Project: The Nation Starts In Your Neighborhood

In the last week, the nation has come together in solidarity. Not once but several times. And that’s just the times we have been able to catch.

What are we talking about? National Days.

• We took note of National Running Day

• Salivated over National Donut Day

• And stopped to appreciate those around us during National Best Friend Day

But there are national days for everything anymore.

• National Lefthanders Day

• National Punch The Clock Day

• National Eggs Benedict Day

• And. So. Many. More.

These may sound silly. But a nation at large is made up of individuals; of lefthanders; of people struggling to get up in the morning; of people at small mom and pop diners waiting to welcome you with your Eggs Benedict

To become a nation it takes each person at a time doing their job and perhaps all these seemingly inane holidays are just a way we pay tribute to those we take for granted and for ways we can let go –because remember International Panic Day is right around the corner.

Celebrating National starts in your neighborhood. And as a leader in your workspace and your community you have the power to make that happen. To celebrate a national holiday doesn’t mean you have to travel. It doesn’t mean you have to invest in all patriotic fanfare. It means you invest in your neighborhood. And celebrating national doesn’t mean you have to wait for Eggs Benedict Day. You can create your own. You can empower your town to rise above any negativity and ways to spotlight the individualism that makes the Google Map pinpoint on your town so special.

The nation is comprised of hundreds upon thousands of neighborhoods, and each one is kept alive through an economy of working people. It’s our job to ensure that these jobs can survive. Part of that survival is more than monetary. It’s office morale.

Sure, join the nation in solidarity in the occasional National Day celebration, but make every day worth celebrating in your community with your cause.

Happy National Hug Day,

The Green Couch

Project: Humble Pie Is Best Served Warm

So fresh out of the oven with a dollop of ice cream or real whip cream that it melts in your mouth.

That’s the way you eat a slice of dessert pie.

And that’s the only kind of pie we like to talk about. Because when it comes to humble pie we’d rather serve a slice of justice to others rather than have the tables turn and have a plate of humble pie serving staring us straight in the gut.

But we get in the way of life with our actions, and words and we make mistakes. Some of use more than others. The biggest mistake of all? Not owning up to them. And when you do that in a company, the negative consequences trickle down the pipeline and drastically alter morale, efficiency and ultimately the outward public presence.

Own up to your mistakes as soon as you notice them:

1) Apologize to those directly involved.

Here are the appropriate methods: In person, written letter and in an email. Don’t let time go in which misunderstandings, gossips, insubordination and bitterness can fester.

Your team morale depends on open dialogue and complete honesty.

2) Don’t be sorry; be different.

Be genuine. Don’t be “humble” and eat your pie just dbecause you’re caught.

Learn from this mistake and make it your priority to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Safeguard your company, whether it’s in your processes, HR enforced or routine pep talks.

3) Mawwiage is what bwings us togethew!

Ever attend a wedding ceremony and reception where the bride and groom express their love by feeding each other cake in a very unceremonious manner by smashing cake in one another’s face?

Well, a humble pie should never be indulged in such a manner. Whether you are forced to eat it or watch someone eat it, it can be a come-together moment for your company. When someone owns up to their faults and mistakes, they are allowing for complete transparency and vulnerability. Both of which are strengths, not weaknesses.

So, is there any pie that you need to eat, any people you need to talk to and any team morale that you need to build up?

-The Green Couch