Page 244 - How Great Leaders Build Abundant Organizations That Win

THE WHY OF WORK

could get to know, make smile, sing a song to. His favorite
song was “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make
me happy when skies are gray . . . ,” and he sang it off key
but with gusto. By the end of his life he walked only with the
help of braces and a cane, yet he regularly gathered day-old
baked goods from local grocery stores, as he had done for over
20 years, loaded them into his old truck, and delivered them
to shelters and soup kitchens all over town. He never missed
his grandkids’ games. He picked up stranded strangers and
gave them a lift. He brought flowers to his wife every week
(until she pointed out to him that she was allergic to them).
Of the hundreds of people at his funeral, virtually every one
had received a personal letter from Richard, usually written
at 3:00 a.m., thanking them for some small service or offering
some tidbit of counsel or encouragement. In his honor, we
gave everyone who came to the funeral a McDonald’s cou-
pon to give away to someone who needed a hamburger or an
ice cream cone. Kind of a silly thing to give away at a funeral,
but Richard loved to give such things away. Richard was a
character, but he knew how to find delight in the world and
loved sharing it with others.
So what does giving out McDonald’s coupons or singing
to the bank teller have to do with how leaders build your com-
pany’s bottom line? Just this: Customers who are delighted
with their interaction with our products come back for more.
So do employees. In an understated, backdoor way, delight
seems to go to the heart of finding a sense of abundance at
work. Delight teaches us that life’s goodness is not found in
money or fame but in simple pleasures, meaningful connec-
tions, and a sense of discovery. Delight reminds us that no
one has nothing to give, that relishing diversity and multicul-
turalism is good business, and that there is always something

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