10 Wacky Ideas for Kick Ass Friday

Either I've used one of these ideas or my clients have and each of them had a very positive impact on the team to get them motivated, focused and enjoying their jobs.

1. Take your management team, sales team, or if you are in a small office, the entire team to a summer blockbuster matinee during work hours complete with popcorn and drink!

2. Have a video camera record an employee doing their job for an hour. Watch it together and both of you offer commentary. What did you learn? What could be done better? How much wasted effort was there? What was done perfectly?

3. Create a birthday recognition. Everyone likes to be appreciated on "their day." Be sure the appreciation is what the employee wants not just what you want to do.

4. Put a keg tap in the conference room (under pass-code lock) and gather the management team or sales team for a beer after hours weekly. The conversations will make your company thousands of extra dollars.

5. Take your team to lunch but they don't get to look at the menus. Have them roll dice to see which lunch entree they get to eat. Unless food allergies are involved, it's only one meal, it's learning to deal with being out of control, and it builds comfort with trying new things. If a food allergy is in the first choice, let them roll again. They don't get to know what they ordered until it arrives at the table. Watch how each person reacts to the situation. What did you learn?

6. Have each team member write done on a separate piece of paper the one thing that hate about each of the other team members. Fire up a grill and have everyone throw those papers on the fire. Tell them those issues are now up in flames, let it go and let's move on. So as not to waste good charcoals, grill some burgers in your parking lot and make lunch for the team.

7. Have each team member write down on a separate piece of paper the one thing they love about each of the other team members. Have them presented one by one to each team member. Do it right, and it will be very powerful. (After wards a group hug and singing of Kum Bay Ya is optional.)

8. Have management prepare and feed every other employee in the building. The sacrifice done in the right spirit will be greatly appreciated. I found grilled steak dinners were the most well received.

9. Set a big hairy goal for the company, as people contribute to that goal they get drawing tickets into the drum. When the goal is met, draw for a big hairy prize like a Cooper Mini. If the goal is missed draw for something much smaller like 100 gallons of gasoline. Sure that's a big difference. You want them to work toward the goal.

10. Offer an amnesty day where people can admit any major mistakes without any fear of retribution. If you though "Yea, right." Your company needs this more than ever! If you thought, "But we do that every day now because we are solution-focused not blame-focused." Give your team a huge pat on the back – you are in the groove already.