Picture this: you’re walking into the office kitchen. A half-full coffee mug sits abandoned on the communal table. Not yours. No one else in sight. And yet—you’ve just been communicated with.

It’s not the mug that’s speaking, of course. It’s the absence of ownership, of accountability, of consideration. It’s a silent signal that says: someone else will take care of it. And whether it’s in the office or at home, that message lands.

We communicate with more than our words. We communicate through energy, presence, consistency—and yes, even with coffee cups. Culture is shaped in these small moments. And when we ignore them, we miss an opportunity to reinforce the values that truly matter - respect, compassion, kindness, and accountability.

The Ripple Effect in Your Coffee

We often think of communication as what happens in meetings, emails, and Slack messages. But the most powerful form of communication happens in the micro-moments—how we greet someone in the hallway, whether we follow ...