FAQ: It Only Takes One Bad Egg to Ruin an Entire Omelet

How many eggs does it take to ruin an omelet?

Creating the company culture that you want is easier to conceptualize than actualize. You have to be careful who you pick for the team. It only takes one bad egg to ruin an entire omelet.

The eggs we buy at the store come addressed with a sell-by-date so that we can avoid cracking open that one bad egg that spoils your much anticipated 3-egg omelet and all the ingredients that go with it. Bad eggs telegraph that they are rotten. Aside from judging them by their sell-by-date, you can apply the following tests to check the egg in question for freshness.

Sell By Date

Fill a bowl or big glass with cold water and see if the egg floats. Eggs contain small air pockets. Over time, as more and more air passes through their shells and into the egg, the air pockets enlarge and the egg becomes more buoyant.

1. If the egg plops on its side on the bottom of the bowl, then your egg is fresh;

2. If your egg stands in an upright position but still touches the bottom, it is past the point of prime freshness, yet still safe eat;

3. If the egg floats, then you’ve got a bad egg.

Another way to test the freshness of your egg is to hold it up to your ear and shake it. Fresh eggs do not make noise when you shake them. If you egg is sloshing around, then you can rest assured that your egg is past its safe-to-eat date.

Like eggs, people have their litmus points that you can check to see if they are adding to your team and culture or if they are sucking the air out the room every time they enter. For an organization to be fruitful and healthy, it must test for bad eggs who complain, gossip, create strife, deliver misery and agony and otherwise detract from the positive outcome everyone else is busting their chops to achieve. And like any chef worth their salt, you have to be willing to remove the rotten eggs so that they don’t ruin the entire omelet.

And finally, as much as it depends on you, remember: be a good egg.

Eggs in Carton