Inspiring Workplaces: Rejecting Rejection

Published: Wed, 08/21/19

Humor at Work

ISSUE 786 - Aug. 21 2019


			Rejecting Rejection

	At our recent speakers convention I had the pleasure of hearing Jia Jiang speak. Jiang is an entrepreneur who decided that to get over his fear of rejection, he would undertake a project where he'd ask for outrageously crazy things for 100 straight days, knowing very well that people would reject him. So, for example, he asked a complete stranger if he could play soccer in their backyard. He "pulled over" a police car to ask if they'd let him drive the car. And he stopped a pilot at an airport to ask if he could fly his plane (and no, he doesn't know how to fly a plane). His project went viral, and his talk on rejection became one of the most viewed Ted Talks of all time. Now, naturally, Jiang really did learn to embrace rejection and get more comfortable with the notion that the worst thing that can happen when you ask for something is they say "no." This is a great lesson we all need to learn, whether we're in sales or not, and a great reminder of a Nora Ephron quote, "If you don't ask, the answer is always no!" What made his talk hilarious, however, was that often, including the three examples I cited above, people would say, "Yes!". Which is also a great reminder, that when you ask for something seemingly out of reach people will sometimes surprise you with a "yes," and you better be ready for the yes's as well!

		Mike's Fun at Work Tip

One of my clients has a big comfy chair in their office where people can sit when they need a good "ego massaging." So, if someone's feeling a bit down, they've messed up in some way, or they're just having an all round bad hair day, they plunk themselves down in the chair and colleagues spend five minutes massaging their bruised ego.
		Quote of the Week

“I used to think the brain was the most fascinating part of the body. Then I realized, look who’s telling me that.” Emo Philips
		It's a Wacky World

Courtesy of Reader's Digest, some real life excuses employees gave for not making it into work (and yes, they all warrant an exclamation mark): I accidentally got on a plane! My llama wouldn't stop throwing up! My grandmother tried to poison me with ham! My wife caught me cheating and I had to get my belongings out of the dumpster! I was a pallbearer at my wife's cousin's pet's funeral!

Cost-Savings to Bring Mike in to Energize Your Workplace!
Toronto: Sept. 10
Ottawa: Sept. 11, 12
Vancouver: Oct. 8-10
Montreal: October 17
Toronto: Dec.12-14

Culture Leadership Academy Online Course/Membership Site Coming this fall to a computer near you! 12 Culture Leadership Modules featuring more than 70 micro-learning videos, 4 e-books, and dozens of articles and handouts designed to help you create a truly inspiring culture that drives outrageous results! If you'd like to be on the early bird list to receive a whopping 50% off, reply to this email!

Follow Humor at Work