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.
Judy Herman says
Love your website! Inspirational! It was a cold and rainy day not to long ago. I thought of you! I made homemade cookies and got a quart of fresh milk and delivered to my local doctors office. You can imagine the look of the people waiting to be seen (a full office)!! The aroma of those still warm cookies filled the room and the staff accepting them were speechless! I also wrote a note enclosed and said, perfect day for cookies and milk (about 2pm in a busy office) , and if anyone tells you that they came from the lady with the gray hair, To please “enlighten” them that I don’t have gray hair! The gray is my wisdom highlights and I just happen to be especially wise! I never left my name so I have no doubt that they are being especially nice to everyone. I’d say that was a win win!
Jason says
Wow – what a great way to fight Adultitis Judy. Well done!