The Workplace Coach

The office has a coffee machine for anyone to use, its one of the perks (pun intended) of the workplace.  We want everyone to be on their A game, and a caffeinated team is a productive team right? That’s a theory anyway.

The coffee machine is one of those that has the water reservoir at the back and a milk frother on the side.  It takes pods and when you load a new pod in, the used pod from the previous person drops into a waste container.

Here’s where the personality test comes in. 

There are two possible points of failure on the machine – if the water level in the reservoir hits empty the machine will just stop mid coffee, and if the waste container gets too full then its impossible to put a fresh pod in.  Through observation I’ve worked out that there are two main personality types in the office. Of course, I’m generalising but I feel like most people in the office will fit into one of these categories (even if they are tea drinkers). 

1. Both feet, no hesitation – this person just places their mug, slaps a pod in the machine and presses the button.  They just expect it to deliver a fresh hot cup of coffee every time because someone else will have taken care of the logistics.  If it does grind to a halt there will be an impatient grumble and they will either refill the water or empty the container, whichever is required but not both. This person may or may not wipe up any mess they make and they won’t stop to think whether they’ve left the water on empty or the waste container full.

• Check for obstacles before diving in – this person is going to fill the water reservoir and empty the pod waste container before they start the process of making their coffee.  They don’t want to start the process and be disappointed when the machine conks out mid cuppa.  Also, part of their consideration is preparing the machine for other people in the office, they don’t want to inconvenience whoever comes next. This person won’t leave any mess on the bench.

There is a well known saying “How you do anything is how you do everything”.

Consider the way people in the office make their coffee, which one do you think will be the better leader?  Which one are you?

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The Workplace Coach