This brief blog post is a hat-tip to MailChimp, the service we’ve started using for the Monthly-ish Updates recently.
I smile almost every time I use the service – instead of “email sent”, “details updated” or “new subscriber”, you get funny little lines like:
Fine piece of work!
You totally deserve a raise!
The MailChimp Crew
or:
Yippee! You’ve got a new subscriber for your list CAL Monthly-ish Update.
Feels good to be loved.
OK, so it might grate if I spent all day, every day seeing these, but there is an important point here, I think.
When people are busy, when the pressure’s on, when deadlines loom and problems need fixing, the smart leader might inject a little humour into an inconsequential thing.
It makes people smile or laugh, maybe because of the incongruity, maybe because it is just genuinely funny.
I really believe that those sorts of moments of lightness give a little recharge to the team. They know the situation is difficult, demanding – they don’t need reminded of that.
As a leader I believe you can be both demanding and light-hearted – it’s a question of your timing and earned respect.