Groundhog Day

Written by: TL Peters

A few days ago I was watching the movie, Groundhog Day – again. You know, the one staring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell? As I watched, I began to associate the movie with the world of workplace injuries and our past approaches to make improvements. If you remember, Phil Connors (Bill Murray), is a weatherman who was sent to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to give a report on Groundhog Day to see if the Groundhog sees his shadow, which as you know for years has been used to predict if there will be six more weeks of winter. If you recall from the movie, Phil Connors predicted that a winter storm would miss the western part of Pennsylvania, even though the Groundhog predicted six more weeks of winter. As Phil was attempting to leave Punxsutawney, he was caught in a harsh winter storm and was forced to return to Punxsutawney until the storm had passed. It is at this point that Phil would begin repeating Groundhog day over and over again.

Is this how you feel at times? Every day you show up at work and you try to make improvements. You have tried all of the games and gimmicks that you can find. Because the companies – who have become experts in marketing and sales – convinced you that they would solve your problem and you in turn convinced Management to buy into the games and gimmicks also. As a result you spent thousands of dollars and thousands of hours playing the very games and using the very gimmicks with no effective and long term results. You are working hard to change what everyone else is doing. You’re telling employees that they need to pay attention to what they are doing. You have been told for years that you have to motivate employees to be safe. You get upset with management because they are constantly making decisions resulting in more workplace injuries. You tell them that more employee training is needed. You tell management that you need more training, only to be told it’s too expensive or there isn’t enough time or it’s a waste of time. You are working hard to change the world around you. Just like Phil was doing in the movie.

Also if you recall, Phil even did some outrageous things, such as killing himself or at least attempting too. Standing in front of a moving train and driving a truck off of a cliff. Only to wake up the next morning at 6:00am to repeat the same day all over again.

Have you ever transferred to another department or another division, only to live the same day over again? Or, have you ever done something really extreme like quit one company only to work for another company and relive the same day all over again? Just like Phil in Groundhog Day. Do you also recall what Phil learned from his experience and what he had to do in order to solve his problem? A change was required to be made so that Phil could leave Punxsutawney, but not the change he was originally trying make. Phil learned that the change that he needed to make was within himself. He had to first learn what everyone else’s needs were and then he had to learn how to fulfill the needs of others. It wasn’t until then that Phil had accomplished his goal and was able to leave Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

It’s the same lesson that Phil Connors learned in the movie that I am always working hard on learning. I must improve myself and seek to learn the needs of others so that I can help them fulfill those needs. The needs of business owners, executives, management and those that build the products and provide the services. And that is what I am working hard to teach you and my desire is that not only will you seek to learn and grow, but also work hard at applying what you learn. So in the next few evenings or maybe this coming Saturday night, rent the movie Groundhog Day, pop some popcorn and enjoy a classic movie and see what lessons you learn at the same time. It just be might the solution to your problem.