Everyone has a freak flag – so let it fly!
Be honest with yourself for a second: being an entrepreneur or startup founder has smothered you with responsibility. If you were a bit of goofball, you have probably changed your mentality and personality to fit into the business world. You may have suited up or decided to wait until after work to put the jokes out for your coworkers, but is that truly the best route for your business?
As a boss, you do want to be treated with respect and professionally. The business world can be a dog-eat-dog place, so keeping a professional appearance is important.
While you want to be thought of and treated as a boss, you must keep in mind that work doesn’t always have to be a stiff and formal environment.
How it affects your employees
Is it okay to pull out the silly string and wear swim-shorts to work on a daily basis? Not unless you own a carnival. It is, however, okay to be a little lax once your employees have gotten to know what kind of work ethic you want to see out of them.
Working in a comfortable and relaxed environment not only takes some of the pressure out of work, but it motivates your employees to be comfortable with what they’re doing. Once they have lost their anxiety and nervousness about coming to work every day, they will begin to look forward to each work day and be excited.
For example, look at Google Inc. – not only is the environment innovative and creative, but it looks like every child’s dream job. There are scooters and toys; beautiful architecture and even places to nap once your brain needs a few minutes of refreshing.
Of course every business cannot be like this billion-dollar corporation, but it is an excellent example of what kind of results a relaxed environment can bring.
Getting weird at work
Once you have established with new (and old) employees how you want work done and what kind of production and quotas need to be met, it is time to get a little weird.
Being weird allows your employees to be themselves! Everyone is a little weird on the inside but too many people are afraid to show it. Letting your employees or coworkers feel comfortable being themselves will also give room for innovative ideas and suggestions to flow freely.
When you are holding meetings, make suggestions of your own that sound weird and out of the ordinary. You will inspire your employees to lend their own strange ideas; some of which may actually work well for your business. You don’t want your employees to think their ideas are too stupid or strange to be said aloud, so be open with whatever is on your mind.
Why it’s important
Too many business owners and corporations think that a stiff working environment means more productivity: it doesn’t. It may be easy to replace people who aren’t willing to change and fit in the mold of a reserved environment, but it isn’t going to help generate new and fresh ideas.
If your employees are miserable, regardless of how successful your company is, your business will suffer.
Having a fun and comfortable work environment not only gives your employees something to look forward to, but it will help spark development and innovation.
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