Channel Your Inner Idiot

May 11, 2012 6:53 am 0 comments Views:

Share this Article

  • TwitterTwitter
  • Facebook
  • DeliciousDelicious
  • Digg
  • StumbleuponStumble
  • RedditReddit
  • Follow Me on PinterestPinterest

Tags:

Leadership means leaving my office and being present with employees rather than being on the phone making deals.  It means attending networking events when I’d rather be home on the couch watching a game.  It means engaging in more frequent casual chats with people even though I might prefer deeper conversations.

And often, it means lightening up the mood in otherwise serious business situations.  One of the traditions we have at the Beryl Companies is to produce an annual video.  We show it every year at our holiday party in December, where it has become highly anticipated.

We happen to be blessed with a very talented creative director named Jason Armour.  He writes, shoots, produces, and directs the annual videos.  He writes a script that I hardly review before shooting because I trust his judgment and sense of humor.  He also builds a theme around something going on that year.

In each video, I am the main character, and I am in some sort of humorous or entertaining scenario. Perhaps the video is a parody of a TV show, movie, or music video.

None of our nearly 350 employees gets to see the video until the night it is shown unless they are asked to “act” in it – and then they are sworn to secrecy. by giving them the opportunity to laugh at the expense of leadership.

I have found it wonderful avenue to challenge my introverted nature by trying to act, chronicle our journey as a company, and delight our staff.

Here are some sample videos we created over the last 10 years that may give you some ideas about how you can get out of your comfort zone and channel your inner idiot for the benefit of your employees.  There are a few inside jokes, but you’ll get the picture.

2003:  Many of our prospective customers (hospital executives) come to visit our call center operation to learn about our wonderful culture.  So for our annual video we made a video of a Beryl tour gone wrong.  This was a year that The Osbournes and The Bachelor were hot reality TV shows, so we played off those themes, too.  (While I live in Texas, my brother and partner Barry in Los Angeles, he often stayed with my family when he was in town.) http://youtu.be/Ti8AezapZCY

2004:  Barry and I locate a phone book from 1985, the year we started our business.  We decide to make a few calls to people from our past, and invite them to come to our holiday party that night.  When we finally decide to get ready for the party, it looks like we’ve shown up at the wrong place.  http://youtu.be/BnZIfuuSLUc

2006:  After I’ve expanded our senior leadership team, I start to feel like no one really needs me anymore and begin to pursue other opportunities.  After a few failed job searches, I try to start up a little something of my own. http://youtu.be/O4d_Bs6UFt4

2007:  We had never really memorialized how the company started and grew to what it is today.  So I did my best Forrest Gump imitation and here’s what transpired. http://youtu.be/b4ZaWBecrSc

2009:  I mentioned we conduct many tours of the Beryl facility, but I’m getting bored with the way we’re handling them.  I complain to the team that we need to step it up and finally realize this would be best handled myself.  So I host the tour…in song.http://youtu.be/g4DuRI6vbds

What’s the lesson here?  There is hope for introverts.  Find the creative talents in your organization, let them dress you up, let loose a little bit, and have some fun. Discover the right way to break out of your comfort zone and I’m sure you’ll find-like I have-that laughter is a great leadership technique to have at your disposal.

By Paul Spiegelman, from: http://www.inc.com/paul-spiegelman/strong-leadership-get-on-stage-act-silly-create-laughter.html

Paul Spiegelman is founder and CEO of The Beryl Companies, which manages patient interactions for hospitals, and co-founded the Small Giants Community, a global entrepreneur group, with Inc. magazine editor-at-large Bo Burlingham. @paulspiegelman

Leave a Reply



− 2 = three

Latest News

  • EPM Management

    It’s Really Not Size That Matters…

    It’s not about the size of the process. It’s all about management capacity.

    “How big is a process?� The very insightful comments that answer the question bring forth many interesting perspectives on the size of a process. Ranging from the length of a string to single “value chain� process, the debate is very enlightening.

    Read more →
  • Careers FYI

    25 Signs Your Ego Is Out of Control

    A healthy dose of self-confidence is a very good thing…until it’s not.

    Confidence, faith, an unswerving belief in self… all are important to an entrepreneur. But if you think or say any of the following, it’s possible your self-confidence has grown to a dangerous level:

    Read more →
  • Featured Uncategorized

    Evaluating EPM Technology Solutions

    In previous articles we have looked at the content of an EPM Framework that is better able to support decision-making around performance management. In this article we will be looking at the evaluation and selection of a suitable technology system that supports the requirements discussed in previous articles.

    Read more →
  • FYI Management Strategy Channel Your Inner Idiot

    Channel Your Inner Idiot

    An under-appreciated aspect of strong leadership is getting over stage-fright, acting silly, and creating laughter.

    I’m an introvert. When I was growing up, among my two brothers and me, I was known as the serious one and the good student that didn’t get in a lot of trouble. I know—pretty boring. If I took one of those Myers Briggs tests I know how I’d score.

    And for the most part, I haven’t changed much. But I’ve found part of leadership is getting out of my comfort zone.

    Read more →
  • Featured Management 14 Lessons From Benjamin Franklin on How To Get Things Done

    14 Lessons From Benjamin Franklin on How To Get Things Done

    Benjamin Franklin was a man of action. Over his lifetime, his curiosity and passion fueled a diverse range of interests. He was a writer (often using a pseudonym), publisher, diplomat, inventor and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.

    His inventions included the lightning rod, bifocals and the Franklin stove. Franklin was responsible for establishing the first public library, organizing fire fighters in Philadelphia, was one of the early supporters of mutual insurance and crossed the Atlantic eight times. Self-development was a constant endeavor throughout his incredible life.

    Benjamin Franklin was clearly a man who knew how to get things done.

    Read more →
  • Biz Intelligence FYI Mobile Business Statistics For 2012

    Mobile Business Statistics For 2012

    There are some highly revealing infographics that have come out recently that underscore the massive shift to mobile technologies.The quick adoption of mobile devices is really unprecedented. Take Apple for example. Incredibly, in Q1 2012 alone, they shipped 15 million iPad devices. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook summed up the tablet adoption phenomenon best:

    “through the last quarter , I should say, which is just 2 years after we shipped the initial iPad, we’ve sold 67 million. And to put that in some context, it took us 24 years to sell that many Macs and 5 years for that many iPods and over 3 years for that many iPhones.�

    Read more →
  • Strategy 5 Top Tips to Own Your Next Negotiation

    5 Top Tips to Own Your Next Negotiation

    One of my favorite lines of all time comes from the movie Boiler Room. When Jim Young, a young, rich, and cocky senior stock broker, played by Ben Affleck tells a group of upcoming stock brokers : “And there is no such thing as a no sale call. A sale is made on every call you make. Either you sell the client some stock or he sells you a reason he can’t. Either way a sale is made, the only question is who is gonna close? You or him?�

    Read more →
  • Management Strategy Pick Your Best 2 Hours

    Pick Your Best 2 Hours

    If you aren’t getting enough done in your day-and who is?-try this time management technique.

    Read more →