The Hotel Experiment

Working with apathetic team members is infuriating.

It's like trying to push an elephant

that decided to sit down.

And it won't move.

Can I tell you something, and you won't take it personally?

Stop complaining.

Because that apathy

you're causing it.

Look.

A few years ago, I read a study in The Happiness Equation.

They did it with hotel housekeepers.

The ones who clean rooms.

Make beds.

Vacuum.

Pick up trash.

First, they talked to them about exercise.

About health.

About moving to live better.

Then they divided them into two groups.

They told the first group:

Go to work.

They told the second group something different:

Believe it or not, your job is already exercise.

Bending. Mopping. Making beds.

All of that counts as physical activity.

And they sent them to work.

Weeks later, they weighed them.

The result?

Those who knew their job was exercise

lost more weight.

No diet.

No gym.

No changes at all.

They only changed one thing:

The meaning of what they did.

That's brutal.

The work didn't change.

The interpretation changed.

And the result changed.

"That's nice about the beds, Carlos. What does that have to do with me?"

Let's see.

You don't have apathetic team members.

You have team members who don't understand *why* they do what they do.

When someone just executes orders

to avoid being reprimanded,

to avoid being fired,

to avoid losing their bonus,

they do the bare minimum.

But when they understand the impact of their action

something changes.

Because they're no longer cleaning a room.

They're ensuring someone sleeps well

and wants to return.

They're no longer answering a call.

They're demonstrating that your company truly listens.

They're no longer replying to an email.

They're preventing a client from starting to look at the competition.

That changes everything.

When you explain the *why*

you stop having employees.

You have accomplices.

Who pursue a result with you.

That's why, don't just give tasks.

Give purpose.

Tell them what they're for.

What + Why.

• What: what you want them to do.
• Why: what will change because of it.

It seems simple.

But it changes everything.

Because people don't commit to tasks.

They commit to what changes because of them.

Try it this week.

Instead of saying:

Answer messages in less than 5 minutes.

Say:

Answer in less than 5 minutes

so the customer doesn't feel ignored

and doesn't start looking for someone who *will* respond.

Same *what*.

Different *why*.

Maybe the elephant wasn't lazy.

No one had just explained where they were going.

If you want a guide with 10 habits to turn people's apathy into real commitment

and that you can apply this week,

reply to this email with:

Housekeeper

And I'll send it to you.

With warmth,

Carlos

PS. Remember: serving is the way.

—

Shopology S.A. de C.V.

Av. Pacífico 468 Local C, Coyoacán, Mexico City, CP 04330, Mexico

unsub1024