Spring Training

I love baseball and when I lived in Chicago the beginning of spring meant the beginning of spring; or perhaps just the slight diminishing of winter; or the promise of the former and the frustration with the latter!

In any event, mid-February was a key date because that is when baseball teams reported to exotic locations such as Florida and Arizona to work out the kinks, hone their skills, and prepare for the upcoming season.

And here we are. It is February and baseball teams are following the rituals of the season.

My question?Why don't organizations do this too?

It wouldn't be hard to imagine a series of in-house (with appropriate warm climate posters) or out-of-doors activities (where the weather is nice) to review personal and team goals for the year; work on those skills you wanted to improve on; (re)consider your primary customer, client, etc., and how you are providing service to them; and at the end, on, say March 21, have a solstice party to celebrate the end of spring training and the return to full-time work. Also the official beginning of Spring.

So, batter up and work on the double-play, the bunt, the relay throw and whatever might help your team be more successful.

What You Might Need Is -- ME!

So, what does it take to get humor in the workplace into the workplace. Many things indeed, but an essential one is to have someone who enjoys having fun and is willing and able and happy to encourage, aid and abet colleagues and co-workers and administrators to that end.

What you need is me - or someone like me.

Alas, there aren't many job descriptions that call for court jester, minister of mirth, czar of comedy and/or celebration, lord of laughter, guru of good humor and/or good times and so forth and so on. Individuals with these attributes often self-select and emerge over time. It would be lovely if organizations were intentional in looking for such people, but that is rarely the case. After all, it is called work and not play for a reason!

So, if you and your colleagues want more fun in the workplace and don't have the local talent and resources to manage it, i.e., me, well, then call or contact Me! I am always happy to help organizations, work groups, teams, etc., put a little pep in their step through the strategic use of fun.

The Nose Knows Fun

I found this story in my local paper about a couple - Tex Allen and Cat Foshee - who wear clown noses to brighten peoples' days.

http://www.timesheraldonline.com/news/ci_24416276/vallejo-couple-wins-race-happiness-why-nose-movement

In response to the question of why, Tex Allen replied "Just to make you happy, to make me happy. It's fun..."

How cool is that? And it could hardly be simpler. 

(For more information, go to WhyTheNose.com)

Having fun during Hurricane Katrina

This quote is from Five Days at Memorial, by Sheri Fink, and pertains to how staff at Charity Hospital in New Orleans coped with Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath:

"In articles and conversation, [Charity] hospital workers chalked up their resilience to a number of factors, including morale building -- leaders held meetings every four hours in the lobby for everyone from doctors to janitorial staff. They put on a talent show. They painted and laughed." (page 380 of the hardcover edition)

There is a lesson here for leaders and their when in a stressful situation. Keep everyone in the loop; offer diversions; take time to have fun and laugh. And then get back to work.

"Talent Into Team"

Jim Leyland recently retired as manager of the Detroit Tigers baseball time. In his good bye and thank you remarks he said this (among other things): "My goal coming here was to turn talent into team, and with the help of the entire organization, we did that."

Now there's a goal for leaders everywhere - turn talent in to team. I don't know how to measure that; and each leader will proceed based on his/her personality and style; but what a glorious end to strive for. Talent into team. And it was not just his doing. It took the entire organization. Everybody played a role. It wasn't up to only one person or another; but to the entire enterprise from top to bottom and back again (at least that is how I choose to interpret the quote).

What are your thoughts? Observations? Insights?

Mine start and end with if I were working and in a leadership position I would take Jim Leyland's quote to heart and do whatever I could to achieve his goal.

Anniversary of Hiring Date: A Great Opportunity for Recognition

When I worked at Santa Clara University and University of the Pacific I kept a list of the hire dates of all the people who were part of my team (at SCU) or who worked in the library (at Pacific). On the date, I would give the person a hand-written note congratulating them on the milestone and thanking them - as specifically as possible - for their contributions to the team and the university.

I don't really know how my colleagues and co-workers responded - well, I hope - but I felt good for remembering that without their hard work and good cheer less would be accomplished and the workspace wouldn't be as pleasant.

Do you do something similar? If so, what?

Kings and/or Queens of Squash, and I am not talking about Pumpkins

Here's a little something a colleague of mine created for this time of year, which is to say, October/Halloween.

The idea was to identify some one or two people who had a particularly challenging year, handling projects and tasks in and out of their comfort zone, and, in effect, getting squashed.

These individuals were identified by any means possible, although it was usually pretty easy to spot them by the dark circles around their eyes and stress lines on their brows.

And, in a special ceremony, they were presented mini-pumpkins with their names on them and with all due pomp and circumstance and with thanks from one and all for enduring the squash.

This is a nice event that an accompany a Halloween Party or a Thanksgiving event or can take place on any given day which you designate. It is an easy and fun way to recognize and reward your colleagues and co-workers.