Lenny Mishlak did not look like a guy who would ride to the rescue. He looked like he was auditioning for Guys and Dolls; skinny, pencil thin mustache, slicked back hair.
Nobody knew much about Lenny, certainly not that he was a big fan of harness racing, or that he had hidden talents.
His boss, William Feldman, took over a problem; actually twenty–eight problems, which included Lenny. The 4PM to midnight shift of the Richford Assembly Company had less buzz than a Russian Gulag.
Productivity was slipping.
Feldman, who looked a bit like Dan Ackroyd, needed to inspire his workforce. The job was boring to the point where he occasionally found workers asleep, snoring softly with drool dribbling towards the internal wiring of a Handvac800 Vacuum. Feldman began his morale improvement mission with humor.
He had a local printer enlarge a page from the internet into a large poster. Arriving early, he hung the glossy poster beneath the clock at the front of the large square workroom.
Excuses for When You Are Caught Sleeping
(Please restrict use to one per month)
- They told me at the blood bank this might happen.
- This is just a 15-minute power-nap like they raved about in the last time management course you sent me to.
- I was meditating on the mission statement and envisioning a new paradigm!
- This is one of the seven habits of highly effective people.
- Ah, the unique and unpredictable circadian rhythms of the workaholic!
- "…and I especially thank you for my excellent boss, …Amen."
This improved the workroom atmosphere – for about five minutes. Annie Dupree laughed out loud and James Belington, the most egregious of the on the job sleepers, was somewhat perplexed and asked Feldman if this meant that they were allowed to take naps.
Feldman pushed forward with his mission to create a happy workplace. The Wheel of Good Fortune was his best motivational tool – until the horse race thing.
Feldman purchased a large wheel that looked like a dartboard, the kind of wheel found at amusement parks where the operator gives it a spin and an indicator clacks against wooden pegs until it stops. Feldman inserted each employee’s name into one of the sections and then mounted the wheel on the wall next to the poster with excuses for sleeping.
Each evening, just prior to the 7 PM lunch break, Feldman gave the wheel a spin. If it stopped on their name, the employee would be allowed to go home with pay. At first, winners of the spin greeted their good fortune with smiles or a fist pump – until Velma Murphy won.
Velma broke into a long and bizarre dance around the entire workroom using all of her three hundred pounds with astonishing dexterity. She clapped her pudgy hands and shimmied as if her muumuu had just been ignited.
Encouraged, Feldman pressed on with other ideas to perk up the workplace. The six pieces of exercise equipment were rarely used. The favorite book exchange was a bomb.
The horse scheme was a winner. It had legs.
Lenny Mishlak brought the idea, fully fleshed out, to Feldman as the bewildered employees were gathering up shoes at midnight after the ill-fated “shoes optional day.” Lenny had not bothered to tie his pointy black leather shoes. He slid a rickety metal folding chair across the tile floor and placed it across from William Feldman’s desk in the glass cubicle.
Lenny spoke in a high staccato. “So, boss, the shoe thing didn’t go so good, did it?”
Feldman shook his head.
Lenny jack-knifed forward, tied his right shoe, and then looked up. “Got an idea for your next … thing….you know…to keep the troops happy.” Lenny tied his other shoe and leaned back. “Buy a horse, a harness racehorse.”
Feldman just stared.
Lenny continued. “I’ve owned a few. It can be fun, it’s interesting, it ain’t that expensive and it is something the group can do together. Plus, and this is big, you always have a chance to make a few bucks if you get lucky and get a good horse.”
Feldman leaned forward and waited a few seconds before replying.
“Interesting Lenny, could you work up an outline, costs, administration, presentation, and goals? You would need to be the point man on this project. Oh, and Lenny, keep it to yourself until we decide it’s a go?”
Lenny was surprised. He expected rejection. He was a trifle disappointed he would not get to launch into his well-rehearsed and fierce defense.
