I recently met with the CEO of AFA JCDecaux in Copenhagen, Denmark. AFA JCDecaux is the largest outdoor advertising company in the world - with offices in 58 countries. The CEO, Kim Axelsen, generously spent three hours of his valuable time with me for one simple reason - this guy is insanely passionate about creating great workplaces where fun and humor are a big part of the mix. In fact, by re-energizing their workplace with a heavy dose of fun they transformed their workplace culture in only six months and saw immediate results: lower turnover rates, lower absenteeism rates, higher profits.  

 

I'll be sharing many insights from their company over the following months, but one overriding theme that came through loud and clear was the power of passion to inspire people to action. The other dominant theme, as illustrated in the "bla bla bla" sign that sits in one of their meeting rooms, is their relentless focus on speed, simplicity and action. As Kim Axelsen kept stressing, "This stuff is simple! You just need to do it, and give people the freedom to act with passion and to act immediately when they have a great idea!" 

 

(On a side note, decorating your office and meeting spaces with funny, inspiring or thought-provoking signs such as the sign above is a great way to remind people of key messages you want to keep alive AND to keep people accountable for their actions.Or, as with the sign above, their inaction!)