Bring back the Child Again

This week I was host to 2 good guests from South Africa. The enjoyable things were, they came with specific purpose of ensuring we understand their business before we start the project. Sounds right as theory but never found in practice - right? Well, it happens at times and I had the good pleasure now.

The best outcome of such "first" meetings enables us to first talk common points across - politics, culture, people, cricket, etc.

As host, true to this tradition, me and my boss took turns for trying to provide the good time - post office formal wear meetings.

In the penultimate day, we went to "Choki Dhani" an ethnic village closer to our office. After initial rounds of stiffness between vendor and customer, the first ice breaker came when the client went for a folk dance. From there started a time filled with translation, fun, laughter, competition, camaraderie. Some folk arts were also good viewing.

"THE MOMENT" came when we all were excited to aim the arrow with a bow at a board. It was so contagious that even faltering were taken in strides. In the process the client remarked " All have become child again".

Well the same quote was repeated again when we all tried to hit a big iron plate with a heavy wooden hammer piece (typical of announcing the entry of people through a door in olden times).

"All have become child again" - Isn't it not a profound thought and statement which has deeper meanings? Thing about it.

1. Bringing ourselves as child mean higher levels of enthusiasm into the Job.
2. Being child enables us to work together in a playful, fun and joyous moods.
3. Being child enables us to make the environment so bubbling with contagious laughter and lighter from work pressures that there does not exist a earning - living gap.
4. Bringing our child selves has less to do with money and more to do with relationships and true empathy.
5. Bringing the child in us helps the cost of retention of a employee with higher loyalties cheaper than retaining professionals.
   

Think about it. How much of effort, time and cost is it going to consume to make the environment lively, entertaining and providing relaxation with such mock places. Providing a small size cricket bat, tennis ball is enough to fuel the creativity of the team to create their own rules of the game.

Having a common area which requires a strenuous effort like moving a big wheel or the big iron block which needs to be hit with a big wooden hammer or trying your strength games we play as a child does not need a heavy investment but can self sustain the entire team together for a longer time.

So many things more can come in when we become child again?
Would not it be an important lesson for HR to revolve their entire energies and synergize the execution, strategy, and plan to make every one bring the child back again to your work.

What am I doing with it ? Well, cannot let the occasion pass. We came up with the idea of movie watching sessions every week with a vote on the list of movies available.

Any ideas that you can share to make us work with the child vigour, focus, passion and ABOVE ALL - WITH DISCIPLINE that we often overlook or forget