Build Relationships Every Day

(from Texas, USA) I just got my Company Cube a few days ago and find that it is reshaping the things that I do each day. The first day I rolled the cube, my task was to “Build Relationships Every Day.” It was particularly fitting, as we are in the midst of discussions about restructuring and they are somewhat charged with emotion and some degree of contention. I found myself trying to build relationships by listening carefully to others and choosing my words with care so that they conveyed the intended meaning but also conveyed a gratitude for the others’ contributions.

I felt that I had succeeded when a participant came to my office afterward to continue the discussion in a way that evidenced he felt “safe” in doing so. I also had a lunch appointment that had been rescheduled twice before and that we were finally able to keep, and I tried during that lunch to converse in such a way as to really get to know the other person—their interests and concerns. I find that I now look forward to rolling the Company Cube each morning to see what my renewed focus will be for the day.

(J.M. – USA) Today I was in a meeting with a potential client who has a difficult problem. Instead of telling him what he wanted to hear, I told him the truth, which meant a possible postponement of the project, but a better long-term outcome for him. Trust and honesty always win out over short-term gain!

(J.M. – USA) We had car trouble in Chicago today. How to handle it? Rolled The Company Cube and it came up: Build Relationships Every Day! Posted photos of AAA guys on Facebook. They felt like movie stars! Ok, things were not so bad after I adjusted my attitude!

(M.A. – USA) Our company is part of a network of companies called The Economy of Communion (EoC for short), in which we try to live out the principles of The Company Cube every day. As part of our work, we also run an EoC internship program in our company, and invite young people from all over the world to come and learn about how a business is run according to The Company Cube principles. These EoC interns share so many experiences in which their lives have been transformed by working in our company, and also how they have each made impacts.

Two of our interns, one from Brazil and one from Columbia, went together to a local coffee shop near our office at lunch time. They noticed how busy the women who owned the little shop was that day, scurrying around with a long line of customers, looking a little understaffed for the demands of the day. When they arrived at the front of the line after a long wait, they gave the women their order but said not to rush, they had plenty of time. As she caught her breath, they struck up a conversation with her about how her day was going, what had been happening in her life, and how business was going. In doing this, they understood that they were really putting into practice the vision of The Company Cube by entering into a relationship with this women.It turns out that the woman was not having a very good day – some mix-up had occurred in a delivery to her shop, an argument with a family member had occurred, and she was more stressed than normal. After really sharing her struggles with them, she added: “And to top it all off, today is my birthday!”

After getting their coffee, they left the shop and began talking about the lady’s situation. They decided that they would go across the street and buy her a little present, and bring it back to her. When they finally got up to the ‘next’ front of the line again, she looked at them and said ‘What are you doing back so soon?” At that point, they looked at each other, and pulled the present from behind their backs and together shouted ‘Happy Birthday!’ The women stood there for a moment in utter amazement. “This is for me? You did this for me?” she questioned them in disbelief. It was at that point that the woman began to cry, overcome by the generous nature of these two young people.

But, the experience doesn’t end there. A few weeks later, some of our full-time employees were in the same shop, and the same lady was working. She asked them, ‘Where do you work?’ And they said: “Mundell & Associates, down the street.” The lady looked at them and exclaimed in an animated voice: “Mundell & Associates? You have the best people in the world working there!” She then recounted for the employees the story of the two interns and their act of kindness. The employees left the coffee shop that day amazed and with free coffee, feeling happy with what impact even the small things it does can have on the local community.

For me, this little ‘story’ really is an example of the revolutionary power of The Company Cube – this ‘culture of giving’ that goes out from the companies to the local community, transforming it, revitalizing it, making it more of a true community, and then, having been changed, the community reciprocates, giving back to the company: Sharing with it, creating a mutual giving and receiving dynamic. Imagine what the world of work would be like if this attitude spread? It is like a special, some would say ‘divine’, virus that we can infect our working world with, spreading from one person to the next one on its own, because things like this often do. When there are real and authentic expressions of caring and sharing, there is no stronger medicine that can be given to our sometimes sick and anxious world, then what The Company Cube prescribes.