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O P I N I O N
Digging deep
While having a fun workplace is great, the good times must be underpinned by hard work and an ever-present commitment to the firm’s mission.
L et’s not kid ourselves. Our workplace cultures are about a lot more than just the fun stuff. Sure, everybody loves a mini-keg on a Friday afternoon, a good office holiday party, forming a team to run a 5K charity race, or taking the families out to a ball game. And make no mistake, those activities are an important piece of the puzzle in ensuring your employees are happy. However, we all know that a positive, effective corporate culture requires much more than that – things like values, mission, communication, collaboration, respect, advancement opportunities, and operational goals. Culture is the manifestation of an organization’s soul.
John Komisin GUEST SPEAKER
But, how can we ensure that the fun part of the culture marries with the hard work of profitable growth and outstanding performance? In October, Little held a THINK-athon, an eight-hour event encouraging employees to collaborate into the wee hours of a Friday night solving industry related challenges, on their own time. While the premise may sound a bit sweatshop-ish, employees were given something equally valuable in return – a chance to be involved in an authentic, high-energy event that allowed participants to
remove organizational boundaries and job titles to create breakthrough solutions. At its core, this event aimed to be fun – a cultural attribute Little employees wake up every day appreciating. At the same time, however, the fun, which consisted of food/drinks, music and mini skill-building workshops, coexisted with helping Little advance its mission of generating breakthrough ideas that create a better future.
See JOHN KOMISIN, page 12
THE ZWEIG LETTER January 8, 2018, ISSUE 1230
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