Inspiring Workplaces: Watch Where You Dunk Your Donut

Published: Wed, 11/06/19

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Humor at Work ISSUE 797 - Nov. 6, 2019
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      Watch Where You Dunk Your Donut
   
 

What "isms" would define or strengthen your culture? The software company Quicken is known for their "Quicken-isms" - catchy sayings that define their cultural norms in a shorthand way. Here are a few of their Quicken-isms: 

  • Innovation is rewarded. Execution is worshipped. 
  • It's not about WHO is right, it's about WHAT is right.
  • You have to take the roast out of the oven. 
  • The inches we need are everywhere around us.
  • Simplicity is genius.

The meaning of some of those are obvious, but some need a bit of fleshing out. For example, "You have to take the roast out of the oven" means that at some point you have to stop planning and start doing...or you'll burn the roast.  

A fun twist on this idea is to hold a contest to encourage employees to generate their own "isms" they feel should guide your culture. You might even already have some characters at work who are known for certain phrases. One company has done this successfully, where the employee who coined the ism gets credit whenever the isms are displayed: "Never dunk your donut in someone else's coffee." -  Frank. Frank, in this particular case, was famous for using this expression which, in non-donut speak, means, "Tend to your own business before meddling in someone else's."    

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    Mike's Fun at Work Tip
 
One company takes the idea of random acts of kindness to a new level through a once-a-month Intentional Acts of Kindness theme day, where everyone is encouraged to do something extra kind for their teammates. Over time, employees have become more and more creative, coming up with truly novel ways to delight and intentionally surprise their teammates.    
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    Quote of the Week
 

“The best way to appreciate your job is to imagine yourself without one." Oscar Wilde 

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    It's a Wacky World

The 2019 Ig Nobel awards have been awarded, recognizing scientific achievements that make people think and laugh. Some of this year's winners include:
  • The inventor of a brassiere which can be quickly converted into a protective face mask.
  • A chemistry paper delving into how much saliva five-year-old children produce per day. 
  • A research paper titled, "The Pleasurability of Scratching an Itch."
  • And last, but definitely not least, a physics team who wrote the research paper, "How Do Wombats Make Cubed Poo."  
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Cost-Savings to Bring Mike in to Energize Your Workplace! 
Toronto: November 18
Ottawa: November 20


More Funny at Work
Mike is quoted in the Entrepreneur article, How to Be Funny in the Workplace


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

 
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