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| Humor at Work |
ISSUE 445-JULY 11, 2012 |
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There's Nothing Small About Small Wins at Work
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A growing body of research suggests that the concept of "small wins" in the workplace is one of the key ingredients for successful employee motivation and one of the most effective ways to begin the process of changing your workplace culture. Small wins can have a disproportionate amount of power and influence beyond the achievement they represent.
Yet, in one survey of senior leaders, 95% of the respondents listed "supporting progress" as the least most important motivator at work, contrary to what all the research suggests!
So if you're a leader, don't discount the importance of talking up, recognizing and celebrating the small changes and minor victories in your workplace. And even more importantly, allowing employees the freedom to implement their own ideas at work is one of the most motivating things you can do.
When you start a new program at work, finish a meeting, or come back jazzed from a conference, immediately implementing some small and easily-done ideas can create a snowball effect that helps build momentum and encourages even the most cynical ("we'll believe it when we see it") employees to see that bigger change is possible. Again, it's the old saw: actions speak louder than words.
If you're an employee, remind your supervisor of the importance of small wins not only to your own sense of accomplishment, but for the success of the entire team. And show your excitement about the small wins yourself - if your leaders sense your enthusiasm, the easier it will be to create even more small wins that could cascade into enormous, inspiring accomplishments!
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Mike's Fun at Work Tip |
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Set up a "make-it-yourself" ice cream sundae bar at work and turn it into a team event:
- have each team be responsible for bringing in a certain sundae-appropriate topping that they feel best represents the spirit of their team
- award a prize for the most creative sundae and/or most creative name for the sundae they have built, again that best represents the spirit of your workplace
- encourage your senior leaders to host the sundae stations and dole out ice cream to everyone
- have an ice cream eating contest where contestants must eat a bowl of soft ice cream with their hand tied behind their back (I have a client who did this and said it was hilariously funny. Especially if you video tape the whole affair.)
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Quote of the Week |
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"It is a curious fact that people are never so trivial
as when they take themselves seriously." Oscar Wilde
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It's a Wacky World |
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A woman in Cleveland who owns a cleaning company broke into a house, then washed the dishes, took out the trash, and vacuumed before leaving a bill for her services. And the even wackier thing is, when confronted by police, the woman said she does it all the time! Which begs the question - why won't she come to my house? And does this kind of creative marketing actually work? What next? Plumbers installing new toilets during the middle of the night? Dog groomers shaving our pets while we're on vacation? Hair stylists giving us a dye job in our sleep?
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Inspiring Reading
Humor at Work TV
Inspiring Savings
Cost-savings to bring Mike in to speak on
October 1st in PEI or New Brunswick.
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Copyright © 2012 Humor at Work. All Rights Reserved.
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