The Day of the Bell

It had been 14 months in the making.

When I first joined the company, it was clear that something was missing. The organization’s purpose was murky, its core values were words on a wall rather than principles in action, and they were bidding on any project that came their way. They were chasing revenue instead of building something meaningful.

Change wasn’t going to be easy. Employees needed to believe again; in the vision, in the values, in what we were truly capable of. Some embraced it. Others didn’t and chose to leave. But as time passed, the tide shifted. We started focusing on clients who aligned with our purpose, even if it meant saying no to short-term profits. At first, it was a tough sell to ownership. But soon, the numbers spoke for themselves: more sales, higher margins, a team with renewed energy. And as fate would have it, we were just days away from moving into a brand-new office, a perfect symbol of the transformation we had built together.

Then came the day of the bell.

It was a company tradition that every time someone closed a six-figure deal, they got to ring the bell. One ring for every $100,000. It was a ritual of success, a moment to celebrate.

That morning, before I even walked into the office, I opened my inbox to find a purchase order already sitting there, above the threshold. It was going to be a good day. I didn't ring the bell at first and was trying to wait for the perfect moment.

A couple of hours in, one of our quieter Project Managers stood up, walked to the bell, and rang, casually, as if it were nothing. We all laughed. Minutes later, I did the same. Little did we know, what we had just started.

As the day went on, the bell kept ringing. Again. And again. At one point, people started questioning whether this was some kind of joke. It wasn’t. Purchase orders were pouring in at a record-breaking pace. Then came our newest member of the sales team. He had never closed a six-figure deal before, but that day, he vowed, he would ring that bell harder than anyone ever had. And soon enough, he got his moment.

With the entire team watching, he grabbed the rope, took a deep breath, and yanked with all his might. The bell ripped right out of the wall.

For a moment, there was silence. Then, the entire office erupted into cheers.

We were days away from moving into the new office, so technically, the bell didn’t need to go back up. But it wasn’t just a decoration, especially today, it was a symbol of everything we had worked for. So, we mounted it back up, just in time to ring it two more times before the day was over.

It was the single strongest day of purchase orders in company history. And it wasn’t just about the revenue. It was about the belief. The purpose. The culture we had rebuilt.

And that bell? It was the last thing I packed before we moved.