By Jennifer D. Kluge
Sept. 16, 2010
The problem with a slow economy is that it’s an excuse to be conservative, make budget cuts, be cautious. The problem is that it blocks our creative thinking and our ability to pull through the recession. It becomes a bottleneck of conservative actions for industries. As leaders in our firms, it can be draining and creates unneeded focus on things that are negative about the changes we are forced to make.
Well, where is the silver lining? My suggestion is the new phrase, “It is what it is-let’s deal with it,” but by no means do we need to be stoic CEOs as the changes take place.
Suggestions to Spice Things up:
-Hire a rock band at your next shareholders or board meeting.
-Grill lunch outside for all of your team members.
-Do a cartwheel when your team meets a long range hard to attain goal…literally. (You might want to post it on YouTube.)
-Have Wii competitions.
-Have best ideas contests where employees can win a prize.
-Celebrate mistakes to learn from.
-Post CEO social media updates for staff to see.
-Close the office early, just for fun.
I know I am proposing some silly ideas, but in all seriousness the goal is to accept current business conditions and make the most of them. Not all CEOs are going to do a cartwheel down the hallway, but it’s the concept of freeing yourself from being too stoic. Celebrate small accomplishments along the way. Celebrate the process, not the end result. It will lift morale, it will make you a better leader and help create an environment for innovation.