by Melanie Spring, Sisarina
Today is brought to you by the letter F.
As 2011 was the year of intentionality, we've set into motion many new things to keep us on track for success. One of the things we learned the most from was a mistake that so many companies make and only realize it when it goes into the wrong hands.
Have you ever sat at your desk and said something about someone else you had thought had left only to realize they were on the other side of the wall? Have you ever typed a message into an IM about someone else only to realize as you hit 'send' that you sent it to that person? What about forwarding a message to someone with a snotty note at the top and realize later that you hit 'reply' instead? Yeah, we've all done it.
Sisarina is generally a happy place. All of us working in the office are generally happy people. We love what we do, we love our clients, we love each other. But every once in awhile, we feel frustration. When we're feeling frustrated, we say things we wouldn't normally say. Sometimes we laugh with each other about silly stuff that other people could be offended by. They say that character is about who you are when no one is watching. Now we start thinking about that person standing there when we say/do anything.
Thus was born the Sisarina "F" Jar.
Here are the rules:
F&%*: There's a bad word that starts with the letter F. It's a really offensive word but we kept catching ourselves saying it. It's a contagious word that we feel helps us get over our aggression. It's the same as flipping someone off. We feel justified. But it's not necessary and it doesn't create a positive work environment... even if it's just in fun. If anyone says that word for any reason, a dollar must be placed in the "F" jar. All money in the jar goes toward the dog treats fund for our Directors of Security & Cuteness.
Frustration: When a client, co-worker, vendor, or even a spouse makes us frustrated and we feel the need to say something about it, we are not allowed to type it into IM, email, an e-doc, anything. We are not allowed to say these things out loud in the office for any reason. If we're frustrated about something, we have to write it down on a piece of paper and put it in the "F" Jar. It allows us to let it out without damaging any relationships with each other or our clients - and also sometimes shows us how silly it is that we were frustrated in the first place. All notes in this jar are shredded at the end of the week without being read.
Fire: The third F is something I never want my staff to worry about. As an employee in my past life, I was called into my boss's office and because I never felt safe, I always worried I was getting fired. I've made sure to create an environment that my staff will never feel unsure if they could get fired. Saying this F word is just a big no-no... internally or out loud to anyone. It makes me frustrated. If anyone feels like they should be fired, they have to write down their reasoning and realize that they're being ridiculous. If they're not, they have to setup a meeting with me to talk about why they feel that way & fix it.
Allowing yourself to be frustrated in a way that will only produce positive results is the key to having a successful company. The "F" Jar does that for us. It helps us keep tabs on each other and ourselves.
Start one for yourself and/or your office. If you do something similar already, tell us! We'd love to hear what has worked and what hasn't.
Happy F'ing. :)
