The Post-It Noted Desk

Once upon a time, a woman named Janie went to a professional development conference for her job. After being out of the office for several days, she returned to work to find her desk had been vandalized.

More specifically, it was aggressively “post-it noted” by two “fun, funny, and amazing co-workers.” (Her words.)

She reported, “It was so great to see and read what they wrote, I felt this lift like you can’t imagine.”

In a related story, Adultitis was heard nearby weeping silently in a restroom stall.

It’s no secret that the workplace is one of Adultitis’ favorite breeding grounds. But it doesn’t have to be. Everyone goes on vacation. Or gets sick once in a while. Why couldn’t you have everyone in the office write one thing they admire about that person on a post-it note while they are away?

How much time would that require?

How much money would you have to allocate in the budget for this?

What sort of impact do you think that would make?

In case you’re keeping score at home, the answers to the above questions are “not much,” “zero,” and “freaking enormous.”

It’s not uncommon for people to love what they do but hate where they work. Culture can be difficult to change, but a positive transformation always starts with one step. If you’re a leader in your organization, I can’t think of any reason why couldn’t implement something like this immediately.

If you’re not a leader in your organization, this might be a good opportunity to become one.