Inspiring Workplaces: To Do or Not to Do?

Published: Wed, 11/25/15

Humor at Work

ISSUE 608 - Nov. 25, 2015


			To Do or Not to Do? That is the Question

	It's time for another round of random ideas and musings... Create a 'to-don't' list to remind yourself of things you need to stop doing at work or things you can easily delegate or outsource. People are more committed to making their own ideas work; they're typically not as committed to making someone else's idea work. How can you promote the co-ownership of new ideas? Although I always suggest face-to-face communication whenever possible, at times you may want to consider this: If you have some news that you think someone will need time to digest, then send them an e-mail first and arrange a meeting for an hour or two later so they've had time to properly absorb the news and formulate their thoughts and questions. A paper in the latest issue of The International Journal of Humor Research cites studies showing that among nurses high "humor orientation" is positively correlated with greater communication competence. And they found that humor-oriented nurses are much better equipped at coping with job-related hassles and stress. (I'm pretty certain this applies to more than just nurses!) According to a recent study in Harvard Business Review, people with a clean desk and a neat office are more persistent, less weary, and less frustrated. The study found that people with clean desks stuck with a task one and a half times longer than people with a messy desk!

		Mike's Fun at Work Tip

Create some fun flash cards or signs for your meetings so people can send messages, vote, or share their feelings in a fun, non-threatening way. There are several ways you could do this. There are mini, hand-held whiteboard signs you can purchase which allow people to write down their own messages, or offer a vote on a scale of 1-10, or write down YEA or NAY! Or, give each participant three different colored cards, with each card representing a different response: green for YES, red for NO and yellow for MAYBE. Or create your own offbeat signs that people can raise as needed, saying things such as, “I Need More Coffee!”, "I have a burning question!" or "OK, now I'm completely lost."
		Quote of the Week

"It doesn't make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do." Steve Jobs
		It's a Wacky World

Next Monday the 30th is official "Stay Home Because You're Well Day." (So phone up your boss next Monday and say, "I can't make it in today, I just feel too great and I don't want to ruin that." If you try that please let me know how that works out for you.) And next week December arrives along with the usual assortment of offbeat theme days. A few of my favorites are: December 1: Bifocals at the Monitor Liberation Day December 5: Bathtub Party Day December 8: Pretend To Be a Time Traveler Day December 15: Cat Herders Day December 16: Chocolate-covered Anything Day December 18: Ugly Christmas Sweater Day December 18: Answer the Telephone Like Boppy the Elf Day December 21: Short Girl Appreciation Day December 26: Whiners' Day December 30: Bacon Day December 31: Make Up Your Mind Day! For the complete list, cruise on over to December Theme Days and Holidays.

More Reading

Mike is quoted in the Business Insider article:
11 Things to Do If You Think You're Underpaid

Mike on YouTube
Are you taking yourself too seriously at work? here's why inspiring leaders need to Lead With Laughter.

Too Many Office Seagulls?
Does your workplace have too many office seagulls crapping all over other people? Here's a few suggestions on how to Turn Complainers Into Explainers

Cost Savings to Bring Mike to Your Event
- Okanagan Valley: "I need to see Mom" SUPER-special, one week only: December 7-15
- Toronto: January 18-29

mike@mikekerr.com

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