Ah...the company picnic.
Fond memories of fried chicken, hard dry burgers, 15 varieties of
potato salad, a dish with melted marshmallows on top, a mystery
casserole, and some wrinkled burned hotdogs.
And lots of employees with
their families.
Sometimes leaders are
reluctant to attend this traditional summer event (also the holiday
party close to the end of the year). Other leaders look forward to
these events to move the organization forward.
Why the different
perspective? The benefit of attending these events may not be
immediately obvious – it wasn't to me.
First thing on Monday
morning after the company picnic, my boss found me and asked why I
wasn't at the picnic. Had other plans,
I answered. The boss said – do you realize the employees want to
see you in this informal setting, and they missed the chance since
you did not attend. WHAM
– had never thought about the picnic from that perspective, and it
completely changed my outlook on the importance of company events.
Employees come to a
company picnic or holiday party because: it's a chance to socialize
with coworkers and the bosses; it's an opportunity to 'see and be
seen'; it's a free (or admission is bringing dish to contribute)
event, and it's fun.
Leaders who look forward
to the picnic are eager to mingle informally with the folks, to meet
employees' families, and to see the workers in a non-work environment
to gain a more complete impression of who they are. And it can be
fun.
Keep in mind, while the
leader may be coming to the event to see the employees in a different
setting, the employees are coming to observe the boss in a non-work
setting as well. They are seeing a different side of the leader –
adding greater depth and richness to their view of this person who is
leading 'their' organization.
Sometimes a leader should
eat a hotdog with the troops to develop a stronger bond between her
and the staff – and between the staff and her. A few hours of
mingling in this informal setting can make a significant difference
in building a stronger organziation.
Which is more compelling:
- the memory of a leader with a half-eaten chicken leg talking about when he played pick-up basketball as a kid and worked tables to get through college – or –
- some guy standing up in front of the company meeting talking about hard times, saying 'Trust me'.Who would you rather follow?
...And
avoid that mystery casserole!
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