Plan some fun for your team!
Is your team having fun as you try to achieve your goals? Are you? When was the last time you set a fun goal (or added any kind of fun element to your serious goals)? Just because people are having fun doesn’t mean they’re not getting something accomplished. In fact, having something fun and interesting to work toward helps create teamwork, as well as another layer of team goal-setting.
Take the story of Sam Walton, who in 1984, honored his promise to hula down Wall Street if his company achieved an 8% return on sales. This goal was unprecedented, but they did it. So, Sam Walton (at age 66!) donned a hula skirt and leis, and danced the hula down Wall Street, as promised.
This was not only heartwarming to New Yorkers who witnessed the event, but it was inspiring to his team. In fact, Sam was notorious for doing crazy things, as well as allowing his managers to do crazy stunts as long as they attracted customers. They created fun events such as Shopping Cart Bingo (where customers entered the store in hopes that their lucky number might win them a shopping cart full of free items); they held the World Championship Moon Pie Eating Contest (which helped them sell the most Moon Pies in history); and they dropped balloons containing frozen pizzas off the rooftops – all designed to help them attract and engage customers… which engaged their team in the process.
So, what can you do to inject a little humor into your team’s day – as long as it produces results? Take a lesson from Sam, and engage your team in a little unexpected fun! You don’t have to promise to hula down Wall Street, but you can come up with a fun idea that’s right for you.
