If you’re ever in Boulder, Colorado, you’ll want to take a tour of the Celestial Seasons factory. Not only will you learn how tea is made but you’ll gain some insight into workplace culture.
While on the tour, you’re led into a big vault, not much different than what you see in a bank. Inside is one spice: mint. ?Why is mint kept separate from all of the other spices? It turns out that if you put the mint in the same room with the other spices, the other spices will soon start to smell and taste link mint.
This is great if you like mint but not so appealing if you’re a fan of chamomile.
In your workplace, is “mint” affecting productivity, communications, and morale? I’m referring to actions, policies, or people rather than the spice. Sometimes a little mint can be good for an organization if staff is united behind a belief, like a can-do attitude to problem solving.
But quite often, the mint represents something that divides a staff. It could be a supervisor who lacks people skills, unclear instructions, or an inability to change the way business is conducted. The problem infects all facets of the organization in a negative way.
If you’re organization has a mint problem, think of Celestial Seasons. You either need to address or remove the problem. This may mean bringing in outside help to find a solution or a way to isolate the problem from the rest of staff. Some organiztions may choose to do nothing. But you can’t expect mint to stop smelling and tasting like mint.