It's time for a pumpkin-infused edition of random musings and factoids! 
 

• Research cited in Harvard Business Review reveals that leaders with a sense of humor are seen as "27% more motivating and admired than those who don’t joke around." Their employees are "15% more engaged, while their teams are more than twice as likely to solve a creativity challenge."
• The award-winning recruitment firm Snagajob (and what a fabulous name that is) asks all their new employees to fill out a survey called Snagger Confessions, which includes questions about their personal interests. Managers then craft creative and colorful introductions for the new hires based on the surveys, so teammates get a more meaningful introduction to their new colleagues while facilitating more interesting conversations.
• If you want to improve your odds of someone getting back to you in a fun way, the next time you leave a voice mail or email message, include the setup part of a joke and tell them they have to get back to you to hear the punchline!
• If you want to schedule a meeting with a hard-to-pin-down colleague or client, preface your request with "When would be a good time to...?" This prompts the person to assume there will indeed be a good time, it gives them a sense of control, and it suggests that 'no' is not an option.
• This week is Small Business Week in Canada - a great time to appreciate and celebrate our small businesses that need our support like never before!