Take a look around....
Is everyone working together?
Do they enjoy each others company?
Value the insights of their peers?
Do you see genuine smiles, and hear occasional laughter?
Here's a little story....
I was working at a designer bath/plumbing company as a receptionist. Yes I was the little guy on the totem pole, but I was also the person who had a front row seat to every thing.
It was a busy company and every one was constantly on the go, especially the sales associates. At times things got intense in all departments, which were segregated. The complaints I heard over and over from all departments was "they just don't get it", "I wish they understood" and other various versions of that. Now "they" didn't mean the owner or manager necessarily, but more their actual co-workers from other departments. Everything one department did had a direct effect on the others.
Being in the front row seat I was able to see that their co-workers did understand, but felt the same way themselves. As you can imagine this caused some friction, though everyone gave a fake smile through their own frustration. I saw the smile disappear, and the roll of the eyes after they turned away from each other. So that was problem 1 I'll call it.
Problem 2 was I had no idea who the people upstairs in the office were. Okay I knew their names, job role, and who I was supposed to email with what. I didn't know anything about them though. Did we have shared interest, hobbies, etc? I'm a social butterfly, I like to know people.
My simple solution.... Riddle of the Day!
That was it! I downloaded an app and sent a company wide e-mail every morning, including their other location. It wasn't the cure all to end all by any means, but I instantly saw my co-workers interacting more. They would team up with each other to brainstorm the answer, laugh at how annoyed they would get if they couldn't figure it out. Even the customers, and contractors got into it. They would stay and hang out a little longer brainstorming with our "team". My e-mail was constantly popping up with their guesses, and other little tidbits about them. People sharing, and laughing. Everyone was talking about the Riddle of the Day, even if they weren't into riddles!
It was common ground, something everyone could share, from the owner to the guys hidden outback in the warehouse. There was no higher authority, no totem pole when it came to the riddle. Just a "team" collaborating together to reach the same goal.
Obviously these riddles had nothing to do with the work we were doing, but it was a small escape on those busy stressful days. Solving the riddle very discreetly promoted teamwork, they didn't realize they were learning a lot about how each other thinks and approaches a problem. Sneaky sneaky!
Only now will my past co-workers know why I started the Riddle of the Day, and how much I enjoyed watching them come together to solve it.
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