There are many temptations at work: Internet shopping, the candy machine, the gossiping co-worker in the next cubicle. But the greatest temptation of all may be the urge to coast.
It happens gradually. Motivation is easy when you first start working. You come to work excited and energized. Then, as the routine sets in, you lose interest, start to avoid conflict, blame others for failures and generally fade into the woodwork.
That is why employees, bosses and companies slip into mediocrity and become the walking dead, according to authors Kevin and Jackie Freiberg. They allow themselves to become complacent, fearful of risking anything or challenging ideas. For those looking to change the status quo, there is Boom! 7 Choices for Blowing the Doors off Business-As-Usual, the latest motivational book by the Freibergs.
Boom! strives to be a wake-up call for individuals and organizations. It invites readers to stop blaming others for problems in their company. Rather, it challenges them to study their own behavior. How you act at work is a choice, the Freibergs say, so stop choosing to sit still. Instead, infuse your work habits with a sense of purpose.
By acting as a leader – someone who steps up, acts out and shakes things up from time to time – you can change your own destiny and that of everyone around you at work, the Freibergs assert. That means becoming engaged in even the most mundane tasks of a job. It means taking your work one step beyond the expected. And it means loving what you do because it reflects on you and your character.
The dynamic Freibergs have made their name writing encouraging business tomes like this, hoping to influence today’s workforce to change their companies – and ultimately their lives – for the better.
The Freibergs own and operate the San Diego Consulting Group Inc. as well as a public speaking firm. Kevin has a master’s degree in communication from San Diego State University and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of San Diego. Jackie received her bachelor's degree in communication from the University of New Hampshire, master’s degree in speech communication from San Diego State University, and a doctorate in leadership at the University of San Diego.
They also are authors of two other business titles: GUTS! Companies That Blow the Doors Off Business As Usual and NUTS! Southwest Airlines’ Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success.
In Boom! the Freibergs outline seven steps that can help an individual embrace a new work perspective. For example, there is the choice to stop blaming others and start taking responsibility for your company’s success. Even if you are not the CEO or other top brass, you still have a long-term effect on the bottom line.
Among the book’s many anecdotes is the story of a store manager at Charter Club, a subsidiary of Macy’s department stores. This manager inherited a store that was lagging behind the rest of the nation by hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales. Yet within a year, the new store manager had more than doubled its profits. How did she do it? She took complete ownership of the store, the Freibergs recount. She believed everything that happened there reflected on her – it was her products, her employees and her customers. She decided it was going to be a success, and indeed it was.
Another step encourages people to take risks and open themselves up to larger ideas. Every day, we are confronted with choices – some are small, others have significant impact. But every one holds the potential for greatness. We need to expect more of ourselves and look for solutions beyond the ordinary, the couple says.
To explain how to achieve this goal, the Freibergs tell the tale of a general manager at a Red Robin hamburger restaurant. During the holidays, this manager noticed that a couple of young boys were staring at the store’s Christmas tree. He stopped to ask them what their tree at home looked like, and the boys admitted they did not have one. So the manager instructed the employees to pack up the tree and send it home with the family. The father, touched by the gesture, thanked the manager for improving their holiday beyond measure. Not only did this act improve the family’s opinion of Red Robin, the authors say, but it also reflected on the manager, his employees and everyone else associated with the popular eatery. Such a small act defined the business and its persona.
These stories are what make Boom! a great read. There are lots of tales from Southwest Airlines (kudos to the couple for taking their research and making it work in another book) and other major companies. These real-life examples ground the otherwise sometimes cloying advice and spiritual references throughout the book. The Freibergs are obviously religious, and the book sometimes feels a little heavy in that direction. But they do bring their focus back around to the business world within a few sentences.
Companies struggling to motivate employees would do well to invest in a few copies of Boom! for their workplace libraries, and self-motivated employees will get a lot out of its pep talks and inspirational tone. The book definitely has the formula for altering a person’s opinion about what makes a great worker, and there is plenty of evidence here for making a life change toward the better. Boom! is the kind of book that makes you want to try harder, and that would make any employer happy.
