Breaking Stones. And Building Monuments

It happened some years ago on a deserted street in Rome. It was a hot sunny afternoon. A woman was walking down the street, shopping bags in her hands, whistling a tune to herself, when she noticed a group group of labourers breaking stones by the roadside. Clack-clack ... clack-clack ...  they went as their hammers pounded on the stones, splitting them into smaller and smaller bits.
  Intrigued, the woman went up to one of the workmen and asked him what he was doing. 'Can't you see?' came the rather terse reply , as the man looked up and wiped the sweat from his brow. 'I am breaking stones.'
  Walking a little farther , she saw another man, also breaking stones. ' What are you doing?' she asked him. 'Me?' he replied. 'Oh , I am helping build the world's tallest cathedral !'  Think about it. Apply this analogy to your workplace. How do your colleagues in the organization perceive their roles? As mere stone breakers, or as the builders of the world's tallest cathedral?
  Does your frontline salesperson see his role as just a 'sales rep'? Or does he pride himself on being part of a world-class team that is aiming to be the best in the business? Does the woman in your front office see herself as just a 'receptionist'? Or as the ambassador and the first point of contact of an organization that is aiming to be the best in the business? The difference in the way your frontline members-- your 'stone breakers' --think can spell the difference between a terrific organization and an ordinary one. It can mean the difference between achieving your vision or falling short of you targets.