Every office has a ritual that is as important to the health of the organization as the business meeting…the ritual of dropping in on and catching up with co-workers and bosses following a lengthy holiday. I was reminded of this today as I returned to work following a week off for Christmas and the New Year celebrations. My goals were to finalize my calendar for the coming weeks and clear my desk of the administrative tasks before meetings began again. What happened was a stream of unscheduled visitors leading with the question, “How was your Christmas?” Virtually none of my goals for the day were accomplished.
Because my personality is to focus on my goals the interruptions were not welcome. Mid-morning I realized that leaders don’t manage with processes and goals, they manage with people. The post-holiday ritual is necessary to reestablish the bonds and thinking that create synergistic teams.
Synergy — the bonus that is achieved when things work together harmoniously. Mark Twain
The take away, schedule at least a half-day following a holiday for social protocols. Perhaps a deliberate social event (such as a team breakfast) would fulfill the social cues that human nature demands in a more efficient manner while enabling the team of reestablish the synergy required for an organizational to excel.
Synergy is the highest activity of life; it creates new untapped alternatives; it values and exploits the mental, emotional, and psychological differences between people. Stephen Covey
