I just had a wonderful dining experience. No, not at an exclusive upscale restaurant and if fact, nothing could be further from the truth. My wife and I had $4.99 pizza buffets at CiCi’s Pizza. It was only the 2^nd or 3^rd time I had eaten at one of the chain locations and I don’t know much about their operation, but I do know this chain does a lot of things right.

 Tonight, from Rachel, who greeted us and also handled our transaction, to each person manning the buffet line, clear down to the young man who regularly and politely bused our table, there was something different about them. They genuinely seemed to understand their roles and be enjoying their jobs. Wow…how refreshing!

 I can tell you one thing for certain: the collective employee attitude that permeated both of the CiCi locations I have tried is no accident! It wasn’t just a bunch of employees who had somehow been miraculously hired when the heavenly constellations were aligned just right. No, it was a system of training and reward. No doubt, the training communicated the expectation of creating just such an atmosphere but I’ll wager there were some reward factors at play as well. Now wait a minute, I’m not necessarily talking about financial incentives, although there may have been some of those.

 I’m talking about the atmosphere of teamwork that is being cultivated. When one feels part of a team…I mean really part of a team…that person strives to not let the other members of the team down. They perform, if you’ll excuse my slight hyperbole, out of love and respect for those with, and for, whom they work. Darn it, it’s just more fun to be part of a team than it is to go it alone anyway.

 So here’s a question for you. Are you working to establish an environment of people who love their jobs? Hold on, I think this is the big one Elizabeth. It starts with you. Do you genuinely love your job? It’ll show one way or the other, you know? It will also reflect in the attitudes of your employees. Do you still have the zest that drove you to your position originally? If not it’s time to recapture it. One way that I have found to rekindle my passion anytime I sense it waning is to learn something new…to simply get better at what I do. I’m almost willing to bet it will work for you to. Perhaps if you know your attitude is where it needs to be, you read a book on fostering teamwork.

 OK, I’ll close with a cliché that is just drenched in truth: Do what you love and you’ll never have to work again. Oh, and one other thing, like they told us when we left the restaurant tonight, CiCi you later!