By Peter Jeff
The Leadership Mints Guy

Here’s an idea to more fully recognize the dignity in routine work.

It was 11:30 pm. Only one tired and very frustrated office worker remained in the building: Me.

I was bored with my routine, unfulfilling, long day at work. I heard the janitor cheerfully humming and whistling while he dumped waste paper baskets in an adjacent conference room. He wasn’t listening to any music. No iPod. No Mp3 player. His happy tune, beaming straight from his heart and soul, irked me even more until I couldn’t stand it any more and I unleashed my frustration on Frank, the janitor.

“Frank, how can you be so happy doing a routine job like that? Don’t you ever get frustrated? Don’t you ever just hate your job like I hate my job tonight?”

The janitor looked deep into the tired eyes of the office worker and responded: “Nope. Can’t. I have too important a job to get frustrated by it.”

My face flared. I could feel myself getting even more hot under the collar. ”Dumping waste baskets is too important a job? You’re kidding, right?”I challenged, Frank. The happy, humming janitor, politely responded:

“I do have an important job. It’s so important that if I don’t do my job tonight, you can’t do your job tomorrow.”

Frank- the-janitor had discovered a purpose to his work, a purpose that Continue reading →