Lenny cocked his head before speaking. “Sure boss,. Before I do anything, what’s the budget, who’s paying the tab? You? The company? “
“”How much do you need?”
Lenny, having given this prior consideration answered quickly, “Minimum 20 G’s.”
“Yikes.”
“Think of it like this boss. Getting a racehorse would last for at least a year. That’s 52 weeks for 28 people – you do the math, it works out to $2.74 per day, per person that the company pays. Plus, when you sell the horse, you get something back, you keep the horse for multiple years, and your nut comes down. Investing in a racehorse is like taking a chance on the stock market, except your investment eats, poops and races, hopefully fast.”
Despite having no idea if and where he could raise the money, and having never witnessed a harness horse race, Feldman smiled and said,”Plan on $25,000, Lenny.”
On August 14, Feldman announced the purchase of a harness race horse that would be the property of the second shift. The employees would share in any and all purse money the horse earns. As the employees glanced at each other, Feldman turned the meeting over to Lenny, who took control as if he were the CEO of a Fortune Five Hundred Company. The lights were dimmed and Lenny began a Power Point Presentation. Leaping to the screen in bold block letters was the sentence…
YOU NOW OWN A SHARE OF A RACEHORSE
Lenny read read the sentence in case anyone was not wearing their eyeglasses.
He pushed a clicker.
This is not a joke or gimmick; you own 1/28th of a 2 year-old Standardbred horse. If the horse earns money – so do you!
Another click.
A film clip showed a beautiful horse romping in a paddock as a soundtrack with soaring violins accompanied the rustic scene. Lenny clicked again.
This horse, a young female (filly) is unnamed.
Lenny was enthusiastic. He was charming. He was like a guy selling Ginzu knives at a carnival. He clicked on and on.
We will name her.
We will watch her progress.
We will hope she is talented and will race for money.
There will be no cost to you.
You can keep your shoes on.
The shoe thing got a big laugh. Lenny clicked again. A stretch run of a harness race flashed onto the screen.
A harness horse pulls a cart. The cart is called a sulky.
Click
Your participation can be active or passive. Your first opportunity to participate is to suggest a name for our horse. If you have a suggestion, drop it into the box in the break room by Friday.
Click
Each Monday, there will be a 20-minute presentation. Topics will include racing, training, staking, wagering, and classification. We will go slowly (let’s hope our filly does not).
Lenny knew the value of pace. He stopped his first session at this point. He planted a seed. He reasoned curiosity would fertilize the project and the possibility of extra money would irrigate his field.
The horse was named Valiant Velma (not terribly original but the lone entry came from Velma Murphy). Posters of Valiant Velma went up. Lenny organized pre-work visits to the stable. He documented the horse’s training schedule. Lenny skillfully explained the nuances of harness racing.
One glorious day, Valiant Velma (some workers had playfully taken to calling the filly “Vacuum Velma”) made it to the races. Her first race fell on a work night. Feldman convinced the organization to allow the workers to leave early to attend the race.
Valiant Velma won her maiden race before an ecstatic gathering. The Velma shuffle performed in the winner’s circle by Richford Assembly Company employees looked like a Conga line of people with muscle spasms.
Lenny kept meticulous records. At the end of the season Valiant Velma finished the season with earnings of $11,400.00. Each owner received a check for $40.72.
What a ride. The workers found talking about Valiant Velma and learning about the sport of harness racing a pleasant diversion from whining about the weather, the poor pay, the ventilation system and terrorists. Productivity is up.
Between Valiant Velma, the “Wheel of Good Fortune,” and the new audio system, the second shift is no longer a sentence to be served. Employees are much less sullen. The three-year-old season is looks promising. Some workers have an eye on Yearling sales. Debates about the next Richford selection fill the days.
William Feldman is writing a motivational book.
Lenny Mishlak is putting together additional harness horse syndicates.
And Velma Murphy is working on a new dance.
by Bob Carson, for Harnesslink.com
