We have always had a tremendous learning culture at DMC and, in October, we started a business book club to have some shared experiences kicked off with some shared smoothies.
The first book we started off with wasSwitch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Dan & Chip Heath.
A Quick Synopsis
Switch advocates creating and continuing change through motivation, direction, and path-shaping. The Heath brothers illustrate the success of this pattern in anecdotes ranging from the everyday household to the villages of Vietnam. The lessons discussed pertaining to organizational change apply to one’s personal hurdles as well.
Our Takeaways
- How has DMC switched over time? While DMC has grown in size and breadth of service offering, our core values have endured.
- We should always look for ways to shape the path, targeting any extra steps you can take to make the change easier. For example, DMC’s Book Club offers both audio and hardcover book options, as well as the opportunity to meet at either breakfast or dinner.
- Look for bright spots. We already focus on learning from project pitfalls and applying the aspects that did work well across other areas.
- One anecdote discussed programmers, and in it we saw a bit of ourselves. While deeply entrenched in the technical aspects of a project, it is a reminder to request feedback from our coworkers and continue to focus on our customers’ needs.
Magic Bullet Mania
As mentioned, we started the book club off with smoothies. About six months back I purchased a Magic Bullet on a whim from Costco. I have been making and talking about fruit smoothies ever since. As the Magic Bullet has been so transformative to my life, I needed to introduce everyone at DMC to its magical drink blending properties.
In addition to the Bullet, we also had a Ninja Professional and, custom labeled by Jody Koplo, a Magic Ninja Professional (an old blender with a hand-written sticker on it).
While each of the blenders performed quite well, overall the nod goes to the Magic Bullet for ease of use and clean-up. A simple recipe for all to enjoy:
Strawberry-Banana Smoothie
Ingredients
- A few frozen strawberries
- About a half frozen banana
- 1/2 a cup of plain yogurt (or so)
- A scoop, give or take, of vanilla protein powder
- Orange juice to get to proper consistency
Using the large mug of the Magic Bullet, add all ingredients and add orange juice to the fill line. Blend. Remove mug from mixing mechanism, add drinking collar, enjoy. You will probably need to experiment with ingredient ratios to get a smoothie to your liking.
Our next book is Daniel Pink’s Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
If anyone wants to join our book club - either in person or virtually - please let us know. Also, we are always looking for good smoothie recipes.
Finally, if you're coming to visit & would like to have a smoothie, make sure to let us know so we'll have the kitchen stocked.