I was doing some blog surfing and Back Porch Spice lead me to Quay Po Cooks. You will have to check her out because she is an awesome writer, and she made me laugh on my very first visit with this post. First impressions mean a lot. But the amazing thing about this post, it brought back a memory for me and I thought I'd share it with you.How do you pass the time with the leaders (supervisors, mentors, etc....) in your life? Are you serious with them all the time, or do you mix things up and add a little humor? Make each other laugh....
While I was visiting Quay Po Cooks I was scrolling down her blog posts and came across this title, "When a Man Grows Older, His Balls Get Smaller". Okay, this is suppose to be a cooking blog....The title made me do one of these; forced me to slam back in my chair and caused my eyes to pop wide open. Can you just see that happening? I know you have done the exact same thing when you see something unexpected.
I am going to tell you the story about my own supervisor (leader) experience, and I really hope I don't offend anyone. Yes, I have a dirty minded streak in me.....don't we all? Working 22 years in a factory tends to keep the mind sharp on the funny thoughts, dirty thoughts, and how to strike out at people without being too offensive.
I spent 22 years working in a factory, and if you've never worked in a factory, this is usually what you will find; everyone talks like a truck driver (no offence truck drivers, just a metaphor), a person is judged by the way they look, there are clicks just like in high school, and the gossip is knee deep.
But on the up-side, some of your co-workers are like your second family. And if you think about it, working in a factory has longer hours than your home hours. So that leads to great relationships and poking fun while you work.
My supervisor at the time was male and we were kind of close in age (he was a little older). I was working the night shift, and my supervisor was faced with a deadline on a particular part that needed to be shipped first thing in the morning. He assigned me to do the job. I always worked very well under pressure, but that night my supervisor thought he needed to check the production numbers every thirty minutes. One thing that I never liked was being checked on (treated like a child). Half way through the shift, and being checked on every half hour, I decided to put an end to it, or try to anyway. He came up behind me one last time and asked how the numbers were looking. I turned around (with a smile on my face, of course) and said, "If you're going to ride my a$$, you better be pulling my hair."
IT WORKED!! And the look on his (blushing red) face was priceless. He had the same look as I had when I ran across the post article about men's balls. Buggy eyes, a step back, and SILENCE.....Yup, left him speechless. I didn't see him the rest of the shift. And yes, the production numbers were met for the morning shipment.
After the little pep-talk, words of encouragement, and dumbfounding the supervisor that night, he figured out that I didn't have to be checked on constantly.
I am working my way toward filling a supervisor position myself and I have been searching for ideas and suggestions that will make me one of the BEST. Funny stories and personal experiences are helping me along the way....
"The leadership instinct you are born with is the backbone. You DEVELOP the funny bone and the wishbone that go with it." ~Elaine Agather
I am going to print this list and keep it near by for when I fill my leadership job role:
1. Have fun (cheap) toys handy to pass out to employees during the working hours. Foam dart fights after a long tedious day of work will relieve stress.
2. Have good ice breakers during a bad day (funny photos on the wall) just to get employees to laugh.
3. Place humor in documents and memos (Chaos, panic, and disorder - my work here is done!)
4. Will I want people to read manuals? Write on a random page (10) that the first 10 employees to mention the page receive a gift (a T-shirt, and the T-shirt would say, "ask me about page 10").
5. Issue dollar fines for excessive whining, and use the proceeds to have a team party.
6. Include competitive FUNdraising. Each department competes to see which team can raise the most money for a charity, with the winning team receiving a prize.
7. Take the blame when an employee fails or messes up.
8. Celebrate screw ups - allow employees a means to feel it's okay to say we screwed up.
Leaders and employees that play together stay together. When fun is encouraged employees or team members are inspired.
Hugs for Always,
Angie
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