starting making ice coffee with the old coffee instead of throwing it out, and lots of people have appreciated that.
4. People Development
Hard to believe: one of the Regular Joes confided in me that her whole outlook on her job is better now because she helps with the coffee. She said she noticed the coffee making system in the facilities cafeteria might work for our break room. Turns out she got permission from our administrator to move ahead with the project. She has developed a sense of accomplishment. Small groups and others who used to have to buy coffee from Dunkin Donuts now can use coffee from this machine at a fraction of the cost. It has made coffee and hot drinks affordable and so much easier to make. The break room is alot cleaner and tidier.
5. Personhood
One of the Regular Joes who came to us as an intern is getting ready to take a job for a company in the Mid West and he's pretty excited about it. He said one of the most important lesson he learned from us, he learned watching our coffee service. The little pieces of relationship making over seemingly trivial things like coffee in the break room is what stuck with him the most. It's (relationship making, not necessarily coffee making) what he will focus on as he takes on a new position with lots of new responsibilities. I hope he's as good as project management as he was at keeping the coffee station clean and stocked with stirrers and marsh mellows in seasonal shapes (he got a kick out of watching his superior's children putting them in their hot chocolate).
For more: John Maxwell's book: Becoming A Person of Influence.
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