One of my favorite building blocks for both teams in general, and PMO organizations in general is the creation of a snack-lore.
A very wise Deputy PMO Manager taught me the power of the nibble… and I have extended his practice in several directions since!
The Lure of the Drawer
- Projects are stressful, getting called to a manager’s office is stressful, and combining them makes for very passionate chatter. Our Deputy PMO manager had a magic drawer.
Everything is Better with Chocolate!
Being a diabetic he would stock it with snack mix and granola bars and popcorn as well as whatever chocolaty goodness he could find at the wholesale club. It was always random, and it was always there.
The Prioritization Lesson
When you have a group of firefighters that need to switch brains and learn to live by the power of the approval and not the telephone there are many ways to start the lessons in project management. One of my favorite is candy prioritization. What do you like? Carmel or nuts? What do you value? Chocolate or sours? What do you nibble on while you watch TV? Popcorn or granola bars?
Everyone starts confused, everyone ends laughing. When they show up the next day and a kiss or a cup or a bar is resting on their mouse… they start to believe. When they start looking around they find themselves in disbelief. It is a great team builder to have 15 ~ 20 people start their day on a random Thursday amazed that there is a candy drawer (or sometimes filing cabinet) in the new manager’s office.Can you really go in there in the evening and grab some popcorn? Is there really Ramon Noodles there this week? This upgrade is going sideways… let’s head up to the PMO office and brainstorm on her board and get something to snack on.
The Bad Tasty Meeting
If the conversation at an excellence meeting is going to be perceived as stress filled… I bring snacks… and in a non-lactose, sugar free, non-wheat crowd that can be a challenge in and of itself! The meeting appears to start slow, but the intention is to bring out the informal and the relaxed… (but I’ll save the safe space thought for another post!)
Everyone has a favorite, there are always healthy choices. I have been in organizations where spirits are encouraged if the meeting is at the end of the day while other organizations would be aghast to see alcohol on company property.
The Team Lunch
I can’t let this post go without a thought about the dreaded team lunch. Switch it up! Do breakfast before an early half day team event. Pull taffy, take a cooking class together, or even work a soup kitchen together. Find creative places that don’t call for the same ole’ suit and tie!
I have yet to have anyone frown at both the apple and the chocolate so be bold and daring and you will be rewarded with great team bonds.
Like everything I do… it’s an evolution and not a revolution… it’s about trust and freedom and building a team one training wheel at a time!
How do you diffuse the stress and break the ice in your organization? Do you long to break out of the business lunch?
(Picture is the property of Pink Moose used under Creative Commons license)
