WERE THE PILGRIMS VISIONARIES . . . OR TURKEYS WITH TUNNEL VISION? by Doris Helge, Ph.D.

The pilgrims are often portrayed as scrawny creatures wearing expressions so sour they transform a belly laugh into a tremor. Their constant toil gave birth to the term “work ethic.”

Were they effective . . . or just workaholics? Did they understand the importance of joy on the job? Two performance evaluators at Happy Time, Inc., Pat and Nat, delivered dramatically different ratings of the early settlers.

Pat grumbled, “The pilgrims were extremely poor planners. They leaped off the boat at the first destination instead of exploring a warmer place to spend their first winter. Many perished because they were ill prepared for grueling New England blasts. If they had invested just a few more weeks searching for a better site, they could have located in sunny Florida and enjoyed fresh juicy oranges all winter instead of enduring scurvy. They could have boasted about a spectacular tan in letters sent to friends back home. That’s always a fabulous employee recruitment tool.”

Nat rushed to defend his ancestors, “The Pilgrim’s decision was a perfect example of using intuition at work. If they hadn’t settled in New England, there would never have been a Boston Tea Party.”

Nat continued, “The pilgrims were visionaries. Their large families were evidence of a healthy growth and prosperity consciousness.”

Pat snarled, “Not so! Breeding a child labor force was shameful. They were even worse regarding diversity at work. The pilgrims belly ached that they had fled discrimination and persecution. They loudly proclaimed a desire for personal freedom in a new land but those who voiced values that differed from the pilgrims were burned at the stake.”

Nat and Pat will never agree, so you can win a prize for being the final decision-maker. In 25 words or less, answer the question: Were the pilgrims visionaries who whistled while they worked . . . or were they mean-spirited turkeys with tunnel vision? Enter your comments at http://www.joyonthejob.info/thanksgiving.htm and you may win an autographed copy of Doris Helge, Ph.D.'s new book, Joy on the Job. You can definitely get a free copy of “Santa’s Secrets for Joy on the Job” and a free “Joy on the Job e-Zine.”