Every Waffle has Two Sides

This month, we have eagerly awaited our Culture Change Event with Uwe Schöpe, Zurich Group. The participants, the serious concerns, the energy and enthusiasm of our guest speaker, and the ambiance all contributed to a very inspiring and resonating Leadership Dialogue.

A few days later, the cover story resurfaced in a conversation with someone from the sharing group: the story of Uwe Schöpe and the fresh waffles. Uwe told his culture change story started with fresh waffles.

One lunchtime, he descended the stairs on his way to the canteen. Two female colleagues were walking in front of him, chatting. They read the sign from the entrance to the cafeteria, “Fresh waffles today!” You’d think that would make their hearts skip a beat. Not at all. Their comment: “Fresh waffles? You are never told anything anymore around here.” The mood was lousy. Even the waffles didn’t help. Uwe thought this could not go on like this. What came next is part of the Zurich Group success story with a multi-year culture change process.

Uwe shared exciting experiences about this journey and openly shared their ups and downs and mistakes. We joined in an animated exchange. Finally, small groups reflected on the transfer to the participants’ organizational contexts.

A few days later, the waffle reappeared when I talked to someone from the group of participants who reflected on what they had heard meant for their own company. We discussed different communication contexts in which senior leaders address dissatisfied employees. Suddenly the person sighed and said, “Damn it, our senior leaders are waffle sellers….” – meaning they were talking at cross purposes to their audience.

Leaving aside whether this is true, Uwe’s seed-corn moment of the Fresh Waffle Story hit home and sticks. We all know the power of stories.

Waffle admittedly has multiple meanings. In English, to waffle means rambling. In German, people judge overzealous but untrustworthy speakers as being bonkers (“einen an der Waffel haben” – an idiom that seems related to the English meaning).

A picture is worth a thousand words. We all know about it. But do we heed our story-telling power sufficiently? So take this anecdote and keep reminding yourself how valuable stories are for you in leadership and any change.