The Bagel Effect
How small routines make for big results
"Be the designer of your world and not merely the consumer of it." - James Clear, Atomic Habits
I commute to work 40 minutes with the smell of warm, delicious bagels wafting around at me in my car. Pure torture. I pull open the library doors and lug in the big brown bag filled with a dozen plus one. The smell of the coffee hits me first.
It’s staff meeting morning.
I brought these particular bagels at our first meeting together, and since then I’ve had no choice but to carry on the tradition.
“I didn’t pack a lunch today. I knew we’d have bagels”.
“Hey, someone called and asked if we can save them a bagel - they’re running late”.
“I skipped breakfast. I needed to keep room for the bagels”.
What started as an ice breaker, has become a comforting ritual for staff meeting mornings. Once the main attraction, the bagels are slowly shifting to the background. Still expected, of course, but, the staff are now the true stars of our meetings.
According to Gallup, “the best leaders are aware of, in sync with, and actively involved in defining, modeling, and coaching their culture and values.”1 When staff understand their role in the organizations mission, they feel valued and seen.
I’ve seen the gazillion memes about workplace pizza as a contingency prize. Quite frankly, I like free pizza, but there is a big distinction here. I’m talking about the importance of establishing a routine that sets up a culture of comfort and consistency. If bagels give staff a bit more time in the mornings, then that’s even better.
The point is that bagels opened the door to a routine: it started with everyone chomping while I talked, but now the bagels stay untouched until after because what we have to share is making a difference.
Our meetings are like clock work - the last week of the month. The day changes to accommodate more people, but the timing is consistent. The meetings are not mandatory and last no more than 30 minutes. We meet right smack in the middle of the library at the main fireplace with no fancy set up-simply drag over a chair and join in. There’s an agenda and minutes are recorded. Topics are addressed quickly, and any in-depth discussions are rescheduled for a later time. It’s a team huddle, and it works.
“What if we loan out DVD players?”
“Love it!”
“I think we need to consider CD players too ”
“Great idea”
“Let’s talk about Library Card Sign Up”
And so on and so on. So many fun and unique ideas have come to life at the library after a staff meeting. Best of all, we all hear from one another which gives everyone a sense of ownership over our work and connection with one another.
It’s belonging. It’s empowering and I can see staff now starting to save topics to discuss for upcoming meetings. SHRM Business’s article on building a thriving workplace says it best.
“It’s about showing up with energy, connecting across silos, and fostering genuine collaboration.”2
And, in a library world that is public facing, our patrons reap the rewards of this engaging energy directly. It really is a win win.
Leaders, we don’t always need to feel pressured for the grand gesture. Consistent check ins and small shared rituals can create a real sense of pride and keep the momentum going.
Of course the bagels are still pretty damn good.
Gallup. (2024, October 9). Organizational culture: What leaders need to know. Gallup Workplace. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/471968/culture-transformation-leaders-need-know.aspx
SHRM. (2023, August 14). Leadership’s impact on building thriving workplace cultures. Society for Human Resource Management. https://www.shrm.org/enterprise-solutions/insights/leaderships-impact-on-building-thriving-workplace-cultures