MCM Fall 2018

MCM Fall 2018
My Connections
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2. Share community service experiences. Think back to the most powerful memories
you have. They’re powerful because they are emotional—whether inspiring and uplifting or
challenging with some struggle or trauma. Giving money to charities is cool, but donating
time is far more emotional. Can you do it together? And if you do donate funds, have your
team share the difference they make. At our company, every team member receives a
giving budget each year. It’s very cool to learn what causes move our team members and
how their budget made a difference!
3. Embrace celebration and appreciation. Are you celebrating successes on a regular
basis through visible appreciation? A few examples are high five emails to the team,
leaderboards showing employees who are achieving their needle movers and weekly
round-up emails listing individual employee’s wins. You can create some wacky and
unique awards that your team can strive for as well. I worked with one team where
everyone took old-time western photos (in awesome cowboy costumes) and they created
Wanted posters. They were wanted by the law for eating all of the snacks in the break
room or for using all of the printer ink. Everyone had a great time deciding what wanted
sign would say and how much their bounty cost.
4. Incorporate mindfulness practices on a regular basis. Every highly accomplished
leader I know learns to stop the world and to stop their thoughts on command. This is one
of the best ways to make key decisions. They use mindfulness practices on a daily basis.
Why not make this a part of your office culture? Try having a monthly event where your
team can learn a new mindfulness practice, such as meditation or yoga. If you really want
to have fun, try a laughter yoga class they are a blast!
5. Celebrate birthdays and work anniversaries. Are you celebrating these special
days? A card with a handwritten note has a huge positive impact and reminds team
members that they are valued. Having cake or another special treat for the team is a great
way to bring the team together and for them to have a chance to bond. If you are in a
position to give a small gift, find out what the person really enjoys. Generic gift cards or
standard gifts are great but a personalized gift is far more meaningful.
All work and no play makes us crabby and dull! Where there is laughter, joy and fun, highperformance
teams thrive. There are countless ways to have fun and even attach
empowering meaning to it at the same time. The above ideas will get you started!
How are you helping your employees have fun?
Christine Comaford is a leadership and culture coach and the author of Power Your Tribe:
Create Resilient Teams in Turbulent Times and SmartTribes: How Teams Become
Brilliant Together.
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