George Schnurle

The Donut Emails George Schnurle

So how do you introduce a new employee at a high-tech venture-funded Silicon Valley startup? You have the Chief Donut Officer (CDO) send everyone a Donut Email! Here is an example for the new Director of HR: So what does our new Director of HR do? Let's give an example from another large organization. In "Lord of the Rings," Sauron is the Chief Bad Guy, and he controls a vast army of Orcs, Goblins, and Flying Ringwraiths. How do you keep all these employees happy and productive? You have a Director of In-Human Resources who understands both their needs and also the regulatory environment of Middle Earth. What are the issues of harassment and grievances and on-the-job accidents with spears and battle-axes? The CDO brought Donuts and composed Donut emails nearly every Friday for four years. During that time, Data Domain developed a nifty product, hired a bunch of great people, grew to over $100M in annual sales, and went public. Never underestimate what people will do for a really good Donut.